Launched at Hero World 2024, the Hero Xtreme 125R is a sporty commuter that brings the fight to the highly competitive 125-cc segment. We got to experience the motorcycle for a short duration at Hero MotoCorp’s test track at the CIT (Centre of Innovation and Technology) in Jaipur.
Story: Azaman Chothia
Photography: Apurva Ambep
The new Xtreme 125R is a product that blends practicality with performance. It is surely a good looking motorcycle that sports all round LED lighting, a sporty split seat setup, and rides on a set of 17-inch alloy wheels. The bike gets a 10-litre fuel tank that is aggressively sculpted and it also gets shrouds on either side. The new design of the headlight cowl along with the shrouds set this model apart from the 160R. The rear end is also really sleek and overall, this is quite a proportionate design. The bike is offered in three attractive colour schemes; Cobalt Blue, Firestorm Red, and Stallion Black.
The riding position is relaxed with a fairly comfortable seat. A rider is placed upright while the footpegs are very slightly towards the rear to keep in tune with the sporty commuter theme. With my 5.7 foot stature, I was easily able to place both feet on the ground as the bike has an accessible 794-mm seat height. With a kerb weight of just 136 kg, the Xtreme 125R is an extremely light motorcycle to maneuver. The bike gets the same LCD dash we have seen on the Xtreme 160 which is informative and easy to read.
Sitting within the diamond frame is a 125-cc, single-cylinder motor churning out 11.2 hp at 8,250 rpm and a peak torque of 10.5 Nm at 6,000 rpm. The power delivery of this motor is linear and it has good mid range grunt for a 125-cc commuter. The engine does feel a little stressed once it crosses the 6,000 rpm mark but in all fairness, this is a motorcycle that is going to spend most of its time commuting in the city and not out on track. The clutch action is light but the gear shifts are not as slick as I would have liked. Hero claims that the bike can do a 0 to 60 km/h run in just 5.9 seconds and it will offer a fuel mileage of 66 km/litre. Overall, this should translate to an extremely practical motorcycle for city commuting.
The suspension setup comprises a 37-mm telescopic front fork and at the rear, the bike gets a monoshock unit that has been developed in collaboration with Showa. In my first lap out on track, I did feel like the front end felt too light, but just another lap with the bike, and it gave me the confidence to go faster and change direction quicker. I also liked the grip offered by the tyres as they allowed me to lean lower to the point where the pegs started to scrape the tarmac.
Braking hardware consists of a 276 mm front disc and a 130-mm drum brake at the rear. The feedback from the lever is good and it was ample to get the bike to slow down on track. We shall test the motorcycle on roads to give you more details about how the suspension and brakes perform in the real world.
The bike is priced at Rs 95,000 (ex-showroom) for the IBS variant while the ABS variant that we had for this review comes in at Rs 99,500 (ex-showroom). This is good value for money when you consider that this is a handsome and sporty commuter offering good fuel efficiency. These are factors that the majority of the Indian market considers while making a purchase so it should appeal to many. The Xtreme 125R will go up against the likes of the TVS Raider and the Honda SP 125. We shall soon test it more extensively to bring you a detailed review.
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