Rather uninspiredly named, the new XF3R concept Hero revealed at the 2016 Auto Expo Show does however impress us when compared to the rest of the line-up. In a way, it follows the lines of the Hero Hastur naked machine, but with a more street-ready approach.
Despite the aggressive looks and big-bike feel, the Hero XF3R only anticipates a 300cc-ish machine. Still, you should not be disappointed, as it looks like this segment is gaining a lot of momentum in international markets, too.
A 300cc bike is already a "big bike" in many Asian markets, where small-displacement motorcycles dominate the sales authoritatively, so those expecting liter-class machines from Hero will have to wait.
If this is Hero's future, we love it
The Hero XF3R packs quite a lot of changes from what we were used to in the past. Sporty cast alloy wheels complement the upside-down forks, while the cast single-sided swingarm introduces an attire that has been very uncommon in the Indian bike industry.
The rear section of the XF3R reminds us a bit of the rear subframe of the Triumph Daytona 675R, perhaps because of the red color and trellis structure matching the rest of the chassis.
It's also lovely to see Hero ditching the traditional exhaust setup and going for a high-mount silencer that looks quite good. The rear monoshock is also one of the features Hero stresses out, alongside the edgy looks of the tank, headlight and side panels.
How much EBR is in the Hero XF3R is hard to tell, but we can vouch that this model is one of the new bikes that used massive input from Erik Buell Racing.
Making the anticipation even more thrilling is the marking on the side of the bike reading "Dual Mapping." This means that the Programmed Fuel Injection ECU offers two engine modes, with one of them expected to be Sport. We also thought about a Rain mode, but it looks like the Indian market is longing too much for sporty bikes.
Reports from the Indian market say that the machine has a 6-speed transmission with a wet multiplate clutch, ABS, self-canceling turn signals, digital dash instruments and LED taillight. A production version of the Hero XF3R might arrive in 2017. The rumored price for the Indian market is $2,570 (€2,300), but we just can't expect such a price tag if Hero sells in international markets.
Google News