Hero Xtreme 160R Long Term Review 2: City Riding

The Hero Xtreme 160R has become a major part of my daily routine since December last year. Until now, the motorcycle has profoundly awed me in all respects and riding conditions. But it shines the brightest in the city where I have spent the most amount of my time with the bike till date. It looks stunning, it’s effortless to handle and the engine performance is…. 

Wait, instead of rambling it all out, let me break down the positives of the Xtreme 160R in different pointers. 

I start praising the Xtreme the moment I push it out of my parking lot in the morning, mainly for its extremely light 138.5kg of kerb weight. And rotating it around on the side stand is equally doable for a muscular chap as well as the skinniest individual in the family. The benefits of its light weight are more pronounced on the go as it feels as obedient as a German Shepherd trained for years. Be it hurriedly dodging potholes or flicking through tiny gaps in traffic, the Xtreme is fluidic. This is backed by the light and sharp steering response along with ample leverage provided by the wide handlebar. 

Hero Xtreme 160R

• 163 cc
• 48 kmpl
• 15 bhp
• 138.5 kg
;

Avg. Ex-showroom price

₹ 1,10,474

‘Smooth’ is the word I like to associate with almost every aspect of the Xtreme. But the most noteworthy components are the clutch and gearbox. The clutch is extremely light and that means should the need be to crawl for minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic, your left wrist and fingers stay pain-free. Even the gears shift with the slightest touch. Although the gearbox starts feeling a bit clunky after a long riding session, it’s never a big trouble. Furthermore, all the buttons on the switchgear are easy to reach and operate with tactility.

The 163cc engine of the Xtreme produces 15bhp and 14Nm which isn’t the highest in this segment. The TVS Apache RTR 160 4V and the Pulsar NS160 make more power and torque. However, the essence is in the way the Xtreme delivers performance. Post the 3,500-4,000rpm mark, there’s a clean and consistent build-up of pace until the needle reaches the red line. It doesn’t feel entertainingly quick but the progression is satisfying and fast enough to make your overtakes easy in the city. Most importantly, the flat torque curve and tractability of the engine means you won’t be left shifting gears in traffic. Keep it in the fifth gear and you can easily trudge along even at 30kmph, and when you give it gas, the progress is slow until 4,000rpm but post that it darts ahead briskly.

Being a Hero product, the Xtreme won’t be a burden to maintain. To give you a perspective, the cost of the first service was around Rs 450 which includes the engine oil and consumable labour charges. In the next report, I will be sharing the cost of the second service too. 

Besides the aforementioned points, I would like to add that the bike hasn’t shown any signs of paint fading or rusting. Even the body panels are as flush and secure as the very first day, except for a minor rattle sound emanating from the rear mudguard. That will probably be fixed in the second service.

In the days to come, I will be doing longer rides on the Xtreme 160R on the highway to gauge its cruise-ability, its high-speed acceleration, its relaxed cruising speed, its comfort, and how good it is in accommodating some luggage. I’ll also be sharing its fuel efficiency on the highway as the below-mentioned figure is acquired mainly after riding in the city. And till now, the Xtreme turned out to be majorly flawless. But the next report will see nitpicking about its grouses, in case there are any. Stay tuned.

Bike Stats

Odometer: 3,200km

Fuel Efficiency:  48-50kmpl

Kilometres ridden last month: 500km

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi