Hero Honda has launched the fuel-injection model of its 125 cc bike Glamour under the title Hero Honda Glamour FI. The bike will come for an entry-level price of Rs 49,900. This will have a kick-start and drum brakes. The higher-end version will have self-start and disc brakes and will cost Rs 53000. This is the first time that Honda is offering its fuel injection technology on low-end bikes anywhere outside Japan. However, the Hero Honda Glamour FI is not expected to be a runaway hit due to two reasons; one - the price difference with the existing Glamour is just Rs 5,500. Two - The Hero Honda Glamour FI needs unleaded fuel, something that is still not available in large parts of India.
Honda’s Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) bikes come with better fuel efficiency and are more environment-friendly. The Glamour FI has a more refined design and its engine is integrated with a black color pattern and a unique FI logo. However, Hero Honda is not planning to stop production of the existing Glamour model - at least for now. The Hero Honda chairman said at a press conference that both models of Hero Honda Glamour would co-exist for now. Honda is planning to fit PGM-FI on most of its bikes across the world by the end of 2010 to cut down on emissions.
Hero Honda has piped all others to the post; with the first fuel, injected mass-produced Indian motorcycle, the Glamour. Instrumentation similar in design and layout as on the current Glamour, but the FI gets a digital fuel gauge complete with instantaneous fuel consumption display. We are talking about the very first fuel injected mass produced Indian motorcycle, the Hero Honda Glamour. No, she is not more powerful as the max power and torque figures suggest, and since the company has not gone to town declaring better fuel efficiency, we can only presume there is not much of an improvement.
However, presume we do not. Even though the new avatar of the Glamour shares almost everything with her carbureted twin, a change in fuelling system certainly called for a complete road test, if for nothing else but in hope to shatter the first paragraph pessimism. Styling is identical to the present Glamour complete with that odd-looking front fairing, accommodating knee recesses as part of the fuel tank design and easy to read clocks.
The clocks now sport a digital fuel gauge instead of the analogue one earlier, one that gives you instantaneous fuel consumption. Okay it’s not exactly instantaneous given it runs a 10-second delay, and tells you how much fuel the bike consumed in the previous 10 seconds, but it’s still a great tool for deriving good fuel efficiency. There are sensors on the crank and counter balancer shaft, which help return this data.
She also comes with bank angle sensor, which cuts the fuel supply and ignition in case of a fall. Additionally the Glamour sports a malfunction indicator that lights up if the sensors fail. The cycle parts are identical too. You have a double down tube cradle for a chassis supported on telescopic forks up front and 5-way adjustable coil over shock absorber units coupled to a box section swing arm. The package along with MRF rubber makes it an accomplished handler. Even in the wet, as we found out in the course of this road test. The front does tend to slide when pushed hard but is a characteristic peculiar to damp surfaces. Ride, as we mentioned last month, is among the better ones in the 125 class. It is not wallowy or back-breakingly stiff, but just right to see you through a daily commute.
Engine & Gearbox
Smooth… According to Hero Honda, besides the fuelling system, no other change has been made to the engine. So in place of a carburetor comes Honda’s PGM-FI fuel injection. Honda has managed to slot in the FI unit in almost the same space a carburetor would occupy. The FI unit (inset of injector) takes up as much space as a carburetor, and helps improve fuel economy tremendously. It is a super refined power plants too, this 125.
This is down to the fact that Honda Japan has developed PGM-FI specifically for smaller capacity motorcycles (125cc and less). The system firstly uses downsized parts as compared to FI used in higher capacity motorcycles; in addition, it incorporates more than one module in a compartment. Therefore, you have the ECU and the throttle module together for instance.
PGM-FI essentially controls the fuel injection volume, injection timing, and the ignition timing based on inputs it receives from sensors that detect throttle position, pressure, and temperature of air in the intake manifold, engine temperature as well as the rotation angle of the crank. Further, the ECU employs two ignition maps. One is for conditions with fewer loads or light throttle input intended to return better fuel economy. While the other comes into play when the bike’s revs rise and the throttle is opened completely, either so you have decent grunt every time you open the throttle to get away at traffic signals or while overtaking.
Otherwise the under square 124.8cc engine (a layout preferred for better torque characteristics) is the same. The 9.13PS of power at the crank developed at 7000rpm is identical as is the 10.35Nm of torque. There is no alteration in the power or torque curves either, as was the case with the Unicorn engine when it made its way on to the Achiever. The only difference between the engines though is in the refinement levels. We know by experience that the Super Splendor/Glamour engine is a truly sweet unit, devoid of earth shattering vibrations and as calm, an engine you will encounter, especially at full clip.
The Glamour FI’s engine is even better. Particularly where refinement, smoothness, and vigor are concerned. So much so that where we would be constantly searching for higher gear in most other bikes, we never felt the urge to do so in the FI. For instance, we were in third and doing almost 90kmph, but so stress free was the engine, we completely forgot about 4th. At least until the time we looked at the instantaneous fuel consumption contraption showing we were hurting the planet by eking a little over 52kmpl on a 125.
When we did shift up, it was like running the bike on idle. Smooth… Now that’s the advantage of FI, and yes, better er… make that lesser exhaust emissions too. According to Honda, the system is expected to lower hydrocarbon emissions by almost a third. By the way, I love the way she bounces off the rev limiter too. So car likes! Would buy one just to keep doing that all morning, evening and night. The gearbox is the same four-speed unit with identical ratios for the gears as well as for the primary and secondary. The box is notchy but never leaves you struggling to find the right gear.
Performance & Efficiency
Nope. The performance has not improved exponentially. In fact, it has not improved at all, at least not at bottom and mid range. Given that, Honda designed PGM-FI with a view of improving fuel economy by almost 30 per cent, the outcome is not surprising. The fuel injected Glamour as if her twin takes 3.4 seconds to complete the 0-40kmph run while the 60kmph mark comes up in over seven seconds. She does shave almost a second in the run up to 80kmph taking 14.49 seconds against 15.18sec taken by the carbureted Glamour.
Roll on times again in third and fourth are almost identical with the former requiring 11.02 seconds and 13.98 seconds in third and fourth respectively to complete the 30-70kmph run. The major difference is in the fuel economy of both bikes. The Glamour in any case is the most fuel efficient of the 125s, and now with fuel injection she has moved the bar so high even the 100cc bikes will struggle to match her. The bike returned a phenomenal 95kmpl on our highway run! In the city, the figure dropped to 75.25kmpl but then again its 4kmpl more than the carbureted version. That is reason enough to buy it then, wouldn’t you say?
So there you have it: the first fuel-injected bike in the country does nothing for performance-oriented individuals. It sure will have the penny pinchers swaying to the samba with that exceptional fuel efficiency. However, what about the cost, a good 5,500 bucks more expensive than the carbureted version? Sure, you get one of the most refined two-wheelers in the country. Sure, she is good in the city thanks to her decent low and mid range. Moreover, on the highway, with no vibes to talk about, no matter what rpm besides improved high-end performance, she will certainly make for a desirable companion. But Rs 5,500 more of your hard earned money? That is just too much to ask for plain technology!
Glamour is powered by the same 125 cc Super Splendor engine having bore x stroke of 52.4 mm x 57.8 mm, which produces NINE bhp at 7000 rpm and develops max. 10.35 Nm of Torque at 4000 rpm at a compression ratio of 9.1. The max torque at such low (4000) rpm, and the long-stroke (stroke/bore ratio==1.10) gives this bike excellent Low End characteristics, which means minimum gear changing in city traffic as well as excellent mileage / average in city traffic, even riding double seat. Between these two, apart from different looks, the only apparently visible technical difference is in rear tyre thickness, which is 2.75 in Super Splendor and 3.oo in Glamour, Same as between the 100 cc HH models Splendor and Passion.
One can say that relation between Super Splendor and Glamour is the same as between old Splendor and Passion. Other notable differences between the two are that Glamour has a 13.6-liter fuel tank and 240 mm disc brake, while Super Splendor has a 12-liter tank and a 215 mm disc. My standard fuel economy tests on Super Splendor, riding single seat (my weight=62 kg), using ordinary cheapest green petrol, gave the following results. Since Glamour has the same engine, gears and cycle parts, it will also give the same mileage as above. Difference due to thicker rear tyre and 5 kg heavier weight of Glamour if any, will be negligible.
Technical Specifications
| Type Air cooled , 4 - stroke single cylinder OHC |
| Displacement 124.8 c.c |
| Maximum Power 6.72 KW ( 9 BHP ) @ 7000 rpm |
| Maximum Torque 10.35 N-m @ 4000 rpm |
| Bore x Stroke 52.4 x 57.9 mm |
| Compression Ratio 9.2 :1 |
| Fuel System Programmed Electronic Fuel Injection {GM-FI } |
| Starting Self Start / Kick Start |
| Idle speed 1500 rpm |
| Ignition FTi - Full Transisterised Ignition |
| Clutch Multiplate wet |
| Gear box 4 Speed constant mesh |
| Chassis Type Tubular Double cradle Type |
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| BRAKES - FRONT | |||
| Disc 240 mm Dia ; Pad - Non Asbestoes type | |||
| Drum Internal Expanding Shoe Type ( 130 mm ) ; Liners - Non Asbestoes type | |||
| BRAKES - REAR | |||
| Drum Internal Expanding Shoe Type ( 130 mm ) ; Liners - Non Asbestoes type | |||
| TYRE SIZE | |||
| Front 2.75 x 18 - 42 P / 4 PR | |||
| Rear 3.00 x 18 - 52 P / 6 PR | |||
| Battery 12 V - 2.5 Ah ( Kick ) / 5 Ah ( Self ) | |||
| Head Lamp 35W / 35W - Halogen Bulb ( Multi-Reflector Type ) | |||
| TYRE PRESSURE | |||
| Front(solo/pillion) 1.75 Kg / cm² / 1.75 Kg / cm² | |||
| Rear(solo/pillion) 2.25 Kg / cm² / 2.50 Kg / cm² | |||
| Fuel tank capacity 12 Ltrs ( Min ) | |||
| Reserve 1.5 Ltrs ( Approx) | |||
| Length 2005 mm | |||
| Width 735 mm | |||
| Height 1070 mm | |||
| Wheelbase 1265 mm | |||
| Ground clearance 150 mm | |||
| Kerb weight 125 Kg ( Kick ) / 129 Kg ( Self ). |
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