Mahindra is bringing back the Mojo, and this time around it’s equipped the bike with features from both its predecessors – the XT 300 and the UT 300. This new iteration of the bike, the Mojo 300, gets dual-channel ABS and will be priced at Rs 1.88 lakh (ex-showroom, Bengaluru); that’s nearly Rs 4,000 more than what the XT 300 retailed for in the same city, when it was on sale. Our sources suggest that one of the reasons for the increase in prices is because of the rise in manufacturing costs.
The Mojo 300 will use the 294.72cc fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine from the XT 300 but makes slightly less power, with 26.29hp at 7,500rpm, while the XT was capable of 27.17hp at 8,000rpm. The torque figure has come down from 30Nm to 28Nm, but the rpm at which it comes in remains the same, at 5,500rpm. The reason for the minor reduction in performance is still unknown.
Hardware like the telescopic fork and monoshock have been carried forward from the UT 300. The front suspension gets 143.5mm of travel while the rear is capable of 135mm of travel. The XT 300 came equipped with USD fork and monoshock.
The Mojo 300 also gets Pirelli Angel CT tyres in a 110/70-R17 / 140/70-R17 (front/rear) combination, while the previous UT and XT ran on MRF Nylogrip Zappers and Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIs, respectively. Another significant change is the switch from J.Juan braking hardware to Bybre. Its front disc measures 320mm while the rear is a 240mm unit, just like on the XT and the UT. The Moho 300 also uses the 21-litre fuel tank from the XT 300 with a seat height of 815mm, aiding its touring design.
However, the Mojo 300 misses out on some features that made the XT a unique motorcycle; most importantly, the twin exhaust. Mahindra has equipped the new mojo with the single barrel exhaust from the UT 300 and this is most likely a cost-cutting measure. It also loses out on the LED DRLs.
At this price point, the Mojo 300 is more expensive than its most direct rival, the Bajaj Dominar 400 (Rs 1.74 lakh, ex-showroom, Bengaluru). It is a decently competent package, but it now appears to offer lower value than before as it offers mostly the UT 300 experience, but at a price higher than the outgoing XT 300. We’ll know for sure how it stacks up against its competitors, once it’s launched and we get our hands on it.
Azaman Chothia
