Hero working on Xoom with 14-inch wheels

Just a few months ago, an image of what appeared to be a Hero Xoom test mule with larger (presumably 14-inch) wheels surfaced on the internet. And now, we have unearthed a design patent which seems to corroborate this very scooter’s existence. 

1. Similar angular and layered design to Xoom
2. Engine appears to be very similar, gets a kick-starter
3. Gets an external fuel-filler cap

The patent image shows a scooter with a sharp and layered design, quite akin to the Xoom but it’s not exactly the same. Even the angular headlight appears similar to the one on the Xoom but isn’t the same unit. The seat also has a fair step up for the pillion unlike the near-flat seat unit on the Hero Xoom. Braking and suspension hardware at both ends appear to be similar to the Xoom. 

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We can see that it gets prominent grab rails for the pillion and an external fuel filler cap and it seems like this scooter will address some of the practical problems presented by the Xoom. The design of the alloy wheels in the patent image is completely different to the Xoom but matches the ones on the scooter that was spotted testing a while back, leading us to believe that this is the same scooter. 

The engine itself appears almost identical to the one on the Xoom, whether it’s the design of the casing or in the presence of the kick-starter, which means that peak output figures should be similar, if not identical to the Xoom’s 8.15hp and 8.7Nm. 

It remains to be seen if this new scooter is a variant of the Xoom or will debut a new name. Considering that all recent Hero products have names starting with the letter ‘X’, and even the co-developed Harley-Davidson X440, this new scooter could also go down the same route.

Also See:

Hero Xoom real-world review: Sporty urban scooter