The Boss gets the boring and stroking treatment.

The basic architecture of the Boss 115 mill can be traced back to the K4-100 step thru that debuted in 1999 which in turn traces its lineage back to the mill that you see in all Hero Hondas from the Street to the Splendor to the Passion. What the boffins at Kinetic R&D (no longer the Resting and Dreaming department) have done is to bore it out to 52mm from 50mm and stroke it to 53.5mm from 49.5mm resulting in an increase in volumetric displacement from 97.2cc to 113.61cc.

Coming to the numbers that really count, this sees the horsepower figure increase to 8.2bhp (developed at 7500rpm) and torque rise to 7.8Nm (developed at 5000rpm). This equates to a 17 per cent increase in power and 14 per cent increase in torque developed at the same revs, mind. Breathing is via a Spaco AV18 carburettor.

Transmission is via a four-speed ’box that is par for the course though it could do with a little more slickness engineered into the package. Ratios are well matched to the torque curve so you rarely are left hunting for the right gear.