Mahindra Mojo long term review: After 9,702km and 8 months

Its been almost two months since you saw our long term Mahindra Mojo on these pages. I am to be partially blamed for this - for not riding the motorcycle enough but Mahindra is equally at fault. The Mojo went for its customary second service, the typical clean-up and oil change affair. This should  take no longer than a day, let's be lenient, two days at most. However, the Mojo was returned to me after a good five days and that was after considerable insistence at my end. To make matters worse, there were two deep scratches on the fuel tank, chain lube was sprayed all over the rear tyre and the left mirror refused to stay in place. Mahindra's Bhandup service centre said they will look into the incident related to the dents, however, there wasn't any clear communication post that. In the end, after nearly a month, it was agreed that the fuel tank will be replaced as a goodwill gesture and the motorcycle was duly picked up from my place.

Before she left for the premature visit to the service centre, I had complained of a drop in performance from the Mahindra Mojo. This was also to be attended to during the fuel tank replacement ordeal. Why I call this an ordeal will become apparent in the next few lines. The fuel tank was in stock and again, this shouldn't have taken more than a day to be fixed but horror of horrors, the motorcycle took nearly two weeks to return. And ironically, when she finally did, come home, there was another small scratch on the tank! This one was minor, perhaps from the rider's jacket/pant zipper so I dismissed it and went to fill fuel. Try as I might, the fuel lock didn't open at which point I realized some that some genius at Mahindra service didn't tally the ignition and new fuel tank lock. This again resulted in a couple of calls and some senior regional manager calling me up on a Sunday on a conference call, assuring me that everything will be set right.

The assistant slipper clutch sits inside this and can be replaced within 5-10 minutes

The side stand had bent, which means parking the Mojo was a risky affair

The same day a technician along with a supervisor came home. He replaced the fuel lock, tried polishing the fuel tank to remove the scratch and while he was at it, also replaced the offending left mirror and the side stand. Someone at a motorcycle parking lot may have sat on the Mojo to click the customary selfie with the 'big bike' and the stand had bend over. Also, while at it, I got them to check the starter assembly which had started making an irritating sound during start up, almost like the battery was nearly drained. The technician however was quick to diagnose that there was a problem with the assistant slipper clutch assembly (a component in the Mojo's starter motor) and replaced it. All this was done in a span of just 40 minutes which makes me wonder why my bike has been lying at Mahindra for such long periods?. I'm still waiting to hear from Mahindra as to what the cost of all this would be or if it would be covered under warranty

The left side mirror fold in easily at high speeds and had to be replaced as well

Post this drama, the Mahindra Mojo has been running great. The engine seems to have bedded in well and lurches a little less in low speed traffic. She can do 130kmph easily on the highway and the engine doesn't feel strained or coarse at this point. I love the fact that she still commands attention on the road, almost a year since the launch. The build quality too is commendable despite my long commute over some poor roads, there are no rattles and none of the body panels have loosened over time or fallen off. Except perhaps for the left side mirror.

The Mojo hasn't put on miles since the last update primarily because she was with the Mahindra service centre for most of the time

You can tell by the tone of this write-up that I'm frustrated and upset with the after sales experience. Mahindra have a great product with the Mojo and its right up there with the best in its segment. That being said, the service experience needs significant improvement. Only when Mahindra gets their service aspect right and not ignore the customer post sale, it will be a complete experience. After all, when you buy a motorcycle/car, you buy into the manufacturer's family. And a family doesn't desert you, does it?

Total odo reading: 9702km, kms done since last update:500km, date acquired: Nov 2015, economy: 24.6kmpl, fuel consumed: 20.32 litres