It’s early morning at Oulton Park, and the mist nonetheless clings to the hedgerows. The asphalt is drizzle-soaked, and the air smells like autumn. However Oulton feels far too quiet to be a race circuit. There’s no revs of bikes being warmed, no paddock bulletins, and no compulsory bacon butties.
Simply me and another journos, a line of similar new bikes, and a emblem most British riders don’t actually recognise.
Hero.
With 9 million bikes a yr and one rolling off a manufacturing line each 18 seconds, there isn’t any denying Hero is a large model.Parked earlier than me is its first providing for the UK market, the Hunk 440, a motorbike that appears like a retro bare and appears like a pub boast. It’s a easy single-cylinder middleweight, and for many of the world, it’s a bread-and-butter Hero product. However right here, it’s one thing larger: the primary style of what the Indian large has deliberate for Europe.
Lee Mason and Sanjay Bahn pull the covers off the Hunk 440
A couple of hours later, over espresso in a quiet nook of the paddock, I sit down with Sanjay Bhan, Government Vice President of Hero Motor Corp. He’s simply come from launches in Spain and Italy and is now prepping for France and Germany. He speaks like a person who’s bought a transparent map in his head of the place this model goes. And the way the Hunk 440 suits into that plan.
“You Are Limitless”
Lee Mason (L) and Sanjay Bahn (R)
“Germany is a vital a part of our worldwide outlook,” Bhan tells me. “We get the perfect of each worlds — the dimensions and functionality of India, and the innovation of Europe. They work very simply collectively.”
That mixture of scale and refinement is what Hero’s banking on. You possibly can’t outbuild the Japanese or outspend the Chinese language with no plan, and Hero’s plan is remarkably easy: construct bikes that extra folks can afford to journey.
“There are two methods to have a look at it,” Bhan continues. “There’s the commuter stage of biking, getting from A to B. Then there’s life-style biking — having a motorbike as a way of life accent. Within the UK, that’s the place we need to be. We’re not right here to problem anybody. Hero’s job is to increase the market and get youthful folks onto bikes.”
He smiles when he says it, nevertheless it’s a critical level. Within the UK, new riders are arduous to seek out, priced out or intimidated by complicated licence laws. Hero’s slogan “You Are Limitless” would possibly sound like a hashtag, however in Bhan’s model, it’s about freedom of entry.
“Give your self sufficient freedom to decide on what’s greatest for you,” he says. “We’ll ship — whether or not that’s by means of high quality, guarantee, or value. We attempt to break all boundaries to entry.”
And that, actually, is what the Hunk 440 is constructed to do, and we assume, all of the bikes that may comply with.
What does yr one within the UK appear like?
Hero MotoCorp’s Government VP Sanjay Bhan
Once I press Bhan for numbers in yr one, he dodges politely. “We’re not taking a look at numbers… We simply need to get on the market, inform our story, and get clients to recognise us. The numbers will comply with.”
He’s pragmatic sufficient to know that within the UK, success gained’t come from shiny adverts or model heritage — Hero has neither right here but. It’ll come from expertise.
“Our focus will not be on shopping for,” he says. “It’s tempting to push folks to come back purchase one thing. We desire to say ‘come strive’. Attempting the bike will result in some no less than, shopping for the bike”
And he’s proper. As a result of after a morning within the saddle, I’m half-convinced myself. The Hunk 440 isn’t thrilling within the standard sense, nevertheless it’s disarmingly likeable, very straightforward to journey, appears effectively constructed and freed from nasty surprises. It’s a reminder that not each bike must be an occasion; some simply must make on a regular basis driving simpler and extra pleasurable.
The journey angle – Dakar DNA and what’s subsequent
The Hero XPulse 200 which is already on sale in some European areas
Hero, after all, isn’t new to off-road. The manufacturing facility group has Dakar Rally expertise, and the learnings have filtered into the bikes it sells elsewhere. When requested if an journey bike is incoming, his reply is swift.
“Completely. Very secure to imagine that. We already launched the journey bike in Italy and Spain. For the UK, we’ll want a much bigger bike — we’re engaged on that.”
He gained’t give specs, however he hints that one thing bigger (We assume within the 400-600 cc house) will arrive subsequent yr. A correct middleweight ADV with real-world pricing? That might be fascinating — particularly if it carries over the easy-going really feel and approachable really feel I’ve bought from the Hunk 440.
Behind the scenes, the model’s German tech centre will possible play a key function. “Quite a lot of our worldwide growth will probably be outlined by the work occurring there,” Bhan says. “We’ve bought nice expertise in Europe and in India, working collectively.”
For an organization of Hero’s dimension, that world R&D collaboration might show the distinction between being “the Indian Honda” (which is a phrase that has critical historical past) and being a reputable, world-class producer.
Sellers, digital buzz and phrase of mouth
Sanjay Bahn talking on the launch of Hero Motor UK
Hero already has 25 sellers within the UK, with plans to hit 45 subsequent yr. For Bhan, they’re the entrance line of the model’s mission. “Folks speak about it, they expertise the bikes, they really feel nice about them — then the phrase of mouth kicks in.”
In an age the place most of us analysis bikes on-line lengthy earlier than we go to a showroom, Hero’s hoping social media will do a part of the job. A couple of enthusiastic riders posting about take a look at rides goes a good distance for a brand new model. The Hunk’s easy, strong appeal might make it a success amongst sensible riders on the lookout for worth – so long as their efficiency expectations of it are practical.
Hero isn’t right here to bulldoze the UK market. It’s right here to quietly increase it. And the Hunk 440 is the primary software for the job. It’s a easy, trustworthy, inexpensive bike with first rate construct high quality, a pleasant character and a refreshingly clear objective.
In my evaluation, I summed it up like this: “It’s tremendous straightforward to journey, unintimidating, handles prefer it ought to and holds no nasty surprises out on the street.” And that’s nonetheless the essence of it. The Hunk 440 isn’t pretending to be unique or excessive. It’s a stepping-stone machine for real-world riders. A motorcycle you’ll be able to study on, commute on, or simply take pleasure in with out worrying about insurance coverage renewals or tyre payments.
Hero’s problem now’s to show reliability, help its sellers, and present British riders {that a} world large may construct bikes with coronary heart. If it might do this, Sanjay Bhan’s cautious optimism would possibly simply repay.
For now, the Hunk 440 stands because the quiet begin of one thing larger, the second Hero MotoCorp stopped being a reputation on another person’s export chart and have become a model British riders would possibly truly think about for themselves.
Discover the most recent bike information on Visordown.com
