Hero Mavrick 440 Review - Hero’s Top Gun?

Hero MotoCorp as a brand has been synonymous with commuter bikes such as the Splendor, Passion, HF Deluxe and more. While these motorcycles have played a pivotal role in making Hero, the largest two-wheeler brand in India, it isn’t a particularly aspirational brand.

Hero has been changing that image by introducing many new exciting and premium two-wheelers over the past few years. What we’re riding today is the summit of the Hero MotoCorp, the Mavrick 440, a motorcycle made in collaboration with Harley-Davidson. Being a Hero motorcycle, it’s much more affordable than its American sibling, but the key question for the new motorcycle is whether the Mavrick 440 is a proper Top Gun?

Performance

The hero of this Mavrick 440 is the 440cc engine which is the same motor as seen on the Harley-Davidson X440 but it produces 2 Nm (36 Nm and 27 bhp) less than the Harley. However, in the real world this torque deficit is hardly felt and all you experience is the wave of torque this engine has on offer. The Mavrick doesn’t jolt off the line, but rather glides, which suits the roadster nature of this bike beautifully. In the city, you can easily ride this bike in 2nd or 3rd gear in gruelling traffic and the bike doesn’t knock owing to the strong low-end torque. 

Helping you ride in city traffic is the light clutch action and slick 6-speed gearbox, which is a boon in stop-and-go traffic. But the real fun of the Mavrick is experienced when you hit the highway, the chunky mid-range performance means that you can overtake between 70-90 kmph rather easily in 5th gear. What I most liked about this bike is the manner in which it can cruise. 

At 100kmph, there’s hardly any vibrations and you can sit at this speed or up to 110 kmph all day long. However, it doesn’t have a strong top end and after 120 kmph, it starts to lose steam and engine vibes also become harsh.  But then again this is a roadster and you will be plenty happy cruising at 100 kmph on the highway. The other bit that I like about the Mavrick 440 is the throaty exhaust note which I am sure a lot of riders will appreciate. 

Fuel efficiency

No matter what the genre of the bike is, fuel efficiency is an important figure for all Indian bikers. In this regard, the Mavrick 440 performs decently as it delivered between 25 to 29 kmpl in the real world, and mind you this was across various scenarios from my office commutes in heavy traffic, to fast runs on the highway and a bit of chill riding as well. So with a 13.5 litre fuel tank, one can expect a real world range of around 320-330 km on a full tank of gas. 

Ride, Handling & Braking

The Hero Mavrick 440 employs a traditional trellis frame and it’s pretty hefty at 191 kg. Now, ideally one would assume the steering would be lazy. And that assumption would be completely incorrect. It manages to shrink its weight on the move and even the weight distribution is on point. 

The key reason for the lovely handling dynamics is down to the 17-inch wheels and the tighter wheelbase in comparison to the Harley X440 which makes it very agile. Riding through city traffic during my office commutes was a breeze because of how nimble and easy the steering is. In fact, on the move, it feels like a 150-250 cc bike. While you wouldn’t ideally go corner carving on a roadster, if you do ride the Mavrick in a spirited manner, the bike is up for the challenge. 

Braking hardware consists of disc brakes on both ends and dual-channel ABS is standard. The brake lever modulation has been kept soft which should be useful for a lot of riders especially during panic braking, but I would have preferred more bite from the brakes. While stopping power is adequate, you have to squeeze the lever hard to make it come to a halt. 

Being such a good handling machine, the Hero roadster should have a firm ride quality but that’s not the case. Hero engineers have tuned the suspension wonderfully and the Mavrick offers a very good ride quality, ok, it isn’t as supple as an ADV but by roadster standards it’s among the most comfortable bikes in the segment. 

Styling & Features 

Since it’s based on the Harley-Davidson X440, Hero designers didn’t have much freedom. What they opted for is more of a mix of roadster and a modern naked bike. The round headlight is classic in its form, whereas the muscular fuel tank and tank extensions is a modern take on streetfighters. The tail section is minimalistic with a small tail light, and the round indicators look good. 

The exhaust muffler flows well with the overall design unlike the one found on the Harley. While the styling is fine, there’s no wow factor associated with the Mavrick’s design. The other issue is that the bike doesn’t look particularly big for an almost 450 cc motorcycle, that’s down to the 17-inch wheels that make it look a bit small. In that regard, the proportions are similar to 250cc bikes like the Yamaha FZ25 and the Suzuki Gixxer 250. 

It gets a fully digital instrument console but the display is an LCD unit, unlike the TFT display found on the Harley. Honestly, I am not a big fan of this unit as the display size is too small and it’s very hard to read on the move. The various information needs to be toggled through the button on the console and it isn’t positioned on the switchgear like most modern bikes. On the top-spec variant that we tested, you get turn-by-turn navigation. 

The switchgear quality and paint finish is really good but the weld finish on the catcon looks crude and the button on the instrument console is very flimsy. The Hero Mavrick 440 is offered in three variants - Base (with spoke wheels), mid variant (tubeless tyres and dual tone shades), and the top-spec with diamond cut alloy wheels, navigation and connected features. 

Verdict 

The Hero Mavrick 440 is a genuinely likeable motorcycle. It’s easy and fun to ride, can commute effortlessly and has the long legs to be a good tourer with its refined engine. Yes, the styling isn’t too great and I think the bike looks a bit small, but then again these aspects are a matter of personal preference. The other issue for me is quality as there are some rough edges and the reliability of this platform in the long run remains to be seen.

Having said that, with prices starting at ₹ 2 lakh ex-showroom for the base variant (stretching up to ₹ 2.24 lakh for the top-spec variant), the Mavrick does offer tremendous value in comparison to its rivals. Also, being a Hero offering, spares and service cost should be affordable as well. So the Mavrick 440 has the makings of a Top Gun and is an impressive motorcycle, whether it makes a mark on Indian bikers is something only time will answer.