Mahindra MOJO First Ride

The Pros: The engine is refined, ride quality is very good and it’s got features that you’ll find on premium motorcycles. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres offer tremendous grip.

The Cons: The design is odd looking. The motorcycle is front heavy making it difficult to corner easily. Brakes aren’t very progressive. 

The Crux: The Mojo performs well and will make a good touring motorcycle but pricing will be the key to whether this motorcycle does well or not.

Rating:

There aren’t too many powerful Indian made touring motorcycles available in the market but finally after almost 5 years in the making, Mahindra Two wheelers is all set to launch their flagship 300cc motorcycle – the Mojo. Do you want to know what it’s like to ride the Mahindra Mojo? Keep reading.

                                                           Mahindra Mojo On-Road Price

As you know the Mahindra Mojo has been out in the field for testing for a good 2 or more years. They’ve been conducting thorough testing on Indian roads so as to make sure this motorcycle is consumer ready and won’t break down. This extensive testing is a good thing as the Mojo will be Mahindra’s first entry into the 300cc motorcycle category. Even though the Mojo is a 300cc motorcycle, it is not going to go up against the likes of the Yamaha R3, Benelli 300 nor any of the KTM’s. In fact, the Mojo is going to be marketed as a touring motorcycle and will be pitted against the Royal Enfield’s and the Hero Karizma range.

                                       Mahindra Mojo Picture Gallery

Design and Features: The Mojo’s naked street fighter look will definitely make it stand out in a crowd. Right up front you have a very Transformer look alike face with twin headlights encased in a fairing staring down at you while two white strips of LED pilot lamps are used as eyebrows leading up to a short wind shield that completes the front look. The fuel tank looks a bit odd from a far but once astride it doesn’t look too bad. Right below the fuel tank you get similar flashy gold pipes as you see on the Mahindra Centuro but further down towards the engine are some nice looking radiator shrouds which add a bit of aggressiveness to the overall look of the motorcycle. The aluminium side panels look sleek and are complemented by the dual exhaust pipes. The Mojo gets a really nice short rear fender and a very compact looking LED tail lamp.

                                             Mahindra Mojo Dealer's information

As far as features go, the back lit switches give the Mojo a nice premium look and the ignition key is mounted at the front of the fuel tank which is something normally seen in more premium and bigger motorcycles. It gets a neat looking digital instrument console with an analogue cum digital rev meter. The console shows you the time, odometer, trip A and B, maximum speed reached and also has a side stand indicator. What we liked about the instrument console was that as you go up through the rev range, there are red bars that go up along with the needle that look pretty cool. Another neat feature is the inclusion of a rev limit light. On the top right hand corner of the console you’ll see a light that will flash red if you’ve hit the rev limit which is set at 9000rpm.

Keeping the riders safety in mind, they’ve also included a ‘Limp’ mode. Basically if by any chance there is some problem with the engine, the motorcycle detects it and automatically limits the rev range to 5000rpm. They’ve also included a ‘Roll over sensor’ so that if you have a fall and the bike leans beyond a 45degree angle and the rear tyre leaves the ground, the engine will automatically cut off.

                                                  Mahindra Mojo Latest Videos

Engine and Performance: At the heart of the Mojo beats a 295cc single cylinder liquid cooled engine pumping out 27bhp@8000rpm and 30Nm@6000rpm. As you thumb the starter, the engine comes alive with a slight grunt and as you shift into 1st gear and start going up the rev range, you’ll hear a nice meaty growl emitting from the dual exhausts making it sound like a much bigger motorcycle. The acceleration is quick and the gear ratios are short, so before you know it, you’ll be in 6th gear pulling past 130km/h. This all new engine also boasts of dual overhead cam shafts with an iridium spark plug. This is all set in a twin tube HTR frame with a coaxial mounting for the engine lending the motorcycle a more stable feel. We were able to reach an indicated maximum speed of 146km/h but what pleased us was the engines ability to cruise comfortably at 120km/h without any sign of agony and very little vibration. The six speed gear box works great, its smooth, light and the inclusion of the sixth gear is a joy while riding on open highways.