Mahindra Mojo Review
There have been enough jokes on how long Mahindra took to design, develop and finally launch the Mojo for me to skip that part. Point to be noted here is that Mahindra was probably the first manufacturer in the world to announce a 300 cc motorcycle when 250 cc was the norm in that category. A lot has changed since then. Today, having quirky displacements has become the norm in this category. So we now have 200, 220, 225, 250, 295, 320 and 375 cc motorcycles all competing against each other in what I would call as the wannabe bada bike category. And of course, there are the Royal Enfields available at similar price points as well and they are more efficient and reliable than before. So now when the Mojo is finally launched in a seemingly overcrowded segment, it feels like it has already lost a lot of ground to competition. Or has it? Let's find out.
Starting with the way it looks. The large twin headlamps upfront along with the led eyebrows make the bike look a lot like an owl. That's not a bad thing. I love owls. What I like is at least it makes the motorcycle stand out without being overtly loud in its design. The touch of gold on the frame, swingarm and the forks goes extremely well with the three colour options the Mojo comes with: Black, White and Red & White. The tail section with the led tail lamps looks like it's from a 600+ cc motorcycle. All in all, I like the way the motorcycle looks. Non conformist, yet civilised. The overall fit and finish along with the component quality is top notch and the bike feels big and premium. Press the start button and the engine comes to life and settles into a quiet hum. The motorcycle I rode had the db killers on. I've heard a motorcycle on the road without db killers and it sounds brilliant. The bass from the twin exhausts is rich and nothing like you'll hear from any other motorcycle in this category.
Now let's get to how it rides. The seat height is reasonably low, handlebars tall and pegs neutral to slightly forward set. It's a very relaxed riding position though I would've personally liked the handlebars to be set slightly lower. The engine is surprisingly smooth and refined. The 295 cc single cylinder DOHC unit generates 27.2 ps of peak power and 30 Nm of peak torque. The bike is reasonably quick off the line, happy to be in the mid range and eager to rush to the redline. No matter how hard you push it, the engine almost never feels under stress. It feels like it can cruise all day at 120 kph without breaking a sweat. The fuelling and compression is pretty smooth. It's a long throttle with no distinct on-off jerks when you cut the throttle and pick it up again.
The one aspect that really took me by surprise is the transmission. The clutch is light and that makes it easy to ride the bike in traffic. The gear shifts are smooth and precise. In fact, I'm gonna stick my neck out and say that its the best gearbox of any motorcycle that I've ever ridden. Clutchless shifts are effortless and intuitive. I especially loved the gear ratios too. Unlike the Duke 200, the RC 200 or even the Pulsar RS 200 that act like a teenagers rushing to an orgasm, the Mojo is designed to climax a lot later. It may not be as quick in acceleration but it will surely hold bigger speeds for a longer duration without the ride or rider breaking down.
Another pleasant surprise is the ride quality. The upside down front forks absorb almost any road condition that India has to throw. The rear mono shock is soft but not to the extent of unsettling the bike in corners. The motorcycle also corners pretty well. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso tyres hold their ground while banking as well as under hard braking. The front brakes lack the initial bite but pull the lever harder and the progression is good. Really good actually. The rear discs get the bite as well as progression. I did have a little moment with a rickshaw walla cutting across me in testing mode, arriving at 90-100 kph but the brakes and tyres did their job well and I stopped way before I had imagined.
This brings me to the first chink in the Mojo's armour and it's a big one: No ABS. Not even as an option. The dealer said that they are expecting ABS specced Mojos to be launched later this year but there's no official confirmation on the same. Another big drawback is the pillion comfort, especially given the more mature segment that Mahindra is targeting. The rear seat is small and not at all wife-friendly. Moreover, since the Mojo has two exhausts, the pillion has to be careful of her left leg while dismounting the bike. You don't want your wife to have exhaust burns, you just don't. Since the rear seat is so small, I don't think sitting sideways, with a saree is an option either. Looks like Mahindra has completely ignored the pillion while designing this bike. The third shortcoming in the Mojo and I'm just nitpicking here, is the lack of wind protection. Especially given that the bike is designed for long distance touring, I would've loved to have at least an option of an aftermarket touring windscreen.
On the whole, I totally loved the Mojo. It's all the motorcycle you need for India. Riding it, it gets really hard to believe that you're on a non Japanese motorcycle. I guess that's what over half a decade of testing with a bit of MotoGP experience can do to a product. Rs. 1.95 lacs on road Mumbai, may seem like a steep price to pay for a Mahindra but it's definitely very good value once you've ridden the motorcycle. So if you're 30 or getting there, love riding, love refinement and don't indulge in signal to signal street brawls, head to the nearest Mahindra showroom, all your wishes have been answered. For the even more patient ones, wait till the bike gets ABS and you won't need an upgrade for a very long time. Cheers and ride safe!
