Hero Passion Plus

The Passion Plus comes with a straightforward and practical design that suits a commuter motorcycle. The headlight is a halogen unit and the indicators are bulb-type. The tail section comes with regular pillion grabrail and the tail light is a halogen unit. The bike hasn’t gotten any changes in terms of design except for the addition of new colours and graphics, one can even say the bike overall is unchanged and the design can be called outdated now.

Powering the Passion Plus is the same 97.2cc air-cooled, single cylinder motor that we have seen on the Hero Splendor Plus. The engine produces 8.02PS and 8.05Nm, the power figures aren’t that great but for a commuter motorcycle that has a very low kerb weight of 115kg, it is decent. The performance is okay for daily riding and the bike is able to handle city commutes without making the rider feel that the power is inadequate.

The Passion Plus comes off as a very light motorcycle and this makes it an easy and effortless handler when riding in the city. The bike is also quite agile and allows the rider to cut through traffic with ease. 

The suspension is well turned and ensures that the rider doesn’t experience any discomfort when going through bad roads. Coming to the rear suspension, it is able to provide a consistent ride quality both when riding solo and when riding with a pillion. The bike feels planted when going through harsh bumps as well and it does not toss the rider around.

The brakes are decent and are able to bring the bike to a stop without much trouble, but we wished Hero had offered a disc brake option as well, especially considering its price point.

The Passion has two major advantages that help it offer a very comfortable riding experience both in the city and on the highway. The first of course is the neutral and upright riding posture and second is the well padded comfortable seat. The riding posture is able to ensure that the rider doesn’t feel any strain on his arms when riding and allows the rider to go on both short commutes in the city and on longer trips down the highway.

The Hero Passion Plus doesn’t have much to offer in terms of features except the essentials. It comes with a semi-digital instrument console with a digital LCD screen which displays speed, fuel level, odometer and tripmeter readings along with a side stand indicator. The instrument console feels quite basic and is a let down overall as Hero has now brought a digital console to even the Splendor Plus. The bike gets a similar USB port for charging as the Splendor Plus.

The bike also gets an electric starter and Hero’s idle start-stop system, which is a good addition and helps in increasing the bike’s fuel efficiency. There's also a storage compartment below the fuel tank which is quite handy.

The Passion Plus is a motorcycle that has captured the hearts of many and this popularity did force Hero to bring the motorcycle back, but what made it popular was the affordable price and no-nonsense nature of the motorcycle. Now the bike comes at a much higher price than even 110cc motorcycles, sure one can argue that the Passion Plus is a premium offering but even then, it doesn’t get the features needed to justify the premium pricing.