A couple of weeks ago, we told you that Hero MotoCorp has removed the 100cc Passion Pro from its website. However, it now seems that the company has removed what was claimed as one of the most fuel efficient bikes in its line-up, the HF Deluxe Eco. The Hero HF Deluxe Eco was introduced in India in 2014 and was billed as a mileage champion. However, sales were at best okay-ish and the motorcycle only appealed to the rural audience. We spoke with a few Hero dealers and they claimed that the motorcycle is now no longer available with them. However, they also said that it is likely that the motorcycle will come back with some updates. It should be noted that the motorcycle had got the requisite BS-IV as well as IBS updates a few months ago.
The HF Deluxe Eco used a 100cc, 4-stroke carbureted engine that makes 7.8PS of power and 8Nm. This engine was optimised for fuel efficiency and to aid the same, Hero claims to have added aerodynamic mirrors as well as air foils near the front leg guard. Low rolling resistance tyres too are a part of the deal. While there are no claimed figures available, we believe it was advertised as more than 88kmpl. There were drum brakes provided at both ends and these were linked with IBS too. The motorcycle had simple mechanicals to make it more appealing to the rural audience.
Currently, the Hero motorcycle range has been simplified. The 100cc bastion is held by the HF Deluxe and Splendor+. While these have separate trims in the form of i3S as well as alloy wheel variations, they basically run the same engine. The 110cc brigade has the Passion and Splendor iSmart while the 125cc is represented by the Super Splendor and Glamour. There are no Hero 150cc motorcycles available in the market today. The 200s are the Xtreme 200S, Xtreme 200R, Xpulse 200 and Xpulse 200T.
So why is Hero discontinuing its 100cc motorcycles. The answer seems simple. These engines were built when the Hero-Honda partnership was going strong. It seems that Hero wants to leave the past behind and move on with its new set of engines. This could be one of the reasons while the second could be the upcoming BS-VI norms. It is unlikely that the 100cc sloper could clear the more stringent emission norms and hence it is being discontinued. There is also the question of low demand for the bike at the moment.
We reached out to Hero MotoCorp for a quote, however at the time of publishing this story we hadn’t received a reply.
