CHALLENGE THE EXTREME

The Hero Xtreme 125R  was launched at the Hero World Day 2024 event at Hero MotoCorp’s Center of Innovation and Technology or CIT in Jaipur. This is Hero’s attempt at creating a premium 125cc commuter that is supposed to take on the likes of the TVS Raider and even the Bajaj Pulsar NS125. But Hero says that the Xtreme 125R is supposed to have a distinct sporty personality similar to its larger 160cc siblings. So naturally we took it for a short spin on the CIT’s handling track to find out if there’s any truth to Hero’s claim.

Design

But first, let’s talk about the design. It might be called the Xtreme, but looks it nothing like the Xtreme 160. That's thanks to a massive bikini fairing with its wide headlight that’s got two LED projectors built in. It almost feels like it could have come from Hero’s recent tie-up with Zero Motorcycles, and some are even comparing the way it looks to the Ducati Streetfighter V4. 

As you move down the motorcycle, you have giant tank extensions which look quite imposing. But from some angles, especially when you're sitting on the bike, they can look quite awkward, because they are rather wide and set quite low as well. They certainly give the Xtreme 125R a sense of mass, but at the cost of them being quite polarising. But heck, if you want a place to keep your cup of chai, those tank extensions might just do the trick. 

Down the middle of the bike, it’s got a lovely two tone centre panel which really adds to the bike’s sense of sportiness. And then the tail is quite neat and tidy, with a tire hugger at the back as well. So overall the design is quite sporty, albeit completely unconventional, and Hero certainly seems to have delivered on their claims of sportiness in the design department at least.

Motor & Performance

At the heart of this Xtreme 125R is an “all-new” motor. It’s most likely started life as the Glamour’s or Super Splendor’s motor, but Hero claims to have done extensive work on the head, valves, bottom end and almost all internal components - enough to qualify this as a brand new motor. It’s a 125cc single-cylinder air-cooled mill that outputs 11.55PS of peak power and 10.5Nm of peak torque. That might not sound like a lot, but it’s pretty much at the top of its class in the 125cc category, only barely being beaten to the top spot in power by the Pulsar NS 125.