Hero Motorcorp has started testing its new fully faired sportsbike and we've shown you a set of spyshots of what appears to be a successor to the Hero Karizma ZMR.
The motorcycle was caught testing once again, this time by an Autocar India reader. Like the earlier test mule this one is also fully wrapped in thick black fabric. It's resemblance to the ZMR is however apparent.
The motorcycle sports clip-on handlebars, an upward raking tailpiece (possibly with split seats), exposed drive chain and clear lens indicator lamps. Overall, the bike seems sportier than the ZMR which is a welcome change.
However the bike settles for traditional gas charged dual coil spring rear suspension rather than the monoshock setup of its rivals. The test mule spotted now doesn't have rear disc brake the previous mules had.
The details about the powertrain are sketchy as of now. Will the new motorcycle use the 250cc unit which is currently under development or would it continue with the current 225cc Honda motor barring some tweaks? We certainly like the first possibility more!
While the new Hero looks close to production ready, the condition of the silencer suggests otherwise. It is to be noted that the earlier spyshots show three test mules with three different silencers hinting a significant amount of development work is still to be finished.
The new Hero sportsbike is likely to replace the Karizma ZMR to compete with the likes of the Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS, KTM Duke 200 and Honda CBR250R.
[Source: AutocarIndia.com]
