Hero Mavrick 440

The Hero Mavrick is born with two identities - firstly, it is the flagship of the homegrown brand, Hero. And secondly, it is co-developed with the American motorcycle legend – Harley-Davidson. Based on the latter's X440, the Mavrick is pegged to be the first big bike for riders who have only dreamt of owning a large capacity motorcycle. However, this is a space in the market which is strongly contested by some excellent motorcycles like the KTM 390 Duke, Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z and of course, the Royal Enfields. Can the Hero carve out a niche for itself in this extremely vivid segment? Having ridden most of the 400cc motorcycles available in the country, I was eager to test the Hero flagship and find out. 

Like the HD X440, the Mavrick too sticks to a simple yet attractive neo-retro design. The round LED headlamp, single long seat, long exhaust, and round indicators help it remain true to the retro part. But then comes the muscular tank, front fenders, twin-fork alloy wheels, and the machine-finished elements on the engine, which help it look modern. It is still a very understated design. 

However, the issue with a subtle design, especially in this segment with some very good-looking bikes, is that the Mavrick gets lost in a crowd. It does not stand out enough to make you feel special, and it easily gets lost in a parking lot. While it is a good-looking motorcycle, you will not notice it easily, even if it is parked next to you. 

Colours

The Mavrick is offered in 5 colour options - Arctic White, Celestial Blue, Fearless Red, Phantom Black, and Enigma Black. However, there is an issue. The best-looking colours are the Celestial Blue and Fearless Red. They help the bike pop, and even the paint quality is excellent. But these are only available in the mid variant, while only the two black colours are available in the top variant. The blacks, though good, nowhere grab the kind of attention that the red, blue, or even the white (only available in the base variant) do. 

Wheels

I quite like the alloy wheel design of the Mavrick 400. It is quite sharp and modern. The base variant gets spoke wheels while the top two variants come with alloy wheels wrapped in 110/70-17 front and 150/60-17 rear rubber. Our test bike had MRF Zapper tyres, which provided good grip and looked good too.

Quality

The Mavrick is an excellently built motorcycle. Seriously - I did not expect Hero to have these kinds of quality levels on the motorcycle. Be it the quality of the panels, the paint finish or the welds and fit-finish - it all feels rich. And with the fuel tank, front and rear fenders and some of the side panels built of metal and not fibre - it feels strong and built to last. Only the switchgear feels slightly budget.

Safety Features

The Mavrick is a simple motorcycle. It gets dual-channel ABS as standard, which is a must-have for any motorcycle that can comfortably get to triple-digit speeds. But because this is not a performance-oriented motorcycle, you do not get any sort of traction control or rider mode, which is acceptable, especially at this price point. 

Convenience Features

Like most motorcycles nowadays, even the Mavrick gets an LCD instrument cluster with basic Bluetooth connectivity. However, these are not without flaws. The negatively-lit LCD console is hard to read, especially under direct sunlight. To make things more difficult, the font for everything apart from the front is quite small, which means reading things like the rpm and odometer is difficult while riding. 

The Bluetooth connectivity lets you have turn-by-turn navigation and call/SMS alerts, which, honestly, are not features that anyone really bothers using on a motorcycle. Being the flagship in the Hero lineup, the Mavrick should have led the way with a larger and clearer TFT display, a better layout and at least ride modes. 

Rider Comfort

The Maverick is a fairly comfortable motorcycle. I rode it for about 300 km on a stretch and was pleasantly surprised with its ergonomics. The handlebars are wide, which offers greater leverage to control the bike, and the reach is also comfortable, which means you sit quite upright. The mid-set footpegs also help stay comfortable for longer rides. And because it is not a very committed posture, even the city rides feel quite relaxed and comfortable. 

The seat is where the magic is in the Maverick. It is on the softer side, which lets the rider feel comfortable in the saddle - especially for city distances. This is not ideal for longer rides, but I believe most of the riders are not going to be covering over 50 km in one stint, and hence, this seat works in the real world. 

Pillion Comfort

The seat is large enough for 2 people to sit comfortably, but I still won't call it roomy. The single-piece seat has a step-up for the pillion, and that helps the passenger sit a bit taller for a better view. The backrest certainly helps them on a longer ride, and the footpeg placement is also comfortable for regular-sized humans. Overall, the Mavrick is a good bike to take on tours as it keeps you comfortable and relaxed on the ride.

Engine

The Mavrick shares its 440cc, single-cylinder, air & oil-cooled engine with the Harley-Davidson X440. The tune, though, is different with 27PS @ 6,000 rpm and 36Nm @ 4,000 rpm. For a 400+cc motorcycle, these numbers are not at all exciting. For example, the 390 Duke makes 46PS and 39Nm. Even the Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z makes 40PS. But the bike has been tuned for relaxed and effortless rides and not for exciting performance. 

I even got a chance to test the performance by strapping on the VBox. The Hero Mavrick does 0-60kmph in 3.70s, 0-80kmph in 6.07s and 0-100kmph in 9.91s. But what tells the real story here are the roll-ons. The bike managed to climb from 30kmph to 70kmph in 3rd gear in just 4.62s and from 40-80kmph in 4th gear in 6.21s. 

City Performance

With its engine tuned for low-speed, effortless cruising, the Mavrick is an excellent bike to commute on in the city. The engine feels refined with noticeable vibes only creeping in beyond the 6000rpm park. The strong low-end torque makes it smooth and effortless in traffic. Just leave the clutch, and the surge of torque starts to pull you forward. And because of this nature, you can comfortably sit at a higher gear in traffic without the bike complaining, reducing the need to downshift all the time. This makes riding it very comfortable in traffic, and especially in stop-and-go traffic. And when you roll the throttle aggressively, it has ample grunt to make some quick overtakes. 

Another good thing about the motorcycle is the heat management. Riding the motorcycle in the vastness of the Rann of Kutch - the bike not even once felt like it would cook my legs. The engine is relaxed and does not produce a lot of heat, + the heat is directed away from the legs, which further helps the cause. 

Highway Performance

Because the bike has been tuned for better torque than power, which translates to better cruising ability than a top speed hunt, the Mavrick cruises effortlessly till about 110kmph. But even at that speed, there is a slight buzz coming from the handlebars. Pushing beyond that, the speedo does climb, however, the bike starts to come out of its comfort zone. The performance is neither exciting nor effortless. Even high-speed overtakes will need to think and plan. If you are chasing a number, the speedo will do 140+ kmph. 

However, if chasing a number on the speedometer is not your fantasy, the Mavrick is more than happy to sit at 100 all day and not break a sweat. It feels relaxed and composed at that speed, which gives you the confidence to continue with ease. The riding posture is upright, which means there will be a wind blast - but at 100kmph it won't tire you or bother you. 

Gearbox

The ride did not make me think about the gearbox even once. Which means it is that good at doing its job. The clutch is light, and the shifts are slick. This means whether you plan to ride it in the city or on the highway, the shifts will be instinctive and not something you will have to plan or think about. And while it does not have a quickshifter, you can do clutchless shifts with some planning.

Mileage

Hero knows that the average Indian rider who is upgrading from a 200cc motorcycle will be conscious about the mileage. And keeping that in mind, you can expect around 30 kmpl in the city and about 35 kmpl on the highway when ridden well. And with a fuel tank capacity of 13.5 litres, you can expect a full tank range of about 400 km, which is impressive.

Underpinnings

The Hero Mavrick is a simple motorcycle which has a trellis frame with telescopic forks at the front, and dual gas-charged shocks at the rear. This setup aids stability over sportiness. 

Brakes

The brakes – 320mm front and a 240mm rear disc are once again tuned for confident braking and not outright sporty braking. The difference is that the bite is not very strong, but the lever is still very progressive and offers braking. This means that the brakes won't surprise or scare you, and you can still brake fast in an emergency. Even the ABS is well calibrated and does not feel intrusive while braking hard.

City Handling

This is where the wide handlebar of the Mavrick really comes into play. They offer really good leverage to turn the bike, which makes making your way through traffic easier. You can muscle the bike around traffic and pave a way through. And because the seat length is low, making U-turns and low-speed manoeuvres remains safe and simple. 

Highway Handling

This same nature is translated to the highway as well, where the bike changes lanes effortlessly. It remains stable and does not feel bouncy even at level changes.  

Cornering

While the Mavrick is not meant to be a bike that is sporty, some spirited cornering did leave me pleasantly surprised. The bike takes a bit of effort to tip into a corner, but then feels quite stable and holds the line really well. On a mountain road or a weekend ride, the Mavrick will be a fun machine and enjoyable on twisty roads.

Ride Quality

Hera has a reputation for tuning the suspension of their bikes and scooters to almost perfection. And the Mavrick is no exception. The bike has a beautifully balanced suspension. Despite a 187 kg kerb weight, the bike manages to absorb bad roads and potholes with ease and comfort. The rider is well insulated from the cracks and bumps of the road, and the bike remains quite stable over these undulations as well. Even at larger level changes, the bike absorbs the impact well and does not toss the rider around. 

This stability is also shown at highways, where even the level changes are dealt with ease. At higher speeds, too, the sudden elevation changes that are a part of the highways around Kutch did not unsettle the bike as I was probably going a little faster than I should have been, for testing purposes, of course.

The Hero Mavrick is a likeable motorcycle. However, it invokes no strong emotion. When you are buying your first bike, it is more a matter of the heart than the mind, and that is the real issue with the Mavrick. It is a bike that is sensible - but not sexy. A bike that is easy to convince the parents of with its sense of security -- easy access to service centres, and its affordability. But it is not a motorcycle–like competition, which makes you feel special. Its rivals, like the Triumph Speed 400, H-D X440 and the RE Classic 350, all come with a certain pride of ownership. However, while it lacks the excitement to be a college kid’s pick, it's certainly a family man/woman’s big bike that they will be quite happy with.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350

The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is the most affordable RE, which makes it more desirable. It also offers retro styling but feels more young and lively. The performance might not be the highlight here, too, but it appeals to the younger and college-going buyer more with its funky colour options and sporty attitude. 

Honda CB350RS

If refinement and maturity are what you are chasing, look no further. The Honda CB350RS is a very well-built and charming-looking motorcycle, which is an excellent tourer. While it is not as exciting to ride as the Mavrick, it offers a better sense of ownership and a more charming ride experience.