Splendor Plus Is ₹7,139 Cheaper On the Road Than the Shine 125

The Hero Splendor Plus costs ₹90,728 on the road in Mumbai against ₹97,867 for the Honda Shine 125, and the gap keeps growing every month you ride it. Hero’s claimed 70 kmpl beats Honda’s 55 kmpl by enough to save ₹390 on every 1,000 km of petrol. The Shine answers back with nearly 35 percent more power and a combi-brake system standard on every variant, where the Splendor Plus charges extra for even a front disc.

Both are safe bets for a bike that starts every morning and rarely visits the service centre. The real question is whether the Shine’s extra punch and standard CBS are worth paying more for, twice over: once to buy, once every time you fill the tank.

Splendor Plus vs Shine 125: Price and On-Road Cost in Mumbai

The Honda Shine 125 actually got cheaper on October 1, when Honda passed on a GST 2.0-linked cut of up to ₹7,443 across the range, according to Autocar India. Even after that cut, every Shine variant costs more than every Splendor Plus variant.

Prices are from The Spec’d’s on-road price page for the Splendor Plus in Mumbai and the matching page for the Shine 125 in Mumbai, estimates built from each bike’s ex-showroom price and Maharashtra’s road-tax rules, so confirm the final number with your dealer. The cheapest Shine 125 comes to about ₹7,139 more on the road than the cheapest Splendor Plus, in the same city. Both still clear every bike under ₹1 lakh on the road at their base trims.

Which Is Cheaper to Run: Mileage and Fuel Cost Compared

This is where the Splendor Plus pulls away for good. Hero claims 70 kmpl across every Splendor Plus variant; Honda claims 55 kmpl across every Shine 125 variant. Neither figure is independently tested, so treat both as lab numbers that will drop in real traffic, but the gap between the two claims is wide enough to matter.

Figures come from The Spec’d’s mileage and fuel-cost page for the Splendor Plus and the equivalent page for the Shine 125, worked out at ₹100 a litre, so the gap moves with your local fuel price. At ₹390 extra per 1,000 km, a rider doing 1,500 km a month on the Shine spends roughly ₹585 more on fuel every month than the same rider on a Splendor Plus, before any difference in service cost.

Power and Ride Feel: Where the Shine 125 Pulls Ahead

The Splendor Plus runs a 97.2cc engine making 7.91 bhp and 8.05 Nm. The Shine 125 runs a 123.94cc engine making 10.74 PS (about 10.6 bhp) and 11 Nm: nearly 35 percent more power and 37 percent more torque. That shows up as faster overtakes on single-lane highways and less strain carrying a pillion up a flyover, exactly where a 97.2cc engine runs out of breath. The two weigh almost the same, 112 kg against 113-114 kg, so the extra performance doesn’t cost handling, and the Shine’s 5-speed gearbox beats the Splendor Plus’s 4-speed on the highway.

Brakes and Safety: Why Neither Gets ABS

Neither bike has ABS: India only mandates ABS above 125cc, and both sit at or under that line. What they get instead is a combi-brake system, and here the Shine is ahead by default. Every Shine 125 variant, even the cheapest Drum, carries Honda’s Combi Brake System (CBS) with an equalizer linking front and rear. The base Splendor Plus relies on Hero’s own Integrated Braking System (IBS) with drum brakes at both ends; a front disc arrives only on the top Xtec Disc variant, for ₹3,043 more than the mid-spec Xtec Drum.

The Splendor Plus wins on running cost by enough to notice every month, and the Shine 125 wins on power and braking hardware by enough to notice every ride. Neither verdict is close, which is exactly why the choice depends on which of those two things you actually care about.

See the full spec-by-spec rundown on The Spec’d’s Splendor Plus vs Shine 125 comparison page.

Which Variant Should You Actually Buy?

Buy the Splendor Plus Xtec Drum at ₹81,283, The Spec’d’s pricing data marks it the best-value pick. It adds the Xtec digital console with Bluetooth over the i3S for just ₹2,373, and skips the Xtec Disc’s extra ₹3,043 for a front disc brake most riders in stop-start traffic rarely load hard enough to need. It’s the pick for mostly city traffic and the lowest real running cost in the segment.

Buy the Shine 125 Drum at ₹83,422, also marked best value on The Spec’d’s pricing data. The Disc variant’s ₹4,360 premium buys one thing, a front disc brake, and the Limited Edition’s further ₹299 buys a paint job: skip both unless the disc brake specifically matters. Pick the Shine 125 if you regularly carry a pillion, ride longer highway stretches, or want CBS braking without paying extra for it.

Which is better, Splendor Plus or Honda Shine 125?

Neither is better outright. Pick the Splendor Plus for the lowest cost of ownership: it’s cheaper to buy and noticeably cheaper to run. Pick the Shine 125 for more power, a 5-speed gearbox and standard CBS braking on every variant.

Does the Hero Splendor Plus have ABS?

No. It uses Hero’s Integrated Braking System (IBS), a linked drum-brake setup, because India only requires ABS on bikes above 125cc. A front disc brake is available only on the top Xtec Disc variant.

What is the on-road price difference between the Splendor Plus and Shine 125 in Mumbai?

The base Splendor Plus comes to about ₹90,728 on the road in Mumbai; the base Shine 125 Drum comes to about ₹97,867, a gap of roughly ₹7,139 between the two cheapest variants.