CBZ to Sleek: 10 forgotten motorcycles from Hero Honda, now called Hero MotoCorp

Hero MotoCorp has become the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer by volume. Initially, Hero Group started its journey in India with the Japanese giant – Honda and the joint venture was known as Hero Honda. The brand launched quite a few motorcycles in the Indian market over the years. Here are the ones which have been now forgotten by the market.

Hero Honda CBZ

Even though many believe that the Bajaj Pulsar started the affordable performance bike segment in India, it was Hero Honda that first launched the CBZ. The bike was launched two years before the Pulsar came into existence and was extremely popular among the youths. It was powered by a 156.8cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine with a first-ever 5-speed transmission on an Indian bike.

Ambition 135

Following the success of the CBZ, Hero Honda launched the Ambition to target people on a budget. It was priced lower than the CBZ but was advertised as a performance machine that attracted a lot of college students. The bike came with a 133cc, single-cylinder engine which developed a maximum of 11 Bhp and 10.5 Nm. The Ambition also offered a 5-speed transmission, which was rare in the bikes at that time.

Ignitor

The Ignitor was launched post the break-up between the Indo-Japanese tie-up. It was a semi-faired bike that which was the Honda CBF Stunner underneath. The rebadged bike offered additional features like adjustable rear shocks and an analogue-digital speedometer. The bike was powered by a 124.7cc engine that churned a maximum of 11 Bhp and 11 Nm.

Joy

The Joy was launched as a commuter bike back in 2001. It came with a round headlamp and looked very basic. Joy was targeted at the people who wanted a different looking machine from the CD 100 but wanted the same reliability. It was powered by the same 97.2cc, single-cylinder engine that generated a maximum of 7.8 Bhp and 8 Nm. It was one of the most fuel efficient bikes in its time.

Sleek

The Hero Honda Sleek was launched way back in 1989 and was one of the first motorcycles that came out of the joint venture. The bike got a very sporty design and got full-length body graphics too. The Sleek came powered by the 97.2cc, single-cylinder engine that churned out a maximum of 6.8 Bhp. It was one of the few four-stroke bikes present in the market at that time.

Street

The Street was launched to target the Tier II and Tier III cities where people wanted space like a scooter but the ease of a motorcycle. It was launched in 1997 to compete with the Bajaj M80 and was quite popular. The Street came powered by a 97.2cc, air-cooled engine that produced a maximum of 6.5 Bhp.

Hunk

The Hero Honda Hunk was launched way back in 2007 and was given the name because of its oversized body panels. The bike came with a new ATFT system which stood for Advanced Tumble-Flow induction Technology that helped in reducing the mission and increase the fuel efficiency. The Hunk was powered by a 149.2cc engine that churned a maximum of 14.4 Bhp and 12.8 Nm. The bike also featured a disc brake on the front wheel.

CD Dawn

The CD-Dawn came to the market in 2003 and was targeting the customers who were on a budget. It was an entry-level bike and was based on the Hero Honda CD 100 SS. However, it was quite different in design. Both the bikes shared the same 97.2cc, air-cooled, OHC engine that produced a maximum of 7.5 Bhp – 8.04 Nm.

Splendor Pro Classic

The Splendor is the largest selling bike in the world and Hero has launched quite a few versions of the model in the past. One of them is the Splendor Pro Classic that became the cheapest cafe racer in the market. The bike was designed like a cafe racer and was powered by the same 97.2cc, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine producing a maximum of 8.4 Bhp. It only offered a single-seat variant.

CD100

The CD100 was extremely popular in the Indian market and was the first bike of the joint venture that became successful. It was launched in 1985 and was even supplied to the Army men. The trusted bike was powered by the 97cc engine that generated a maximum of 7.5 Bhp and 7.16 Nm. It returned a high fuel efficiency of 80 km/l.