2014 ET ZigWheels Awards Jury Round Entry-Level Bike

Nominees:

1. Hero Splendor iSmart 

2. TVS Star City + 

3. Hero Passion Pro Classic 

4. Bajaj Discover 125 

The entry level segment of motorcycles isn’t as glamorous in terms of their visual appeal or the performance of bikes from higher displacement segments. Having said that, one cannot discount the fact that they consist of the lion’s share with respect to sales and two-wheeler manufacturers brought in a slew of new range of products to boost their sales figure. The Hero Splendor iSmart was among the highlights of 2014 as the tried and trusted Splendor was equipped with a start-and-stop technology to further hike its impressive fuel efficiency. Apart from the new mileage increasing technology, the snazzy graphics and additional features did increase its appeal to further strengthen Hero MotoCorp’s hold in the entry level segment. 

The TVS Star City + marked the Hosur based manufacturers latest commuter motorcycle offering. Although the styling of the bike isn’t its talking point, what really caught our attention was its peppy motor, great build quality and sorted suspension dynamics. TVS had been lagging behind in the commuter segment and will be pinning its hopes on the Star City + to revive its fortune. The Hero Splendor Pro Classic is the worlds cheapest and most fuel efficient cafe racer, two parameters that really make it stand apart.

 Being a single-seat option, it lacks on the practicality front but scores highly on the fun element as it’s a joy to ride this puny motorcycle with a unique character. Among the plethora of new Discover launches by Bajaj Auto is the Discover 125. With the new offering, the Chakan based manufacturer plans to woo the commuter segment buyers into the 125cc segment. The USP of the Bajaj Discover 125 is the fact that at a marginal premium, the consumer gets a motorcycle with better performance, features and similar fuel efficiency as a 110cc motorcycle.