The Mahindra Mojo has spent almost 5 years in the making. But as the old adage goes, 'better late than never', Mahindra took its own sweet time to try and make the Mojo as perfect as possible. And we are not complaining at all. While the Mojo has been a part of the carandbike fleet for almost 4 months, I was handed over the keys just about 15 days back. A former colleague decided to move on and hence, the Mojo was to be my long term motorcycle for the remainder of its duration with us.
The Mojo and I have covered almost a thousand kilometres together and it is rather unfortunate that it was in and around Delhi that most of the riding had been done. So, purely from a commuting perspective, the Mojo is near perfect. With a single cylinder 295cc engine that produces 27bhp and 30Nm of torque, the Mojo has more than enough power to potter around the city. Rather than a blistering flat out performance, Mahindra engineers have tuned Mojo's engine for a matured power delivery and a strong mid-range. Keep the motorcycle between 4,500rpm-6,500rpm and you will realise that the torque is at its best in this rev range. It might not set your pulse racing but it can easily overtake 2-3 cars with just a twist of the wrist and a single upshift and keep you ahead of the pack. Even towards the top of the rev counter, the engine remains unperturbed. I am impressed to find out that there are hardly any vibrations on the palm grips and the footpegs. The Mojo performed admirably during the first ride review as well.
The Mojo is much more comfortable than some out and out commuters in the market. The seats are plush and your rear does not get sore even after spending long hours. The handlebars too, are placed just right so that your wrists don't get overworked. Mahindra has billed the Mojo as a touring machine, but even doing city duty, it's working absolutely fine. Thanks to the fat 43mm front USDs and the monoshock at the rear, the ride is plush and potholes and bumps are dealt away with nicely. The Mojo is shod with sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso II rubbers that generate solid grip. But more on that in the next long term report.
(Mahindra Mojo Twin Headlamps)The attention grabber! With its twin round headlamps and an aggressive demeanour, the Mojo is a serial crowd puller for sure. Whether it is parked somewhere, at a traffic signal or even when I am just pottering around town, I have been stopped and asked all sorts of questions. The other thing that is really fancy is the overrun. Yes! Call me crazy, but you can hear all sorts of pops and crackles when you either shift up aggressively or shift down and take your hand off the throttle. It is downright delightful, a mellifluous symphony for any motorcycle nut. A fellow motorcycle journalist has even gone ahead and said that after removing the dB killers, the motorcycle sounds even sexier.
(Mahindra Mojo exhausts)So far, the experience has been anything but bad. But again, it has been barely a fortnight since I was handed over the keys to the Mojo. Keep watching this space as we bring you up to speed on our life and times with the Mahindra Mojo.
