Hero Mavrick 440 Motorcycle Review: Hero’s Top Gun!

The Hero Mavrick 440 is a highly underrated motorcycle. We lived with it for a week and rode it extensively- and tell you what, it feels like just the right mix of flavours! We’ll discuss our impressions in detail so that you know why this motorcycle deserves more praise and attention for what it is.

Mavrick 440: Quick Look At It

This motorcycle is Hero’s attempt at capturing a share of the 400-500 cc motorcycle segment. It gets the form of a neo-retro roadster and offers a comfortable ride and livability. The manufacturer has tried its best to make the Mavrick look, feel and ride premium. As you’d probably know by now, this motorcycle shares its core underpinnings with the Harley-Davidson X440. It has also become the Indian manufacturer’s most expensive and flagship product with the prices topping out at 2.24 lakh, ex-showroom.

Hero Motocorp is a brand that plays the volume game well. Even with over 56 lakh motorcycles and scooters sold, its strength lies in the commuter space- mostly in the 100cc segment. It remains to be seen if Hero will be able to replicate the success in the mid-capacity segment as well.

Design and features

To start with, the Mavrick is a good-looking motorcycle. There is clear visual differentiation between the X440 and the Mavrick, in both details and the rider triangle. The bike gets roadster proportions, masculine silhouette and design details like a round LED headlight, circular LED indicators, LED taillight, a sculpted fuel tank that can house 13.5 litres, metal tank shrouds, a comfortable single-piece seat, a neutral (and comfortable ) rider triangle, and tasteful use of contrasting colours. Interesting to note here is that the rear mud-guard design feels slightly out of fit with the rest of the design.

The instrument cluster is an all-digital unit- a negative LCD screen, that comes with Bluetooth-based mobile phone connectivity. It houses a lot of useful rider information, including fuel efficiency and range. The only complaint you’d have would be that the display size is small and the same interferes with the readability and user experience. You’ll get used to this when you start using the vehicle. Hero Motocorp recently showcased a revised Mavrick with a larger digital display at EICMA 2024.

The Hero Harley Partnership

Hero Motocorp and Harley Davidson jointly developed the core platform and engine used on this motorcycle. In fact, the chassis was developed in-house at Hero’s R&D centre in Jaipur, with inputs from Harley-Davidson engineers in Milwaukee. Mavrick is the second model to get these mechanicals, HD X440 was the first. Despite sharing the core mechanicals, both motorcycles have unique identities to them. Hero and Harley managed to create two motorcycles that stand different from each other in terms of rider ergonomics and engine performance. The specifications too are slightly different between these motorcycles.

The X440 feels more like a cruiser with a slightly laid-back riding posture. The engine produces slightly more power and torque than it does on the Mavrick. The Hero motorcycle has a neutral roadster-like rider triangle, that gives more control and manoeuvrability over the motorcycle. The wheel size also differs between the two bikes.

Specifications: Suspension, Engine And Gearbox

The Mavrick is built on a steel trellis frame. It rides on 17-inch wheels, at both ends. The top-spec variant gets diamond-cut alloys. The front suspension gets 43mm telescopic forks and dual shocks at the rear. It thus misses out on the X440’s front USDs. The EICMA show bike, however, had USDs as well. The motorcycle even gets a box-section swingarm and a dual-channel ABS. Both ends get disc brakes.

At the heart of the Mavrick 440 is a 440 cc, air and oil-cooled, single-cylinder, two-valve, SOHC engine that produces 27 bhp at at 6,000 rpm and 36 Nm at 4,000 rpm. This is a slight detune when compared to the Harley counterpart. The engine feels relaxed at most rpms, and delivers ample oomph when pushed hard.

The transmission here is a 6-speed unit. The gear ratios are set wisely, to complement the bike’s character. It gets an Assist & Slipper clutch. The shifts are quick and precise and there is almost no reason to hate this box.

Ride Impressions

Swing your leg around the Mavrick and start riding. The motorcycle would instantly impress you with its smooth spread of torque. As per the manufacturer’s claims, 90% of peak torque is available at under 2,000 rpm. The gearing too facilitates smooth, relaxed riding. Rev it from 2000 to 4000 rpms and there’s plenty of juice to milk out.

This engine wouldn’t ask for frequent downshifts and ensures a smooth ride overall. You can ride at ~30 km/h to 80 km/h in the third or fourth gears! That’s how torquey this mill is.

The torque is delivered in a linear fashion, and this is not the bike that would instantly zoom to speeds and have jaw-dropping top-end performance. No, we do not intend to say it is any slow! The Maverick has an interesting torque curve to it, and delivers smooth, likeable performance, with a strong tug of mid-range torque.

Wondering about vibrations? Well, yes they are there. You feel them on the foot pegs, seat, tank and handlebar, at rpms above 4500. But they aren’t big enough to be intrusive, especially considering this to be a 440cc engine.

Now let us talk about speeds. The motorcycle feels happy at 90-100 kmph. Even cruising at 100-110 kph will not make the engine feel too strained. Overtaking too feels effortless. If you are having a spirited day and feel like going fast, this bike will not disappoint you.

The Maverick feels easy and comfortable to ride on narrow roads and in tight city traffic. It feels flickable and offers good manoeuvrability. Highway speeds go easy on the motorcycle and there is good stability offered as well. The dual-channel ABS and brakes instil a great sense of confidence in the rider.

The tyres offer good grip around corners and the suspension feels to be in the right state of tune. You would hardly miss the USDs as the regular shocks function quite well.

The seat is set on the softer side. If feels very comfortable during short hauls. However, if you set out to tour with this motorcycle, the soft nature could make you crave frequent rest-stops. We rode the Maverick for 400 km (round trip) and had to take a break every 0dd 80-90 km.

What Could Have Been Improved?

• The readability of the instrument cluster could be better.
• The motorcycle could have come with adjustable levers.

Price And Variants

A total of 3 variants are available. The base trim is priced at 1.99 lakh, ex-showroom. It gets wire-spoke wheels and tube-type tyres. The top-spec has an ex-showroom price of 2.24 lakh. The range-topping variant is priced closer to the Triumph Speed 400. All variants pack good value for the money spent.