Having seen the Maestro in the flesh at the Hero MotoCorp brand launch in London,
it is now time to ride and see what it is like. Hero already sell the
Pleasure, billed as a ladies' scooter based on the Activa platform. The
same platform underpins the new Maestro which targets men and is Hero's
offering in the rapidly growing scooter market.
The Maestro is a large scooter which has a design that blends in with the current scooters except for its size. The large headlight looks nice, and even gets a tiny flyscreen that is purely cosmetic. Rear view mirrors are part body coloured and part black, and look neat. The dash is one of the most modern looking units in the business, and the Maestro gets an analogue speedometer along with a digital display with a tripmeter (first in the segment), fuel gauge and odometer with a service due indication. At the back, the Maestro gets a large tail lamp cluster, with a wide stop lamp and large turn indicators. The large grab rail is well-finished, and feels nice to hold. The seat is wide, but the short ride we had on the Maestro told us it could have been softer. Although until these (Activa-based) scooters summarily move on to telescopic fork front suspension, dramatic improvements in the ride quality and handling departments are hard to achieve and deliver.
The Maestro does surprise you, though with its ergonomic configuration. The seat is noticeably lower than you expect which is great for getting your feet down if you're vertically challenged or a lady of petite stature venturing out on a 'men's' scooter. But the handlebar is placed high in comparison which allows a very comfortable riding positing, good space for the knee but on the whole requires a five-minute adjustment period. Also possessing great space is the under seat storage which is a bit larger than the norm. Fit and finish levels and build quality is excellent as usual.
Sitting under the seat is the same 109cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine seen on the current generation Honda Activa that makes 8.2PS at 7500rpm, and feels super smooth. We haven't tested the scooter but it did feel a bit slower than the Activa in acceleration. Kerb weight for the Maestro stands at 110kg, as compared to the Activa’s 106kg, which could be one of the reasons for the Maestro feeling slower. The Pleasure on the other hand continues using the same 102cc engine, and will not get the new engine. The Maestro is on sale now and priced at Rs 3,000 more than the Honda Activa at Rs 45,000 ex-showroom Delhi. Our first impression is that the Maestro is a competent scooter based on a proven chassis and engine that should do well in the market if Hero can pull scooter buyers into its showrooms.
The Maestro is a large scooter which has a design that blends in with the current scooters except for its size. The large headlight looks nice, and even gets a tiny flyscreen that is purely cosmetic. Rear view mirrors are part body coloured and part black, and look neat. The dash is one of the most modern looking units in the business, and the Maestro gets an analogue speedometer along with a digital display with a tripmeter (first in the segment), fuel gauge and odometer with a service due indication. At the back, the Maestro gets a large tail lamp cluster, with a wide stop lamp and large turn indicators. The large grab rail is well-finished, and feels nice to hold. The seat is wide, but the short ride we had on the Maestro told us it could have been softer. Although until these (Activa-based) scooters summarily move on to telescopic fork front suspension, dramatic improvements in the ride quality and handling departments are hard to achieve and deliver.
The Maestro does surprise you, though with its ergonomic configuration. The seat is noticeably lower than you expect which is great for getting your feet down if you're vertically challenged or a lady of petite stature venturing out on a 'men's' scooter. But the handlebar is placed high in comparison which allows a very comfortable riding positing, good space for the knee but on the whole requires a five-minute adjustment period. Also possessing great space is the under seat storage which is a bit larger than the norm. Fit and finish levels and build quality is excellent as usual.
Sitting under the seat is the same 109cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine seen on the current generation Honda Activa that makes 8.2PS at 7500rpm, and feels super smooth. We haven't tested the scooter but it did feel a bit slower than the Activa in acceleration. Kerb weight for the Maestro stands at 110kg, as compared to the Activa’s 106kg, which could be one of the reasons for the Maestro feeling slower. The Pleasure on the other hand continues using the same 102cc engine, and will not get the new engine. The Maestro is on sale now and priced at Rs 3,000 more than the Honda Activa at Rs 45,000 ex-showroom Delhi. Our first impression is that the Maestro is a competent scooter based on a proven chassis and engine that should do well in the market if Hero can pull scooter buyers into its showrooms.
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