Hero has put another entrant in the trending 125cc premium scooter segment. After making us wait for more than a year from Auto Expo 2018, it has finally launched the Hero Maestro Edge 125.
Agreed, that it is quite late to this segment, but sometimes, isn’t it ‘The late the better?’. Its first 125cc scooter was Destini 125, which came in October 2018. For our review, we have put certain bits of the Maestro at par with the Destini.
Interestingly, Maestro Edge 125 is India’s first fuel-injected scooter. FI is not found on most of Hero’s models itself, but here we have. FI adds to the performance bit, but not much to expect.
So, post-launch, we get to ride the Hero Maestro Edge 125 in the city for a brief time. Here our our first ride impressions the scooter.
Design
Well, there are no design changes as such. Maestro Edge 125 continues with its modern-quirky styling appeal, which actually might be attractive to some. I always found the Maestro scooters to be more premium looking than the outdated Hero scooters.
Premium styling bits include faux air vents, five-spoke alloy wheels, the tan textured seat, a small tinted visor and the split LED tail lamps. The apron and the cluster area are covered with the same Tan colour, which adds to the premium finish of the scooter.
Engine Performance
The 125cc Fuel-injected engine makes more power and torque than Destini. Induction of FI has made the throttle response from crisp and we did not experience the slow acceleration that we did on Destini.
It is also available in Carburettor variant, which produces 8.7 BHP, but the same torque of 10.2 Nm. Importantly, the carb variant gets Hero’s i3S idle Stop-Start System. We did not get to ride the Carb variant, which we will soon in our detailed road test review.
Till the speed of 60 km/hr, we experienced it to be quick on its toes. Crossing it, the response gets a bit slow, but not much to disappoint. The top speed of 95 is achievable here, which we were able to touch easily. The engines is much refined and the vibrations are quite minimal.
The scooter is developed for the younger generation, who like fast accelerating and great handling two-wheelers. So, this seems to be an alright scooter for the targeted buyer group.
In competition, the performance might still be a tad boring, but being on the affordable side of the segment, it feels alright.
Remember, it is India’s first fuel injected scooter. This ought to play a stand out card for the Hero Maestro Edge 125.
Ride Handling
As expected, the Maestro Edge 125 is nimble to handle. Quick direction changes are always welcome, coupled up by the decent grip offered from MRF tires. Even at high speeds, I found it to be well planted. Of course direction changes towards the end of the speedometer might be a bit unstable for some.
For suspension, Maestro uses telescopic forks at the front and monoshock at the back, which are alright. No spine jerks on damaged roads and large potholes. We experienced the same thing with Destini, which is also a delight on the damaged roads.
Bybre disc brakes on the front provided enough braking power. The bite of the brakes was strong and right-on. Coming from 70 km/hr to standstill did not seem much of an issue. Maestro Edge 125 comes with Integrated Braking System (IBS) as standard fitment, which basically automatically applies both the brakes in case of front brake applied.
The seat of the scooter is well cushioned and long enough to accomodate two fully grown adults. The footboard space is also pretty decent and the knee-to-apron distance is set fine.
Features
Maestro Edge 125 comes with features such as an analogue speedometer and a digital screen readout which shows the trip meter, odometer and fuel reading. A boot lamp with USB charging port come at the back. It further gets LED position lamps, LED tail lights and diamond-cut alloy wheels, for the first time in a Hero scooter.
Verdict
Priced starting from Rs 58,500 for the Carb Variant to Rs 62,700 for the FI variant, it goes on par with its competitors. The best seller in the segment is TVS Ntorq, which comes in nearly Rs 4,000 cheaper than Maestro.
Hero Maestro Edge 125 is slightly outdated when we also put Suzuki Burgman Street and Aprilia SR125 in competition, but what you get extra is FI, a balanced engine and Hero’s reliability.
The styling and performance are just fine, but once we start working on the competition, it gets a bit tough out there. One thing is sure; it is the best Hero scooter currently.
We will be talking more about its mileage and real-world riding conditions when we put it through our daily commute.
