Hero MotoCorp Ltd.
dominates around 52 percent of the Indian 2-wheeler market share. The major chunk of this dominance comes from their motorcycles. They have had a decent scooter lineup with the Pleasureand Maestro doing the job well. Since their separation from Honda, they have always focused at setting up their in-house R&D and design house. Hero had first shown us the concepts of their future scooter models at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo, with the first of those models to make it to final production being the Maestro Edge and the Duet. Both these indigenously developed scooters were launched recently by the Chairman, MD and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, Mr. Pawan Munjal. We bring you an Exclusive Road Test Review of Hero’s very first completely in-house developed scooter, the Maestro Edge. Read on to know more.
To start with, Hero MotoCorp has got in Markus Braunsperger as their Chief Technology Officer who comes from BMW Germany; Markus having worked at BMW for 25 years, will be the man behind all the Hero models, starting with the Maestro Edge. Being on ‘Edge’….The hot Delhi sun beating down on our heads did nothing to dampen our spirits, as we zipped smoothly on the track near the Leela Ambience Golf course!
Hero Maestro Edge Design:
The Maestro Edge, as the name suggests, has a lot of edges (creases and cuts) on its body design. The body is primarily made of durable ABS plastic material. Up front you get a wide design headlight with twin parking lights (can be also used as DRL). You have a neat and trendily-styled tiny windshield just above the headlight. The rear view mirrors come funkily designed as well, with dual-tone body color (Black-Grey). The nose is designed with body lines read as Edge lines that run upwards in a sort of `V` design. A small, neat touch here is the air-inlet that gets a darker shade along with the upper `V` body panel where the registration plate is mounted, which again comes in the same darker shade of plastic. The turn lights are mounted on the nose panel, large and angular, having a nice, transparent white glass finish on them. The front fender (mudguard) is designed like a motorcycle fender and this also gets the Edge design lines. The front suspension is Telescopic Hydraulic. The Maestro gets 12-inch black alloys upfront with 90/90-12-54J spec MRF Nylogrip Zapper tubeless tyres. The front brake is an integrated system, something similar to the combi-brakes seen on the Honda Activa.
Coming ahead, the Maestro Edge gets a multi ana-digi speedo unit with a regular speedo and a neat little LCD display unit. The instrument cluster also gets a sidestand warning indicator. The LCD display shows a digital fuel meter, trip meter, odometer and service indicator. The control switches are housed with the grey surround theme same as on the mirror. The unique addition here, is the pass switch which is very handy while overtaking, especially at night. The handle grips come with soft rubber, comfortable grip with bar end weights that look and feel nice. The footboard area is generous on the Maestro Edge. The side body panel is angular in design and in synergy with the Edge design body lines. A neat touch on the sides, is the Maestro Edge monogram in chrome, highlighting the panel prominently. The foldable foot-pegs come with aluminum finish. There is also the much needed foldable ladies-step as a part of the standard equipment on the Maestro Edge, as compared to the Activa, where it has to be bought as an accessory. The ignition key is a multifunction one, that along with starting the scooter also opens the seat, locks/unlocks the handle and opens the fuel tank lid. The scooter also gets a large triangular Bazooka-style muffler in a neat-looking silver grey finish. The tail lights get LED treatment while the rear turnlights come styled in transparent glass with amber bulbs in them. The rear also houses another unique feature, an external fuel tank lid which is placed just under the grab rail (backrest). This opener is fused with the body panel, where you need to turn the ignition lock using the key to open this body flap. The rear tyres on the Maestro Edge are of 90/100-10-53J spec MRF Nylogrip Zapper tubeless tyre mounted on 10×2.15 size black alloys. The seat gets a unique-looking, lined design upholstery on it, followed by the body-colored grab rail (backrest).
Flip open the seat and you’ll find a good amount of storage space that can fit in your full face helmet. The unique feature here is the bootlight that’s added along with a first time inclusion of a USB 3.0 mobile charging port. The only grouse we have, is that there is no steady mounting place to lock your mobile while charging on the move. So if you charge your phone while riding, chances are, it would keep rattling around in here. We hope the engineers at Hero MotoCorp address this issue, but nevertheless this is a very useful feature for someone who is always on the go. Overall, the fit and finish is excellent on the Hero Maestro Edge. Quality of the switchgear is at its best and we loved the unique matte paint finish on our test ride scooter which was in a lovely Blue shade.
Hero Maestro Edge Engine, Ride and Handling:
The Hero Maestro Edge is powered by a fully in-house developed and engineered 110cc air-cooled single cylinder engine. This 4-stroke OHC engine produces 8.43 PS of power at 8000RPM and a max torque of 8.3Nm at a peaky 6500RPM. Hero claims a fuel efficiency of 65.8Km/L for the Maestro Edge. The exact fuel efficiency figures will be known when we get the scooter with us for a longer time soon.
The Maestro Edge weighs 110kgs, which is not very heavy to balance, even for new riders. The seat is comfortable and the rider sits at a good commanding height. Initial acceleration is quick and controlled, with no sudden bursts of power. The ride is very well balanced and that aids a lot in the comfort that this scooter has to offer. Scooters are mostly used for in city rides and the Maestro Edge is a perfect performer in these conditions. It can do an all-day commute at 30-40kmph on busy roads. Alternatively, it also can also do 60kmph with ease when you want it to on highways. No vibrations are felt at idle, or on the move. The suspension is well sorted out, and the good ride quality is a team effort of the good tyres and long wheelbase on this scooter. The combo brakes with the drum brakes setup do their job neatly. We hope Hero also gets a variant soon with front disc brakes as is the trend of the segment.
Hero Maestro Edge Verdict:
The Hero Maestro Edge looks trendy, feels well-built and rides nicely too. It has all that Hero MotoCorp promised as its very first in-house developed scooter. Now with the Maestro Edge things would be changing drastically for Hero, the Indian two-wheeler giant, which will be no longer dependent on Honda technology. Priced at Rs. 49,500/- for the LX and Rs. 50,500/- (Prices Ex-showroom, Delhi) for the top of the line VX variant, we find the Hero Maestro Edge a very strong, value-for-money and trendy contender for the ever-demanding Indian Scooter buyer. This one very definitely has a distinct ‘Edge’ over its competition!
Pics – Dr. Anand Narvekar
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