Hero HF Deluxe 2025 : As the sun was hovering low that early morning in the dusty roads of Jaipur, I kickstarted new Hero HF Deluxe 2025.
The distinctive putt-putt of the 100cc motor sang with a slightly sharper pitch – small differences, but definitely there, and a harbinger of the changes lurking behind the updated cowl.
After more than five days with this refreshed commuter motorcycle here in southern India, across everything from clogged urban sprawl to open country roads, I can tell you that Hero MotoCorp‘s made significant improvements to what already was India’s second best-selling motorcycle.
“We’ve given it a new feel, but consistent dependability is unchanged,” (Humne ise naya feel diya hai, par purani dependability barkarar rakhi hai,)” said Rajiv Kumar, the Hero dealership manager in Jaipur who last Monday handed me the keys to my test bike.
And that feeling pretty much sums up what Hero has tried to do with this update – update a winning recipe without altering the inherently character of the HF Deluxe that has been a common sight on Indian roads for more than a decade.
Table of Contents
Hero HF Deluxe 2025 Dhakad Mileage That Really Saves
We begin with what’s perhaps most important to the HF Deluxe’s customer base – fuel efficiency.
Hero says it has an ARAI-certified efficiency figure of 83 km/l averaged out over the new 2025 model and that is a significant improvement over the 79 km/l we had on the last version of this motorcycle, but as with all claimed figures, truth in the real world is far from the rosy image on paper, so I decided to put it through the grind during a rather extensive ride through Rajasthan.
Having covered about 420km in a variety of situations, making note of every fill-up of fuel consumed, I returned a startling average of 76.5km/l – genuinely impressive for a motorcycle that now sits among one of the most fuel-efficient in the country.
In real-world city cruising through the choked streets of Jaipur, efficiency is pushed to about 72-74 km/l, however, on empty rural roads at a constant 50-60 km/h I was constantly greeted with more 80+ km/l.
Mileage hi sabse bada selling point hai,” (Mileage is the biggest selling point) remarked Ramesh Yadav, an owner of the HF Deluxe I met at a tea stall outside Jaipur. He’d just moved up from an old model to the 2025 version.
“I commute about 35 kilometers to work each way. With petrol prices this bad, every single kilometre per liter makes a difference to my wallet’s bottom line.
Its improved efficiency results from several technical refinements rather than any one big breakthrough.
The 97.2cc engine has been fed a reworked combustion chamber and port timings and an all new, analytically developed fuel injection.
Hero engineers also brought down the internal friction through better surface finish on most of the vital parts.
For the average 1,200km/month rider, that efficiency gain amounts to about 2 liters of fuel saved each month over the old model – not a major saving, but one that’s going to very subtly tick costs down for budget-stricken owners.
Hero HF Deluxe 2025 New Style ? Who dis?
The HF Deluxe has always been one for simple function, and has never been one for flashy design or loud looks.
The 2025 update continues this trend, with just enough visual flourish to set it apart on its own.
The most obvious alterations can be seen up front, where a new headlamp housing is home to fresh LED daytime running lights – a first for the model and an unlikely premium touch at this price.
The side panels and fuel tank get slight resculpting, with new graphics options in five color selections, including the very sharp Nexus Blue with contrasting dark gray accents seen on my test bike.
At my stops in rural villages outside Jaipur, those who caught sight of the updated design were mostly younger riders.
“Nayi wali hai kya?” (Is this the new one?) was the general question, accompanied by how nice the LED lighting and graphics look.
What’s remarkable is how seamlessly Hero has pulled off this visual update without compromising the motorcycle’s unpretentious character.
This isn’t some commuter motorcycle clumsily draped in sporty clothes though – the styling updates acknowledge the HF Deluxe’s utilitarian roots, but come with just enough modern bling to ensure it doesn’t look outdated just yet.
Hero HF Deluxe 2025 Ride Every Day With More Comfort
Where it does make the biggest difference, however, is ride quality and comfort – two important factors for a bike that a lot of its owners are going to be spending 2 three hours a day on.
The more generous and confortable seat, which is wider and longer has a new type of foam with a higher density: a first difference would already appear if we compared it to the previous model, with a much higher presence that is resolved in more correct seating, especially for the passenger.
After a 65-kilometre jaunt from Jaipur to Chomu with a mate on pillion, I could really appreciate the better seat.
“Doori mein previous model mein back pain ho jati thi is mein bahut aaram hai, (Previous model, I’d get back pain over this distance, this one is comfortable),” my colleague said when he arrived.
The suspension has not been ignored either, with updated damping rates that now handle sharp hits, a common occurrence on rural Indian roads, better than before.
On a specifically challenging bit of broken tarmac outside Sanganer, pockmarked with craters and uneven surfaces, the HF Deluxe has remained a composed machine without that jarring feel typical of so many entry-level commuters.
They also tackled vibration – the bane of life with small-displacement singles. Engine mounts have been revised and the engine is better balanced, so vibration at the usual cruise speed (40-60 km/h) is much less noticeable, on extended rides it’s far less tiring and far more enjoyable.
At higher speds some vibration is bound to creep in through the footpegs and handlebar, but not enough to annoy for the kind of riding this mc is designed to do.
Hero HF Deluxe 2025 SPECIFICATIONS Features That Matter You Decide What’s Valuable
In addition to the efficient and comfort-minded upgrades that dominate the headlines, Hero has also thrown in a variety of nifty little touches that make it easier to live with but that don’t inflate the bottom line by much.
In comes a semi-digital instrument cluster that features an analog simplicity for the speedometer and a small, vertically-stacked LCD screen that shows the fuel level, odometer and – for the first time on the HF Deluxe – a real-time fuel efficiency readout.
This last feature ended up being a bit of a surprise perk during my testing: I found myself tweaking my riding style to maximize speed.
Another nice touch for a bike in this class, there’s a USB charging port in the cubbyhole under the instrument pack.
While I was out on day trips on the outskirts of Jaipur, I liked having somewhere to charge my phone while I used GPS.
“These small items make a huge difference when using the bikes every day,” noted Vikram Singh, a motorcycle wrench I met in Jaipur.
“The USB charging in particular — everybody wants to charge a phone these days, even in villages.”
The 2025 drum is also the first to come with an idle start-stop system (i3S in Hero speak) standard across the range, which shuts the motor when idling for over 5 seconds and brings it back to life immediately with a light pull of the clutch.
This system worked flawlessly during my testing in Jaipur’s infamously dense traffic and must have had a hand in the city fuel efficiency numbers, which were impressive.
Hero HF Deluxe 2025 Reasonably Good Performance for Intended Use
The HF Deluxe was never about performance or sport and its 2025 version stays true to the theme of reliability and efficiency over additional power.
The bike retains the same 8,000rpm 8.02PS/8.05Nm 97.2cc engine from the older bike.
What has changed, is this small output material being worked on and delivered with such a higher level of polish.
The engine now pulls more willingly from a lower rpm, with more responsive throttle which, between the stop-start of city riding, means less work.
The 4-speed transmission feels more positive than before but isn’t as slick as you’d find on a more expensive motorcycle.
On long, straight runs of the highway between towns the bike cruised along very easily at 60-65 km/h even with a fair amount of overtaking power in hand.
The scope for screaming beyond 70-75 km/h is there, but it’s clearly heading out of the engine’s comfort zone and producing a significantly more resonance that tells you’re nowhere near where you’re supposed to do with it.
“The HF is not for speed; it’s to get you there back and forth every day doing nothing more than (consuming) your empty fuel!” Kumar redacted at the dealership, which couldn’t have put it better.
Hero HF Deluxe 2025 Pricing and Market Positioning
Starting at ₹58,390 for the kick-start variant going up to ₹64,650 for the self-start with alloy wheels and i3S (all prices ex-showroom Delhi), the 2025 HF Deluxe is still one of India’s most affordable motorcycles despite the dramatic updates.
This aggressive pricing also helps it stand in close competition with its main competitors – the Bajaj CT 110 and TVS Sport, all the while packing a feature set in some aspects to be even better than these two rivals.
Where the proposition looks very attractive is when potential fuel savings are totted up over many years.
In a chat with a bunch of rural riders at a chai stall on the outskirts of Sanganer, the long-term economics was the talk of the town.
“Jitna price kam ho utna achha hai par asli jo kharcha hota hai vo to petrol ka hota hai,” (The lower the price, the better but the ultimate cost is of petrol); observed an experienced rider.
And with the overall top refinement in its class, higher incremental purchase price over some of the other offerings can be recouped within the first year of ownership due to lower cost of running.
Evolution Not Revolution/ Evolution With Entry Detractors of course argue that the unit needs to be more than evolutionary.
So, after my five day stint with the 2025 HF Deluxe, what struck me most was not any one feature, but battle-readiness with which Hero has gone ahead and made this workhorse motorcycle a far more polished product.
The improvements address real-world needs of everyday users, rather than simply adding features that look flashy in a marketing brochure, but have little practical value.
In a category where value and dependability are king, Hero has beefed up the sound foundation of the HF Deluxe without breaking the spell of the same formula that has ensured that stands amongst the highest selling motorcycles in India for over a dozen years now.
For the millions of people who rely on simple, affordable mobility to feed their families and get to work every day, this progress brings meaningful change where it’s needed most.
While I grudgingly gave the keys back at the end of my test period, a final discussion by the dealership manager Kumar stayed with me.
“Hum jaante hain ki hamare customers ke liye motorcycle sirf transportation nahi, unki rozi-roti ka zariya hai,” (We know that for our customers a motorcycle is not just transportation, it’s their livelihood) he said.?
Is liye hum compromise nahi karte. (That’s why we never compromise.)
That comprehension of their core customer’s wants comes through in every area of the 2025 HF Deluxe – a bike that may not make it onto the front page, but will dutifully take care of vast numbers of Indians and their millions of kilometers of daily commuting for two-wheel riders.
