The birth

The Splendor was born during the mid-nineties; 1994 to be precise. The bike was a game changer of that time. With it unique looks, lightweight body, a punchy engine and great fuel economy, it was a bike that made people around this part of the world drool over, kind of like the performance focused bikes they produce today. Until the Splendor, there were hardly any affordable Indian bikes that focused on looks and performance, along with economy—if you don’t count Hero Honda Sleek, which tried.

The revolution

When the Splendor was first introduced, it received a positive response in the market. They advertised the bike with the slogan: “Fill it—Shut it—Forget it.” With its excellent fuel economy, it attracted a lot of commuters. It offered an average mileage of an astounding 80.6kmpl, which was higher than any of its competitors at that time.

In fact, the momentum that this bike picked up in the market was so great that by 2000, Splendor emerged as the largest selling two-wheeler model on the planet! While the market was filled with naked/street fighter bikes or commuters with minimal features (think Honda CG125, Hero Honda CD100SS), the introduction of a sleeker bike with modern aesthetics was more than welcome and it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that Hero Honda came up with the right bike at the right time. With its bikini fairing, sleek looks and stylish stickers, great mileage, superb handling, a comfortable riding position and a good amount of power, the Splendor attracted people of all ages.From college students to business men, it impressed everyone.

Performance

The original Splendor model was powered by a 97.2cc, air-cooled, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, OHC mill. The machine had the capacity of churning out peak 7.4bhp at 8000rpm along with a maximum torque of 7.95Nm at 5000rpm. For a bike that weighed only 109kgs, 7.4bhp of power was plenty. Sure, it isn’t a lot when compared to bikes now, but back then, it was a very different story. Nevertheless, the original Splendor still beats a lot of contemporary bikes of the same weight category, in power. You can even easily pop wheelies on this bike. As a matter of fact, it might be easier to pop a wheelie on this bike than in most of the modern ones.

Through the years

The glory of the Splendor has not yet receded. It is said that every 30 seconds, a Splendor is sold in India. And over time, Hero Honda (now Hero MotoCorp) have continually worked on the legend, making alterations and modifications, experimenting with design as well as with performance. Here are some of its iterations:

Splendor +

The Splendor evolution started out with newer paint jobs, but the Splendor+ was the first major update that the model received. The bike now featured new graphics, alloy wheels and a refined engine. The design of the old Splendor was ageing quickly so the new graphics and alloy wheels gave it a slightly modern look, while still maintaining the reliability and performance that the bike is reputed for.

Super Splendor

Come 2005, the Splendor series was given a major update in the form of Super Splendor. The bike got an overall makeover and it was equipped with a bigger engine. It now had a 125cc engine that put out 9.12bhp. Later the Super Splendor was updated once again and it currently features a digital speedometer. But unfortunately, the new model was not able to attain the same level of success the previous Splendor had enjoyed.

Splendor NXG

Another addition to the family came about in 2007 when the company released the Splendor NXG. The newly modeled design improved aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. The engine was tweaked to improve performance as well. The bike comes packed with a pretty impressive powertrain that features a 97.2cc air-cooled, four-stroke single cylinder OHC engine that produces 7.8 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 8.04 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm.

Splendor Pro

And finally a Splendor with a self-starter was introduced. The bike also got a bump in power as it produced 8.36bhp, which is pretty impressive for a 100 cc bike. This bike is available in many trims. For example, there are versions of the Splendor Pro without a self-starter, alloy wheels, etc.

Splendor Ismart

This was the first bike to be added to the Splendor series after Hero parted ways with Honda. Hero incorporated a piece of new technology that had never been introduced in Indian bikes before—the I3S system, which stands for Idle Start Stop System. What it does is that it shuts off the engine while you are idling and reignites it with the pull and release of the clutch. This has been done to make the bike more fuel-efficient. There is a switch to turn the option off, if that it is not what you prefer. The bike is powered by the same engine. This Splendor gets an aerodynamic front cowl, stylish split grab rails and a new seat that is more comfortable than that of the other the Splendors.

Splendor Pro Classic

The latest addition to the family is the Splendor Pro Classic. This bike sports a café racer look. The riding position is still like the conventional commuter bike but lacks the signature café racer stance The handle bars have been installed lower, which makes the positioning more aggressive than its predecessors. This bike features the same engine as the Splendor Pro and is a single-seater, which might not attract many buyers as the model mostly caters to economy-conscious commuters. Had Hero installed a more powerful engine onto the frame and pushed back the foot-pegs a little bit, the story of this bike could have been a whole lot different.

The Splendor series has a glorious past and is still going strong, and it doesn’t look like its dominance in the segment is going to end anytime soon. An icon of our times, Splendor did raise the standards of Indian bikes. It is only a matter of time until the first Splendor model becomes a vintage legend and a collector’s item.

Ride safe! Happy Riding!