At 187kg (alloy wheel variant), Hero Mavrick 440 is lighter than Dominar 400, Yezdi Roadster and Harley-Davidson X440
World’s best-selling commuter motorcycle manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, is taking larger strides in premium motorcycle segment. The company launched its biggest, most powerful and most expensive product yet, the Mavrick 440, priced between Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 2.24 lakh (ex-sh). Is it the best deal one can ask for, at Rs. 2 lakh? Or is there better proposition? Let’s take a look.
Hero Mavrick 440 Vs Rivals
With a roadster design, Hero Mavrick competes with a lot of motorcycles from a similar genre and pricing. To keep the comparison apples to apples, we didn’t include Honda CB350 and Royal Enfield 350cc bikes as they don’t bring similar hardware and equipment. Shortlisted for this mega comparison are Triumph Speed 400, Honda CB300R, Bajaj Dominar 400, KTM 390 Duke, Apache RTR 310, BMW G 310 R, Yezdi Roadster and its alliance cousin Harley-Davidson X440.
Hero has launched this motorcycle in three trims – Base, Mid and Top (kudos to Hero for keeping trim names simple). At Rs. 2 lakh (ex-sh) starting price, Mavrick 440 undercuts all its rivals. It is Rs. 40,000 lower than X440 in base trims, which is laudable. Even the top-spec trim costing Rs. 2.24 lakh (ex-sh) undercuts every other vehicle except for Yezdi Roadster.
Only the Hero-Harley duo have SOHC setup and 2V head, while others offer DOHC and 4V. Where performance is concerned, KTM 390 Duke takes the cake easily, and is the most expensive of this bunch too. BMW G 310 R comes off as overpriced, especially when compared to Apache RTR 310 with a plethora of electronics and equipment. Owing to its power cruiser positioning, Dominar 400 has the biggest wheelbase at 1,453 mm.
Duke has the highest ground clearance along with highest seat height. Honda CB300R shines brightly with its low 146 kg kerb weight and is easily the best city commuter among this bunch. Dominar and Yezdi come off as the heaviest. Only the Hero-Harley duo offer a spoke wheel with base trims, while others have made alloy wheels as standard. Only the Harley and Yezdi offer front 18-inch wheels. Even Hero offers 17-inch units at both ends.
Specs, components and features
Only Mavrick 440 and Yezdi Roadster come with RSU telescopic front forks, whereas other contenders pack USD telescopic front forks. Rear suspension setup is twin-shock setup with Yezdi, Hero and Harley, while others offer sporty mono-shocks. All contenders offer all-LED lighting too and do not cheap out with halogens, which is a nice touch. Where fancy gizmos are concerned, only the 390 Duke, Apache RTR 310 and X440 offer colour TFT screens.
Hero could have offered the same unit as we saw with Karizma XMR. But there have to be logical differences from its Harley-Davidson counterpart to establish hierarchy. However, Mavrick’s unit supports Bluetooth, navigation, and telematics with e-Sim integration and other notable attributes. Yezdi Roadster, BMW G 310 R, Bajaj Dominar 400, Honda CB300R and Triumph Speed 400 lack smartphone connectivity completely and associated features.
In conclusion, Dominar 400 emerges as the best touring proposition with many touring-ready accessories as standard, while CB300R is easily the best city proposition. Apache RTR 310 is the most feature-packed, whereas 390 Duke is the most performant and Speed 400 is the most aesthetically pleasing. Hero Mavrick 440 shines with its pricing, undercutting X440 by up to Rs. 56,000 (ex-sh).
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
