Hero Xtreme 160R

How is the design of Hero Xtreme 160R?

Speaking about the design, Hero Xtreme has entered into a segment that already has many successful bikes like Yamaha FZ, Apache RTR 160 and Bajaj NS160, yet when you look at the Hero Xtreme 160R, it breathes fresh air of elegance and practicality.

It is compact, stylish and retains the essence of the traditional street bikes with its chest-heavy stance. The fuel tank is also mated with side panels which makes it look modern, curious and appealing. The fuel tank design also has a gripping purpose that perfectly fits your legs and supports it to provide excellent support as you cruise through the city roads.

The design lines have a touch of Hero, yet they resemble the essential integration of the street bikes. The top variant, Stealth Edition, brings some added design flairs and new colour choice for the young bikers.

The street bike has a space-age outlook because of its LED headlamps, and it features blacked-out tail lamps, which established a custom-like look. The aggressive front fender and the stepped single-piece seat add on to Xtreme’s playful and modern aura. Furthermore, the potent exhaust and athletic rider footrests combine to give the bike an ultimate street fighter outlook.

If we go back a little, you will realise that the Xtreme 160R is a replacement for the Xtreme Sports that Hero discontinued after the street bike failed to connect with the Hero bikers.

Xtreme 160R’s design features such as its sharp looks, radical headlamp, sporty tail-section and beefy fuel tank are based on the concept of Xtreme 1 R, which Hero unveiled in the EICMA Milan in 2019.

Hero offers the Xtreme 160R in three colours - Red, blue and white along with a limited edition which sports a red and white colour scheme and is released on the occasion of the brand’s enormous achievement of surpassing the 100 million production milestone.

The 3D embellished logos seen on the Hero Xtreme give the bike a premium appearance.

How does the Hero Xtreme 160R ride?

Xtreme 160R is one of Hero’s best motorcycles in terms of comfort, style and performance. In addition, the Hero Xtreme 160R offers a comfortable ride.

In other words, not only the bike has an impressive initial pick up which makes it feel alive on the road, but the street bike performs equally well on the mid-range, which makes it really potent and fun to ride.

The suspensions, which have a soft front and stiff rear, make it exuberant to attack the corners and sail through potholes as the front suspension absorbs most of the jerk without you feeling any discomfort.

Hero also claims that the bike is first in the class to offer 0 to 60 kmph in just 4.7 seconds, making it easy to overtake due to the robust initial pickup. The Hero Xtreme 160R is undoubtedly one of the most fun street bikes to ride.

As mentioned above, the lightweight of the bike makes it agile and easy to handle. The Hero street bike is also brimming with sporty feels because of its responsive and sharp features. These features make you quickly filter through the crowd and take on corners. These two effortless qualities make you grin with satisfaction and leave you with the urge to overtake again and again.

The suspension, as mentioned above, plays an essential role in making the Xtreme 160R a lively, responsive bike. However, in addition to the suspension, the tyres and chassis contribute to the bike’s good riding dynamics.

The brakes work exceptionally well at lower speeds, but they don’t work efficiently at higher speeds.

How comfortable is the Hero Xtreme 160R?

As mentioned in the above section, the Xtreme 160R offers good comfort due to the ergonomically designed seats. The rider’s seat height is measured at 790mm, making the rider’s position reasonably straight and is the most preferred spot of Indian riders.

The fuel tank is not just about the looks but also incorporates comfort as it has an ergonomic design that lets you position your knees and adds to the grip of the rider. In addition, the seat is further extended towards the tank, which gives you a large seating area and hence, the added comfort. Although the same cannot be said about the pillion seat, the area is relatively small and might not feel very comfortable.

The handlebar is easy to reach for an average Indian. Furthermore, it has enough width, which allows sufficient leverage while steering. You will also notice that the footpegs are somewhat rear set.

While most riders would feel that the bike is for high speed, Hero has ensured that the bike tracks are stable and straight even when you’re riding at a decent pace. This is definitely an added comfort as you don’t have to manage and work on the handle to avoid any flip-flop. The throttle and clutch operations are light, but the latter could have been softer to facilitate additional comfort.

The bike is most comfortable till it reaches 8,000-8,500 rpm. Until then, you feel little to no vibration. After that, the ride is smooth and poised, but after 9,000 rpm, you notice more noise and pressure on the engine to produce more power. Although the bike is still stable and manageable, the comfort is at its best in the range of 80-85 kmph.

While riding at a slower speed, you do feel the rear kicking about. Hence, Hero could have ensured that the low-speed ride is a bit more yielding. Having said that, if you reduce the preload while riding in a single, the ride would be much more comfortable. There is no complaint with the front. It feels as good as it can be, irrespective of the speed and surface.

How is the tech in Hero Xtreme 160R?

Hero has definitely heard its consumer’s feedback and surged the level of tech in the Xtreme 160R. Its digital instrumentations display engine rpm, speed, odometer, time and two trip meters.

Although the gear shift indicator is missing, which feels like a void in a good motorcycle, the overall look of the panel gives it a smartwatch feel, which provides the bike with a technologically advanced character.

The dual disc version, which has a single-channel ABS, gives you the confidence to overtake the crowd and attack corners. The tyres, which include a 130 section rear and a 10 section front tyre, provide an excellent grip on the bike. It is similar to the ones you see in the Apache RTR 160.

Another significant difference is that the Xtreme 160R boasts all-LED lighting from headlamp to tune indicators and the tail lamp, which gives it a premium outlook.

Hero offers a hazard warning button. Furthermore, you also get a side stand engine cutoff safety feature which ensures you avoid accidents caused by the side stands.

Hero has equipped the bike with 14 sensors to make the street bike highly responsive and in alliance with the best engine technology, the programmed Fi.

How is the mileage of Hero Xtreme 160R?

Hero claims to offer a mileage of 50 kmpl if driven economically, although, on paper, the mileage of Xtreme 160R is 48kmpl. But going by Hero’s reputation of high mileage, you can quickly expect an on-road mileage of 45 kmpl, especially with the combination of the advanced programmed fuel injection.

The beefy fuel tank is one of the highlights of the street bike, which sports a capacity of 12 litres.

With a full tank, you can expect to cover more than 540 kilometres target non-stop, which is pretty laudable, making it an ideal street bike for cruising around the city and even going for a long drive.

How is the performance of Hero Xtreme 160R?

In terms of performance, the Xtreme 160R with its 163 cc BS6 engine is at its best in the range of 85-95 kmph. You hardly feel any vibration, and the efficient torque gives you the ability to pull off clean overtakes. The braking system also complies well with speed, and the ABS doesn’t intrude unnecessarily.

The 160R being a street bike, is sporty enough to sustain over 100 kmph all day long. Although the smoothness won’t be similar to the one you will receive at 85-95 kmph, it is decent, manageable, and stable, considering the performance over 100 kmph!

The seating ergonomics offers you the best of both worlds, where even though your position is relatively straight, because of the knee position and grip due to the fuel tank, you feel the sportiness.

The bike is also equipped with a glide feature which ensures the engine doesn’t stop even if you block the throttle input. As a result, the Xtreme 160R will continue to cruise on its own at a speed of 8 kmph without any throttle and clutch. This glide feature will come in handy when dealing with heavy traffic, especially the bumper-to-bumper ones.

Is the Hero Xtreme 160R a good value?

At ₹ 1.17 lac, the top variant Hero Xtreme 160R is one of the best street bikes. Whether you consider its design, performance, ergonomics or style, it stands out to be one of the most holistic street bikes currently available in India.

The fit and finish of the bike is premium, with four colour choices available. When combined with notable features like single-channel ABS, Programmed Fi, Side-stand engine cutoff, Hero Xtreme 160R is an ideal buy that is comparatively better than its competitors, except for the Pulsar NS160’s performance.

Its 12 litres fuel tank and 50 kmpl mileage make it an ideal street bike to enjoy long rides. It is one of the most fun bikes to ride and also boasts enormous comfort. The 163cc single-cylinder engine is city-friendly and has excellent grunt. The price is aptly accurate when you consider the features.