Hero MotoCorp is well known for experimenting various motorbikes in different segment. It was 2014 when GTA V is hitting the market very hard and I was in my 10th grade, roaming around all available showrooms. It is also the time when Royal Enfield released a Cafe Racer model bike named Continental GT 535 in our country, in which the manufacturer has entered this platform after several decades. After that, Hero MotoCorp has also introduced the entry-level budget Cafe Racer named as Splendor Pro Classic by slightly redesigning the existing Splendor range of motorbikes and this is the motorbike we're going to see about in Retrosters category for this week.
Coming to the powerplant, it had a horizontal engine like other Splendor models which is a 97.2cc, air cooled, OHC motor producing about 8.2bhp at 8,000rpm and 8.05Nm of torque at 5,000rpm. It is paired to a 4 speed gearbox. Conventional telescopic forks & twin struts took care of the suspension duties and the drum setup at both the ends done the anchoring jobs. All together, the motorbike became a perfect entry level budget Cafe Racer which also provided a decent amount of mileage and also with a acceptable price. Eventhough, the motorbike failed to rock our market and that's why the manufacturer discontinued the model. Let's see why..
Anothert thing which became a major disadvantage is the engine utilized in it. Though it came under the Cafe Racer category, atleast it should've possessed a mid range motor producing decent amount of power & torque parameters. Everyone expected that including me. If the motorbike is launched with a motor capacity about 150cc and with the optional rear seat, surely it would've sold like anything I'd say where other design elements were already perfect. The idea of higher capacity Pro Classic is wandering around the Internet for the very long time. It'll be prize to our eyes if the manufacturer re-enters this Cafe segment with the Xpulse motor and aslo I'm expecting the same. If it happens, it'd sell link anything as youngsters these days started to jump towards the reto culture...
When I first saw the motorbike in the year 2015, it grabbed my attention like anything because of its appearance & styling. It maybe a entry level budget motorbike, but the design elements of the machine represented the Cafe Racer style in every aspect which I loved the most. The thing which differentiates the modern & retro motorbikes is the chrome elements. It had got decent amount of chrome finish such as in both the fenders, rear view mirrors, turn indicators, exhaust, crash guard and also in the rear shocks.
It had other design elements which even more improved the retro look & feel such as round shaped headlamp with chrome bezel, round shaped rear view mirrors, round turn winkers and tail lamp. It also had a chrome wired spoke rims and single piece seat with the ditched rear end. But it is perfectly balanced by the well designed cowl which matched its lines with the fuel tank. Conventional handle set-up is replaced with the help of clubman handlebar which gave the rider a lowered riding posture, a demand of a Cafe Racer model. It also differentiated this machine from the normal Splendor models.
Firstly, it had a single seat option. Customers who are looking for single seat motorbikes are very less in our country. It doesn't even get a pillion footrest. This became a major disadvantage for the model. Another one is the riding posture. Due to the clubman handle setup, the rider have to lean forward to reach the handlebar and this became a problem for tall riders. I've seen many where they expect a larger profile tyres even in a smaller capacity vehicle. They can't understand it. Each and every parameters of the machine is designed & developed to gain maximum performance & mileage.
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Retrosters