As Suvil hangs up his boots after spending a couple of days with the Mahindra Mojo in and around the scenic coffee plantations of Coorg, he sends us images and brief first riding impressions. Stay tuned for an exhaustive, detailed review soon.
A recap of the specifications are in order, which include a 294.7 cc, liquid cooled, single cylinder engine good for 26.82 bhp and 30 Nm of torque. It’s cradled within a twin tube frame with coaxial mounting and mated to a six-speed transmission. Suspension duties up front are handled by USD (upside down) telescopic forks, while a high pressure gas charged mono-shock mounted on the box-section swing-arm takes care of the rear.
Braking is handled by a 320 mm petal disc up front, along with a 240 mm disc at the back. The Mojo benefits from premium Pirelli Diablo Rosso II radial tube-less tires, which measure 110/70 up front and 150/60 at the back, and are wrapped around 17-inch wheels. Other highlights include dual exhaust cannisters, DRL strips, a BOSCH ECU with a limp home mode, and a comprehensive, part-digital instrument cluster.
The Mojo is 2,100 mm long, 800 mm wide, 1165.5 mm tall and has a wheelbase and saddle height of 1,465 mm and 814.5 mm respectively, making it bigger than, say, the Honda CBR250R. It has a generous ground clearance of 173.5 mm, a 21-litre fuel tank and a dry weight of 165 Kg. In case you want the finer details regarding the specifications, click here. Without further ado, here are the initial impressions
Performance :
The Mojo feels refined all throughout the rev range and there are very few, forgiveable vibrations, that too north of 7,000 rpm. The engine doesn’t feel comfortable to stay below 3,000 rpm range, and starts to show its true colours from 4,000 rpm onwards. There is a significant bump in power around 5,500 rpm, when maximum torque is delivered, post which power deliver is very linear. The engine, which itself has a dry weight of just 35 kg, red-lines at 9,000 rpm, while it idles at 1,500 rpm. Adding to the safety aspect of the motorcycle is the clutch. The clutch needs to be deployed to start the engine even in the neutral gear.
The Mojo is indeed a good tourer, as it is being touted as. The Mojo cruises effortlessly on the highway in top gear, with the digital speedometer reading out numbers between 80-90 kmph, and the tachometer needle hovering around the 4,000-5,000 rpm. Whack the throttle open, and the motorcycle shows a good potential to hold 120 kmph on longer stretches of roads without any noticeable stress on the engine. The going gets laborious beyond 125 kmph though. That being said, the lack of a wind shield makes wind blasts is a major concern while cruising in three digit speeds.
The motorcycle boasts the largest braking set-ups in the segment, with a 320 mm petal disc upfront and 240 mm disc at the rear. While the rear brake is impressive and replies flawlessly to inputs, the front brake lacks initial bite, and isn’t that confidence inspiring. Mahindra says they have implemented progressive braking but personally, we believe that the Mojo could have fared better in this aspect, given the lofty specifications. ABS isn’t even an option for now, but will be made available in the future.
Instrument cluster:
The instrument cluster hosts a long list of features, some of which may not be used on a day to day basis. Things like the “race mode”, which gives the rider an option to record the 0-100 kmph timing, along with the time taken to cover 500 metres, or the maximum speed recorder are interesting gimmicks that one can boast about. We recorded the best 0-100 kmph time of 9.51 seconds. Other information includes side-stand warning, tale-tell indicators, high oil temperature warning, low battery indicator and malfunction indicator.
Ergonomics:
As mentioned before, the Mojo is better suited for touring, rather than be sporty. The seating position is upright, courtesy the centre-set foot-pegs and raised handlebar. On the move, the motorcycle is comfortable over long distance trips, but the seat, despite being well padded, feels a little uncomfortable after about 150 kms of travel. The well-specified suspension soaks most of the potholes efficiently making the ride on rough roads pleasant and adequately comfortable.
Though not a focussed canyon carver, the motorcycle is still fun around the corners, especially because of the sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso II rubber and the meaty mid-range. The chassis is well balanced and the Mojo can be flung into corners relatively easily without making the experience a twitchy one. However, the sheer mass and weight prevent it from being as agile as some of its competitors, though the throttle can be gunned mid-corner and the day be saved. The motorcycle handles equally efficiently in traffic and getting through congested roads is quite easy as well.
To sum it up, the new Mojo seems promising but everything depends on how well does Mahindra prices the product. Anything beyond 1.5 lakh (ex-showroom) may push away potential buyers – that’s a personal opinion. Do you concur?
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