[dZired]

Hero MotoCorp has launched the new Achiever 150 in India. The bike is available in two variants, with the base variant having drum brakes at the front and rear, and the higher trim having a disc brake at the front. The Achiever 150 Drum variant is priced at Rs. 61,800, while the Disc variant is priced at Rs. 62,800 (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is available in 3 colours - Panther Black Metallic, Candy Blazing Red and Ebony grey Metallic.

Powering the new Achiever is a 150 cc, BS-IV compliant, air-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine that churns out 13.4 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and a peak torque of 12.8 Nm @ 5,000 rpm. This engine also gets Hero's patented i3S technology, which is essentially an automatic start-stop system. The Achiever 150 has become the fourth product to be completely developed by Hero MotoCorp, without any inputs or assistance from its former partner - Honda.

Braking duties on the base model are handled by 130 mm drum brakes at the front and rear, while the disc brake variant gets a 240 mm disc at the front.

Other features on offer include automatic headlight on (AHO), side stand indicator, and a maintenance-free battery. The Achiever also gets alloy wheels on both variants, which are shod with 80/100-18 tubeless tyres.

Hero has also launched a special edition of the Achiever 150 in order to commemorate 70 million Hero customers in the country. This special edition model gets a white paint shade and tri-colour decals on the body panels. Only 70 units of the special edition Achiever will be sold.

Link to Team-BHP News

[aravind.anand]

No offense, but I seriously don't see who they are targeting here, as this does not look sporty or dashing or unique like its 150cc rivals. I seriously think Hero lacks real passion (pun intended ) in making bikes for the premium segment. The original Karizma that came a decade ago still is their best effort, and the original CBZ that came a decade and a half ago was their best 150 too. They lost the fan following in the enthusiast camp after replacing those smart looking bikes with Chinese-looking bikes, which are a far cry from the rivals, and also their predecessors.

This bike to me looks like a econo bike - and if I see one on the road, I would think its one of the huge list of similar looking 100cc bikes that is on sale today.

[PraNeel]

What's new here? ( Other than a new paint scheme, new headlamp fairing and decals) I don't see anyone rushing to Hero showroom for this new launch. As many members have said they have to come up with an effort equal or more than CBZ and original Karizma. Perhaps start afresh and come up with a genuine new product that shows their technical and design prowess.
Please launch the HX250r, people have been waiting for so long!

[saion666]

This bike,like my comment and many to follow on this thread, has absolutely nothing new to it. It looks the same as the age old Passion/Glamour/Splendor etc. only with a 150cc engine.
However, IMO this bike would sell in the suburbs and villages considering Hero's reach. They may also export these. In a nutshell, Hero continues to do what it has been doing. Nothing wrong in that as long as they are making profit but how far is it sustainable remains to be seen.

IMO, Hero has been shackled by their abuse-friendly commuter bike image. I am not sure if customers would suddenly accept a radical bike from Hero(Impulse being an example). What Hero must do is move up the chain by slowly introducing upmarket looking products just like Maruti did from 800-->Alto-->Swift-->Baleno/Ciaz.

This same bike with a bit of sporty look would have been the first step in the right direction, but alas!!

[Engine_Roars]

When you forcefully marry a UNICORN to PASSION, this is what you get. Hero needs to buckle up or should stick to 100-125 CC segment. I am no expert but I can bet my money on how this bike is a failure. I wonder why Hero's higher ups can not see that.

[ashis89]

The advantage this offering has is, this can be an alternative to someone looking for the old Unicorn. The Achiever has a comfortable straight posture and shares the same engine. Anyone looking for a decently powerful and yet, comfortable city commuter; he/she gets two options in the form of Unicorn CB and Achiever. I still like the executive looks of both these bikes among the crowd of naked bikes.

PS: If I am in market for a commuter I will shortlist this, mostly because of the trusted engine, all necessary features (ES and disc brake) and the low price tag.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by saion666

In a nutshell, Hero continues to do what it has been doing.

Originally Posted by saion666

IMO, Hero has been shackled by their abuse-friendly commuter bike image.

I am not sure if customers would suddenly accept a radical bike from Hero(Impulse being an example).

What Hero must do is move up the chain by slowly introducing upmarket looking products just like Maruti did from 800-->Alto-->Swift-->Baleno/Ciaz

Agree with you totally.

Hero has restricted itself to the Commuter Market...

But one can't really fault Hero for that. Since it is Commuter products that Hero does best. With Honda out of the picture now (first the Honda brand disappears and now so will the Honda tech), its a acid test for Hero to survive on its own.

Hero is defending its turf i.e. commuter offerings now on its own (Sans Honda). Its a matter of ensuring survival for Hero

Once Hero is confident that its bread and butter products (commuter products), it can then peacefully concentrate on getting offerings for the enthusiast.


But have to say that I do miss the company that once brought in path breaking and trendsetting products like the CBZ and Karizma.

[MHG]

Honda Japan developed the Hero Honda CBZ launched in early 1999 with a 157cc 4-stroke engine. It was updated as the CBZ* in 2004 as a mostly cosmetic job but retained the old engine. 2004 also saw the release of the Ambition 135 with the same body but a different engine. The Hero Honda Achiever (continuing to use the CBZ body shape) was launched in 2005 (to replace CBZ*) and shared its 149cc 4-stroke engine with its Honda branded brother, the Unicorn (also launched in 2005) and an off-road Honda motorcycle, the 2006 CRF150F (an obscure detail that makes many Unicorn owners smile). The Achiever has since remained unchanged save minor updates like alloy wheels, sticker jobs and BS III compatibility.

Today the Achiever gets updated to meet BS IV emission norms, receives tubeless tyres (finally!), an engine start-stop system, DC headlamps (not mentioned anywhere but I'm guessing it should've been updated as old Achiever was AC headlamps like the Unicorn) and NEW STICKERS.

But the Achiever is still as Honda as it gets. Be it the original Honda CB series inspired CBZ's body shape or the proven workhorse of an engine from the Unicorn.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing though. Plenty swear by the Unicorn engine and at its price (~75k OTR Bangalore) it has little competition - the Bajaj V, the Pulsar 135LS and the Yamaha SZ-RR 2.0 are the other motorcycles with similar performance figures at a similar price point. A pity it looks rather boring.

tl;dr: NOT an all-new motorcycle OR an all-new engine. VFM.

[PraNeel]

The Autocar review is out. IMO it seems to be an attempt towards 150 cc premium commuter segment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcwy0RAIpTE