Here’s what we think about Hero’s flagship offering after riding it

The Hero Mavrick 440 stands out as the flagship offering from the Jaipur-based manufacturer. It features the same 440cc long-stroke engine used on the Harley-Davidson X440, but in a roadster package. 

As someone who has mostly been riding bikes with high revving engines, I was naturally thrilled when given the opportunity to review the Mavrick and also to get a chance to experience what its long-stroke engine had to offer. Here’s what I learnt after riding the Mavrick and getting to to know how it performs in the real world:

Design

The Hero decided to go for a neo-retro look with the Mavrick. The round LED headlight, the massive looking tank and the extensions make the Mavrick look quite big and imposing from the front. 

The fit and finish levels on the bike are really good, with the switchgear quality being top class. Hero has also managed to package the wires and everything without leaving any exposed bits, which is something I quite appreciate.

But what the design fails to capture is that big bike look which you’d expect from a 440cc motorcycle. Don’t get me wrong, the design is well executed and Hero has been able to build a good looking modern roadster. But for someone who is looking for an upgrade into the aspirational 400cc segment, this look isn’t going to cut it, at least in my opinion. 

That said, there are quite a few people who like how the bike looks and in my experience it doesn’t fail to draw the occasional eyeballs here and there. But overall, it doesn’t really stand out the same way the Harley-Davidson X440 does.

Engine, Mileage And Performance

The Mavrick gets the same engine as the Harley-Davidson X440 but with a few changes. The 440cc, air/oil-cooled, long-stroke, single-cylinder motor produces 27PS at 6000rpm and 36Nm at 4000rpm, which is 2Nm less when compared to the Harley’s 38Nm.

Given the long stroke nature, the engine produces most of its torque at the lower rev ranges. In the real-world this results in the bike offering exciting lower end grunt and decent mid-range performance. During my tests in the city, the bike felt quite fun and there wasn’t a moment where I felt it was dull. After riding a high revving engine for quite a while, this instant bottom end torque was quite a welcome surprise. 

On the highways, the Mavrick is able to hold triple digit speeds on the 6th gear without much trouble, just like a proper cruiser could. Hero has done quite a good job with keeping the refinement levels up to mark and you can easily go on long rides without vibrations giving you a hard time. That said, vibrations on this bike are not entirely absent, there are two instances where you'll be able to notice them. 

First is when the bike is idling, the rear view mirrors in this case start vibrating and you can’t get a clear picture of what’s behind. Second, they will be felt when you try to push it beyond the 4000rpm mark. The vibrations come in the form of a mild buzzing sensation on the seat, footpegs and handlebars, but they aren’t really that annoying. 

Overall, the bike is able to offer good performance both in the city and on the highways. The engine is quite an enjoyable one and manages to offer that cruiser-like experience in a proper way.

Handling And Ride Quality

The wide handlebars and mid-set footpegs that Mavrick gets, makes it easy to handle. The bike comes off as quite agile and nimble in the city, and is easily able to cut through traffic without much trouble. The large size and weight (187kg) isn’t really felt that much.

When I took the bike out into the twisties of Tahmini Ghat, the Mavrick managed to impress me with its handling. The bike enthusiastically tips into corners and could handle twists and turns almost like a regular naked bike. That said, leaning too much into corners can result in the footpegs scraping, so you have to be a bit careful and know the bike’s limits before pushing it too hard. Overall, both in the city and outside, the Mavrick manages to perform quite well.

The brakes on the bike are also quite decent, and are able to bring the bike to a halt without much fuss. When riding in stop and go traffic, the brakes performed quite well, with a good initial bite. In certain emergency situations they were able to get the bike to a halt quickly.

Talking about the ride quality, the bike is able to offer a decent experience both in the city and on the highways. The suspension is well tuned and manages to absorb most of the bumps and potholes without much trouble. The only ones that will be felt are the sharper ones. On the highway, the suspension is able to keep the bike stable at higher speeds and cruising at triple digit-speeds just like what you might expect from a good cruiser.

Now, when going on longer trips there will be instances where you have to go a bit off road to see some amazing sights. During the tests, I took this bike through a broken patch of road to reach a waterfall. Now, I don’t recommend taking a road bike off-road but the way the Mavrick was able to handle bad and broken roads was quite impressive. Hero has been making really good chassis and suspension setups lately, and one on the Mavrick is no exception. 

The Mavrick has a decent ground clearance of 175mm, which is more than enough for slight off-road riding. But the main limitation here is the way the exhaust has been routed. Hero has gone with a very unusual setup, with the exhaust pipe going right below the engine. This does make it feel quite exposed and vulnerable. A bash plate would go a long way in reassuring riders, but it might reduce ground clearance.

Comfort

With wide handlebars and slightly forward set footpegs, the bike almost puts you in a commuter-like riding position, which is quite comfortable and perfect for roadsters. Riding in the city or on the highways won’t be as uncomfortable as riding a more committed bike like a supersport or a sport naked.

The seat used is decent, but the foam padding is a bit too soft. Now this isn’t a problem when riding in the city and for the occasional short trips down the highway. But when you’re touring, even for distances like 150-200km, you’ll start to feel uncomfortable pretty soon. The soft nature of the seat makes your butt sink in and after a while you’ll start experiencing some pain. 

With the premium seat cover offered by Hero, this problem can be fixed. But we haven’t had a chance to test it out so we can’t say for certain how good it actually is. Overall, the bike is able to offer a comfortable riding posture, but the seat has been a big letdown and takes away from the Mavrick’s touring credentials.

Features

The Mavrick features a negatively-lit digital instrument console. At first glance it looks big, but in reality it’s very small. A good chunk of the area available has been used to place tell-tale lights, leaving very little area for the digital inset. The bike’s Mid & Top variant has a lot of connected features such as turn-by-turn navigation, call/SMS alerts and the readouts from these features are displayed on the right.

Now, this leaves very little room on the left side for the real-time readouts the rider actually needs, such as speed, tachometer readings, odometer, fuel and gear position. So many data points being displayed in such a small area makes it feel a bit difficult to read on the go.

During my rides, it was quite difficult to make out at which rpm the vibrations were kicking in as the tachometer display was very small and hard to read. The console’s lack of brightness didn’t help and made it much more difficult to get an accurate reading.

The readouts like speed, time, odometer and trip meter readings are a bit more visible thanks to the larger font size. But compared to other consoles, it just takes a bit more time to get the numbers across. Overall, there’s a lot that could have been done better on the console. A cleaner layout to more effectively utilize the limited space and a bit more brightness would be a good start. 

Should You Buy The Hero Mavrick 440?

The Hero Mavrick is an interesting motorcycle and one which I enjoyed riding a lot. What I personally enjoyed the most about it is the well-refined long stroke motor that was able to offer a retro-esque riding experience but in a modern package. 

The bike is quite easy-going, with its linear acceleration and wouldn’t come off as too intimidating to beginner riders. The handling is also quite good, and be it city traffic, highway cruising or hitting the twisties, the Mavrick can easily handle it all. 

Currently, the Hero Mavrick 440 is offered in 3 variants with the following prices: 

The pricing is quite reasonable when compared to its rivals like the Royal Enfield Classic 350 or the recently launched Triumph T4. For perspective, the Classic 350 starts at a price of Rs 1,99,500 and the Speed T4 costs Rs 2,17,000 (both ex-showroom Delhi). When compared to the Harley-Davidson X440, which starts at Rs 2,39,500 (ex-showroom), the Mavrick stands out as a really good deal.

If you’re someone who is looking to upgrade from a 150-160cc bike, then the Mavrick makes sense as your first big bike. It offers good looks, adequate performance, predictable handling, and also comes at a relatively affordable price tag. Overall, it is a very versatile bike that can handle many roles and would make for an amazing first high capacity bike for a beginner rider.

But if you’re an intermediate rider then Mavrick wouldn’t really impress you. It doesn’t have as much performance as what you’d expect from a 400cc bike. Performance is one part, the other is the looks. The Mavrick although a good looking bike, doesn’t manage to capture that look and feel you would expect from a big bike. So if you are looking to upgrade from a 200cc to 250cc bike or even a 350cc, you might be better off looking at more powerful 400cc bikes.