Hero Splendor or Bajaj Discover 100T? We decide to find out

Bajaj has been trying hard to unsettle Hero MotoCorp from the top of Entry Level Commuter bike segment. Let’s face it, no matter how modern our bike market has got, the consumers in this segment are still willing to give two hoots about features as long as they get stellar fuel economy figure.

Bajaj has been pretty much struggling to give a fight to the more established rivals and the CT100, the Boxer and the Discover 100 are some of the products which sold in pretty good numbers but failed to be half as victorious as the Hero duo.

Bajaj, not demoralized with failing to put an end to Hero supremacy, has come up with a new 100cc commuter bike that they claim is the country’s most advanced 100cc bike ever.

We have no intention of doubting this claim and we decided to put the new Discover 100T against the eternally dated Hero Splendor Pro.

Looks

The Splendor Pro, in spite of featuring a gazillion updates, remains true to the styling of the original Splendor and in 2013, looks bare basic and seems to have an amalgamation of bland surfaces. We have to however give to Hero Motorcorp for offering a good paint quality and incorporating ‘features’ like clear lens headlamp/indicators and alloys.

The Bajaj Discover 100T is distinctively reminiscent of the bigger brother 125ST and this is only a good thing as the new Bajaj feels like it belongs to a segment above. While the new Disco scores many brownie points for looking modern, stylish and upmarket, the 125ST owners won’t appreciate the fact that the baby Disco looks too much like its elder brother.

Engine, Fuel Economy and other details 

Powering the Hero Splendor is a 97.2cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke motor that seems long lasting enough to survive a couple of nuclear explosions and beg for more. The puny motor pumps out a satisfactory 7.3 bhp and the only place in the city where it feels underpowered is the traffic light drag race.

But when was the last time you wished to indulge in drag racing astride a Hero Splendor?

The engine offers a good Fuel Efficiency of about 50-55 kmpl and mated to the motor is a 4 speed (what else?) gearbox that offers slick shifts.

The Bajaj Discover 100T’s engine, benefitting from new age construction and DTSi tech (?), produces a good 10 bhp of power and 9.2 Nm of torque. The manufacturer says that the bike has a genuine top whack of 100kmph and we are pretty impressed. The engine gets a 4 valve head and is derived from the Pulsar 135’s motor.  The motor is mated to a 5 speed transmission.

Talking about what matters the most, the new Bajaj Discover 100 T has a claimed FE of 87 kmpl! While we urge you to take this with a pinch of salt, 50-55 kmpl seems to be pretty achievable in the real world.

The only ‘features’ available on the Hero Splendor are the Alloys and a luggage rack at the rear (yeah, we have had our share of laughter!).

The new Disco though, wins the features compare in one clean sweep with the gas charged rear shock absorbers, alloy wheels, DC headlamp, autochoke, electric starter and LED taillight.

Priced at INR 50500, the Bajaj Discover 100T is a bit pricier than the Hero Splendor. But for that little extra, you get a much more modern bike with a thousand bells and whistles.

Hero might argue that the Splendor will serve you for next 50 years but do you want to see yourself riding a Splendor all your life?

Our advice- Take the Discover 100T and get yourself a KTM 200/Pulsar 200NS 5 years later.

Peace!