Starting the day in Northern England at Oulton Park in late October is not the kind of place you’d immediately think of good weather (and you’d be right…); however, it marks the start of Hero MotoCorp’s brand launch in Great Britain and with thanks to MotoGB, the launch of the all-new Hero Hunk 440.

But how does it feel, and what does it ride like?

When I initially looked at the specs, I was surprised to see just 27hp from its capacity, and I initially drew comparison to the likes of the Honda GB350S we just had in for review, the Royal Enfield HNTR 350 and the BSA Bantam 350, too, but it was when I saw the torque stats that it all made sense.

This is a bike that favours its torque over its power. It has been revealed that the Hunk 440 will be priced at £3,499 + on the road fees, which I think is fairly competitive, especially against the competition.

The engine is an air-cooled long stroke 440cc, which makes 36nm of torque and is limited to 6,000 revs. It may not sound like a lot, but I would compare it to how a quick diesel car feels, if you’ve ever experienced that.

Around the track, we were limited to 70mph, but it was surprisingly actually a bit of a struggle to keep to this as the bike kept feeling like it had more to give, and flat out, it will do approximately 85, so I’m told.

The engine doesn’t feel spritely nor particularly keen, but instead revels in the higher gears and the lower revs. Naturally, it’s quite buzzy too, but then again, most singles tend to vibrate a fair bit.

It doesn’t need much to get it going either, but I do find myself hitting the rev limiter frequently, as it’s very quiet on board and doesn’t give you too much feedback. Externally, riding with the others, it sounds great with a throaty burble from its stock exhaust, but when riding, you don’t get any of that.

I would also say that riding it aggressively feels somewhat numb because of this; it’s not the kind of bike to engage you or excite you as much as the styling and 43mm gold upside-down KYB forks would suggest, at least from its engine anyway. The handling, on the other hand, is a different story.

The handling of the Hunk is possibly my favourite aspect of it. Those KYB forks work a treat and are as supple as they are direct. To go with those forks, we get reasonably standard twin shocks at the rear, 17-inch wheels front and rear and a trellis frame chassis, which all weigh in to make a total of 187kg.

It has a decent turn-in and sharp response, inspiring confidence tipping into a bend, even with the more budget-end tyres that Hero has fitted. They were a little squirmy around Oulton in the greasy, wet and leafy conditions of northern England at the end of October, but overall, I was fairly impressed by its chassis and handling and could easily support a good bit more power, in my opinion – something like what we see in the Triumph Speed 400, for example.

Braking on the Hunk is also reasonably sufficient for the style of bike that it is. It’s not a track bike by any means, but still, the single 320mm disc and twin-piston ByBre caliper worked perfectly fine alongside the 240mm disc and single-piston ByBre at the rear.

Even taking it round Oulton, it didn’t particularly seem to show any signs of fade, albeit we weren’t pushing on as it was a filming day, not a track day, but still – the braking setup seems up to spec for the time we had on the bike and inspired reasonable confidence out on the road sections too.

Looks-wise, the Hunk 440 is your classic roadster. I wasn’t so sure on the position of the TFT cluster personally, but maybe a flyscreen can improve this in future. One thing I did notice, though, was the apparent attention to detail Hero has gone to with a little welded cover on the exhaust over the O2 sensor by the front wheel and a nicely made cover over the oil cooler, for example.

The front view is possibly the best angle, too, I reckon. The low-mounted LED headlight, stubby mudguard and big gold forks really do make the Hunk look like a premium model, and the overall fit and finish is impressive, but only time will tell.

The tech on the Hunk is somewhat basic, but then again, it is just under three and a half grand. Aside from the welcome addition of the assist and slipper clutch, the TFT dash is bright and easy to see with particularly nicely designed switchgear to control it that also felt tactile and easy to use, but I do wish they’d made it fully circular like Royal Enfield’s tripper dash and not a rectangle in a circular housing. It would look just that bit extra premium in my eyes.

Other than that, we get LED lighting all around, and the actual interface of the TFT is well finished and nicely designed. It’s not too cluttered either, which is a bonus. If you want that extra data, though, then a simple click of the switchgear will bring your economy and trip stats up; otherwise, it's hidden away for a neat display.

A USB port is also integrated at the front of the tank with a small cover, but I found it unusual that it wasn’t USB-C for a start and also unusual that the cover opens towards the front of the bike, so if you had something plugged in, it would have no protection from the elements. A small thing, of course, but it limits its usability, so it could be an issue for some.

We weren’t able to test the economy of the Hunk unfortunately, and Hero don’t state a figure but what we do know is that it comes with a 13.5L litre tank and on top of that, as we mentioned, it loves the low revs so we can assume it’s going to be pretty fuel efficient and great as a commuter, for sure.

I personally think this new Hunk 440 lies more within a bike suited for someone coming up onto an A2 licence from maybe a 125cc. It doesn’t cost a great deal in comparison to other bikes on the market and has a brilliant chassis to get used to bigger bikes at a good pace without breakneck speeds.

It would also be a great commuter, I think, as the overall riding position sits on the relaxed end of the spectrum with a slightly aggressive lean forward. Naturally, 27hp isn’t a lot, but it doesn’t stop it from being a fun bike that handles great, has a good bit of punch from its 36nm of torque and has some proper suspension on it too.

Hero Hunk 440 - Rivals

Honda GB350S

Price: £3,999

Engine: 348cc

Power: 21hp

Read More

BSA Bantam 350

Price: £3,499

Engine: 334cc

Power: 29hp

Read More

As mentioned, the GB350S and BSA Bantam are likely its closest rivals if we look at specs alone. Maybe not in appearance, as it looks more in line with a Triumph Speed 400, I reckon. It’s a kind of mashup of them all, in the best way.

The GB350S has 21hp and 29nm of torque from its air-cooled long stroke single compared to the 27hp and 36nm of torque on the Hero, although the GB has more of a relaxed pace with its 5-speed gearbox, somewhat lazy geometry and relatively basic suspension setup, not forgetting to mention the power and torque deficit over the Hero.

In contrast, the Hunk is a bit more aggressive and has a tighter chassis made for sharper handling. The Honda does have the brand reputation and associated reliability, though, whilst the Hero is yet to be proven, especially through a harsh British winter. Pricing on the Honda is just £3,995, making it around £500 more, but for that, you get a half-Japanese-made Honda that has that classic feel to it, something not a lot of modern classics can achieve nowadays.

Another alternative is the BSA Bantam 350. Like the Hero, the BSA is also Indian made but comes with a slightly higher 29hp, although it takes a hit with the torque at just under 30nm. It is, however, the same price at £3,499.

Like the Hero, it is also a 6-speed and has a similarly sized 13L tank, not too far off the 13.5L tank found on the Hunk. Unlike both the Honda and the Hero, the BSA is liquid-cooled, which is where it manages to find that extra power, even though it is just over 100cc smaller at 334cc.

The weight is also comparable, with a marginal 2kg difference between the two, and naturally, like the GB, the Bantam takes more of the retro approach instead of the modern roadster, so it’s more a matter of personal preference.

In all truth, I don’t think you can go far wrong with the Hunk 440. If you’re coming up from a 125, are new to riding, or just want something simpler and more affordable to run for your commute, it is ideal.

The power isn’t aggressive, nor is the chassis. It is a flexible bike that lends itself to a lot of riders, ones of experience, or new to the scene. Yes, it is somewhat underpowered, but the suspension setup and overall dynamics of the chassis mean it is a great bike to learn the complexities of properly handling a bike.

Again, for the price of just £3,499, it is a bargain, but like I mentioned above, spend £500 more and you can have a Honda, which is mostly proven for its reliability, dependability and high-quality finishes.

It is exciting to see new models and new brands coming to the UK, and I do wonder whether this is the start of something big.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and thanks go out to MotoGB and Hero MotoCorp for inviting us out to MSV Oulton Park to test the new Hunk 440. If this has tempted you to get your hands on one or maybe you have a motorcycle of your own already, don’t forget to head to Lexham to get your motorcycle insurance quote direct!