Test riding the new Mahindra Mojo

Half a decade is a long time to wait for anything especially if we are talking of the fastpaced world of motorcycling For a manufacturer like Mahindra the fiveyear wait to introduce the Mojo could be a doubleedged swordOn the one hand the wait would have allowed Mahindra to learn the finer points of motorcyclemaking which in turn would help them to come out with a good product On the other hand a long wait also raises expectations So does the Mahindra Mojo have what it takes to cut through the clutter and emerge above its competitionPicSanjay RaikarThe Mojos blingy visage might just work for Indian customers Personally we didnt like it much The front with twin headlamps and the golden exposed frame seem too overt for our tastes which tend towards subtlety of design We think the bike is at its appealing best when seen from the rear threequartersThe digianalogue instrumentation with its rev indicator lights is a compact unit and looks good Additionally theres a host of information available at the tap of a button including a max speed recorder 0100 kmh acceleration test recorder and more The party piece for the Mojo which Mahindra is positioning as a touring motorcycle is its 21litre petroltank Although we are yet to test the Mojos fuel efficiency it would be safe to presume that Mojo riders on the ManaliLeh route can ditch the jerrycansFor tall riders this writer is just over six feet ergonomics could be an issue The footrests are a shade too high and set in a commuter stance as is the handlebar Frankly it isnt a dealbreaker thoughThe bike is powered by a modern and indigenously developed liquidcooled fourvalve 295cc engine Max power is rated at 27 PS at 8000 revolutions per minute and 30 Nm of peak torque kicks in at 5500 RPM Transmission is via a very slickshifting sixspeed constantmesh gearbox The unit felt surprisingly refined and balanced with hardly any vibrations be it at idle or at highway cruising speed Power delivery is extremely linear and theres decent grunt at every bit of the revrangeDespite being a single the Mojo has been given two endcans Mahindra says that this is to preserve the unique exhaust beat of the bike despite the requirement of a dB killer While some or perhaps many will argue with the wisdom of the weight of an extra exhaust fact is that the bike sounds niceMojo remains stable in a straight line but when the roads become narrow with tight corners and a few bumps are thrown in you can feel the chassis flex with the front end behaving out of sync with the rear This bike is clearly not for cornercarving rides up the hillside Its home is on open stretches of straights or sweeping bends at best Mahindra has however given Mojos 17inch wheels an excellent set of tyres mdash a Pirelli Diablo Rosso II 11070 at the front and 15060 at the rear They offer excellent grip irrespective of dry or wet surfaceThe suspension comprising upside down forks with 1435 mm of travel and a high pressure gascharged monoshock with internal floating piston and 143 mm of travel is set up on the softer side of life That means ruts bumps potholes mdash absolutely nothing finds its way to your bottom Everything is filtered out with efficiency A musthave quality for a bike that intends to be a tourer in IndiaWhen it comes to braking duties at the front they are flanked by a huge 320mm dia rotor with fourpiston radial callipers while the rear gets a 240mm dia disc with twinpiston floating calliper The twinpiston arrangement at the rear is rather too sharp and panic breaking will see the rear wanting to get ahead of the front To sum it up the Mahindra Mojo is not a motorcycle that can be dismissed outright as a less than perfect motorbikeThere are some things its not particularly adept at like nimbleness and handling there are some things it does fairly well like highspeed straightline stability and features and then there are some things that are simply excellent such as ride quality grip and range Its not a perfect bike and certainly has flaws but it isnt something to be dismissed either Rumour has it that the bike will come wearing a sticker of around Rs 160170 lakh exshowroom If that is indeed the case then Royal Enfield had better watch out The Mahindra Mojo has the potential to be a serious threat to their dominance in the Indian motorcycle touring scene