The long-speculated parting of ways between the Indian Hero group and Japanese Honda Motor Co. was made official this week, though key financial details of the deal remained elusive for investors. The initial announcement did, however have a few positive implications for them. One, it clarified that it was the Indian promoters, and not a clutch of PE firms, that were to buy out Honda's 26 per cent equity stake in the bike maker. This means that investors need not worry about a “floating” population of institutional investors picking up sizeable stakes in their company and threatening to offload it from time to time! Two, the announcement that royalty would be on current lines, or even lower, allays market fears that the Indian company would be forced to shell out out-sized royalty payments over the next few years. Besides, Hero can use Honda technology and brands until 2014. […]