The race to be the first between old friends Hero and Honda, continues. Just a few days after Honda announced that they will launch India’s first ever BS6 two wheeler on 12th June 2019, Hero has gone ahead and decided to spoil the party for Honda.
Today, on 10th June 2019, Hero MotoCorp announced that they have become the first two wheeler company in India to get BS6 certification. Hero MotoCorp has received BS-VI certification for the Splendor iSmart motorcycle.
The certification has been received is a Type Approval Certificate from International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) following successful BS-VI emission norms compliancy testing. The BS-VI compliant Splendor iSmart bike has been designed and developed in-house, at the Company’s R&D hub, Center of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
For the Type Approval process, a manufacturer is required to build a prototype and get it tested and certified at a Govt approved test agency – ICAT, ARAI or GARC, and thereafter begin manufacturing the certified model. The certification come in good time as BSVI transition dateline is set as April 1, 2020. In the meantime, Hero MotoCorp is working on making its wide-ranging portfolio BS-VI compliant.
Hero Splendor iSmart is powered by a 110 cc single cylinder engine. Earlier this year, it got the IBS or Integrated Braking System, which is Hero’s version of combined braking system. Along with Splendor, Hero MotoCorp has offered a safety feature called as IBS – Integrated Braking System on its range of motorcycles upto 125cc capacity. This is in keeping with a new safety regulation coming into effect from 1st April 2019 wherein all two wheelers upto 125cc should have CBS – Combined Braking System as a mandatory safety feature.
Hero MotoCorp has also upgraded bikes such as the Passion X Pro and Splendor Plus and all its other models upto 125 cc with IBS which has also resulted in a marginal increase in price ranging between Rs.500-2,000, depending on the model. IBS, Hero’s version of CBS clutches both the wheels simultaneously even if the rider applies brakes just for rear wheel. IBS allows for distribution of braking action which ensures better stability and safety to the rider even in the event of sudden braking.
The inclusion of this safety feature has seen increase in prices of the bikes in this range. The HF Deluxe i3S now comes in with a Rs.500 price hike to Rs.49,375 while the Splendor Plus series commands a price hike of Rs.650 with self start bring priced at Rs.52,860 and the i3S variant at Rs.54,150. The IBS feature on the Hero Passion Pro Drum Brake variant now sees a price tag of Rs.54,475 while the Passion X Pro Drum Brake variant is now priced at Rs.56,100. The price hike is the highest at Rs.2,000 on the Hero Glamour F1 which is now priced at Rs.68,900.
Next update all Hero motorcycles and scooters will receive is the BS6 update. This will most likely be the last update, as Govt of India is planning on banning two wheelers under 150 cc from 1st April 2026. Only electric vehicles will be on sale post that.
