2019 Hero Pleasure Plus 110 First Ride Review

The Hero Pleasure name isn't all new, even though the new Pleasure Plus is an almost all-new scooter. In fact, the Hero Pleasure has been around for more than a decade, launched as a scooter for primarily women riders. Remember that television commercial which said - "Why should boys have all the fun?" But that didn't stop the Pleasure from finding customers from both sexes, and has been quite a successful product in Hero's scooter line-up for over a decade. Now, in 2019, it gets significantly updated, with new design, a new 110 cc engine, and so the new name - Hero Pleasure Plus. And Hero says, it's now designed and positioned as a uni-sex scooter, which can be ridden by all members of the family. And the 100 cc Pleasure will now be replaced by the 110 cc Pleasure Plus.

Also Read: All You Need To Know About The Hero Pleasure+

The Hero Pleasure Plus 110 has fresh appeal, with a slightly retro design

Design and Features

The overall shape and dimensions of the new Pleasure Plus 110 remain more or less same as the 100 cc Pleasure it will replace. But it looks like a completely different and new scooter, with fresh appeal. Although a hint of retro styling in the headlamp does give it a faint resemblance to a popular 125 cc scooter from a rival manufacturer. The Pleasure Plus is available in a total of seven new shades, with two matte colour options. The new headlight doesn't get LED, but the re-designed face and front apron gives the Pleasure Plus a modern, universally appealing design. And for the marketing and product strategy folks, full marks there to reposition the Pleasure Plus as a uni-sex scooter - after all, why should girls have all the fun?

The new Pleasure Plus 110 gets some useful and handy features like a mobile charging socket

The instrument panel is simple, and rather plain - so there's no digital readout, but a large easily readable analogue speedometer, odometer, and a fuel gauge. But a side stand indicator is a nice and useful touch. Overall plastic quality of the switchgear is quite nice and feels premium. Under the handlebar, there are some handy cubby holes, and even a mobile charging socket to charge your smartphone, even on the go. The seat is longer than the outgoing Pleasure as well, and under it, there's 14 litres of storage space - not adequate to store a full face helmet, but a small half-face helmet should fit in, with some added space of a couple of books or a small handbag. And it gets a useful LED light in there as well, which will be helpful to look for stuff in the dark. The rear end is sleek and gets the signature 'H' shaped new tail lamp. But what is missed is the convenience of an external fuel filler cap - you will have to get down and flip up the seat every time you head to the fuel station to refuel.

Also Read: Hero Pleasure+ Launched At Rs. 47,300

The Pleasure Plus 110 has a kerb weight of 101 kg, and with a 110 cc engine, it's a brisk performer and easy to handle

Performance, Ride and Handling

The Pleasure Plus shares the 110 cc air-cooled, single cylinder engine with the Hero Duet and the Maestro Edge 110. It puts out 8 bhp of maximum power at 7500 rpm and 8.7 Nm of peak torque at 5500 rpm. But it's significantly lighter than both the Duet (116 kg) and Maestro Edge 110 (110 kg) - with a kerb weight of just 101 kg. And that means, from the get go, it feels eager to move, and the power is more than enough to get it moving at a fairly brisk pace in traffic. Urban duty is where the Pleasure Plus excels in, thanks to its light weight, nimble handling and comfortable ride. It's fairly easy to ride, and coupled with the eager acceleration, it's certain to find fans amongst customers looking for a new scooter.

Ride quality is plush and comfortable, and urban duties is where the Pleasure Plus excels in

The Hero Pleasure Plus 110 rides on 10-inch wheels, suspended on a linked front suspension. While ride quality over tarmac and over slightly broken roads is plush and comfortable, when you hit actual dirt roads the suspension seems to bottom out. It's no cause for concern, and unless you're going to go looking for dirt trails, which the Pleasure Plus isn't really made for, it can certainly handle most kinds of road surfaces with ease; although the small wheels don't give you that sense of confidence if you're going to go over rough roads at a fairly decent clip. Although there's no front disc brake on offer, what the Pleasure Plus offers is standard integrated braking system. It's combined braking, so a pull on any lever triggers brakes on both wheels, and is a good safety feature. But a disc brake would have added some more bite, but also added to the cost.

The Hero Pleasure Plus 110 has all qualities to make it likeable and has the potential to be commercially successful

Verdict

The Hero Pleasure Plus 110 has fresh styling, and with a host of bright new colours to choose from, it's certainly going to offer an attractive option for the Indian scooter buyer. Its USP is also its light kerb weight, easy handling and universally appealing design. But more than that, it's the price point at which the Pleasure Plus 110 is offered which has the potential to make it one of the most popular scooters from Hero MotoCorp. The Pleasure Plus is available in two variants - with the steel wheel variant priced at Rs. 47,300 (ex-showroom) and the cast wheel variant priced at Rs. 49,300 (ex-showroom). At that price, it certainly offers tremendous value for money, coupled with the huge sales and service network Hero offers across the country.

(Photography: Rakesh Singh)