Hero Glamour X First Ride Review - Too Much Tech For A Commuter?

The Glamour X gets a more powerful engine and comes loaded with segment-first features, but are these enough?

When it comes to 125cc motorcycles, there are two names which are the most popular. First is the Honda CB Shine, and second is the Hero Glamour. In fact, the Glamour is Hero's most popular 125cc motorcycle as it has sold over 80 lakh units. But over the years, the Glamour 125 has kind of lost its sheen. To give it a shot in the back, Hero has launched the new Glamour X. This is the most feature-loaded 125 cc motorcycle in the segment, and it slots in between the Xtreme 125R and the Super Splendor. So let's check out what the new Glamour X has on offer, and it can make an impact in the ever-booming 125 cc motorcycle segment. 

Technology

So let's start with technology because that is the key highlight of the new Glamour X. It is the only motorcycle in the segment to get ride-by-wire, because of which you get three riding modes - Eco, Road and Power. But the big news is that the Glamour X comes with cruise control. Yes, this is the most affordable motorcycle in the country to get cruise control. Now you might wonder why a cruise control on a 125 cc commuter? And even I had my apprehensions. According to Hero officials, this has been done for fuel efficiency. If you want to extract maximum mileage from your commute bike on the highway, you have to keep a constant throttle. The cruise control helps in maintaining the speed without any rider input, thereby decreasing rider fatigue. 

While cruise control is normally used for touring, in the case of the Glamour X, it is used for better fuel efficiency. However, I would like this feature to be added to higher displacement Hero motorcycles like the XPulse 210 and the Xtreme 250R because they are good for touring. 

Performance

The other big highlight of the Glamour X is the engine. Now this engine is shared with the Xtreme 125R, and it's not the same unit as seen on the Hero Glamour 125 or the Super Splendor. In terms of performance, this motor is good, and as mentioned before, there are three riding modes. The Eco mode is the softest and its tune is to extract the highest amount of fuel efficiency.

You also get i3S (start/stop system) technology to help you with better fuel efficiency when riding in city traffic. My personal favourite is the Road mode, which is fine for your daily commutes and highway runs. The Power mode, as the name suggests, gives you the maximum power. So when you want to ride this motorcycle at high speeds, I suggest switching to Power mode. In terms of refinement, the engine is very refined at city speeds.

Even on the highway, I was able to cruise easily around 80-85 kmph with hardly any vibrations for company. So, in terms of performance, although it looks like a 125 cc commuter, the Glamour X 125 does offer you good performance. And talking about the gearbox, it gets a five-speed unit, and the clutch is very light, while the shift quality is very good. You can see the commuter connection as it features a heel-and-toe shifter, which is the norm for a commuter motorcycle. So in terms of performance, the Glamour X is very impressive.

Design & Features 

Apart from getting a load of technology, the Glamour X has also undergone a visual transformation to look younger and more appealing. The LED headlight is sleek, and the H-shaped DRLs are a nice touch. The fuel tank shape is edgier and also gets a nice tank extension. The rear section is that of a typical commuter, but the H-shaped LED taillight does look cool. To make the new bike more appealing, Hero is also offering five new colour options. Yes, the bike does look similar to the Honda CB Shine SP, but then again, even the new Hornet 125 does resemble the Xtreme 125R, so yeah, both brand designers are getting inspired by each other. 

Moving on to features, the Glamour X gets equipped with a colour LCD screen with a very nice layout. On the screen, you can access the three riding modes, get details such as real-time fuel efficiency, range, gear position indicator and more. The switchgear is also new, and you can toggle through the different settings easily. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation, and a Type-C USB charger next to the console. The Glamour X also gets panic braking blinkers, which activate the hazard lights under hard braking to notify the motorists following. Also, as mentioned before, there’s cruise control, which gets activated very easily and is useful on the highway. 

While the design is good and the list of features is exhaustive. Quality levels need improvement, the tank extension felt flimsy, the switchgear pods were a bit loose, and you can see some crude welds on the frame. A Hero product is renowned for being robust, and the Glamour X didn’t give that confidence. 

Handling, Comfort & Braking

While the engine is from the Xtreme 125R, the frame and hardware are the same as the Glamour platform. So you get a telescopic fork and a twin shock absorber combination, which is typical of a commuter bike. The ride quality is a mixed bag, as while riding solo, I found the rear to be a bit on the firmer side, but the suspension tuning has been done with a pillion in mind or a load at the back. 

As we have experienced in many commuters, they ride more comfortably with a pillion. Weighing in at just 125 kg, the bike felt extremely agile and nimble, and even though you will not go corner hunting on the Glamour X, it was quite fun on some twisties we encountered. The variant we rode was with a disc brake, and the stopping power was adequate; however, given that the bike has so much technology, it should have been offered with ABS as an option, given the safety advantage it comes with, at least as a variant option. 

Verdict

So let’s get first pricing out of the way. The Glamour X is available in two variants. The base drum variant is priced at ₹89,999, and the top-end variant, the disc brake variant, is priced at ₹99,999 (both prices are ex-showroom), and this is the variant that we have tested. So, in terms of pricing, the Hero Glamour X is very competitive, but coming back to the motorcycle, I think Hero has to be praised for being so bold to offer so many features on a 125 cc commuter. Yes, a lot of people might argue that this motorcycle doesn’t need all these features, but it helps to distinguish the Glamour X in the sea of 125 cc motorcycles. 

The new Hero 125 cc motorcycle also delivers in the three more crucial aspects for a commuter motorcycle, which are fuel efficiency, comfort, and ease of use. Having said that, it does miss out on a single-channel ABS. I think that is a big miss from Hero, because if you are adding so many features, ABS would have helped in increasing the safety of this motorcycle. So overall, the Glamour X is a good effort from Hero, because it also looks more sporty than the older Glamour, which looked kind of boring. 

Yes, it is not as sporty as the Xtreme 125R and looks similar to the Honda Shine SP, but it does have visual appeal. With all these features and updates, the Hero Glamour X does have a good opportunity in the 125 cc commuter segment, which is seeing a lot of action.