An exuberating ride

The Hero Xtreme 160R 4V is the company's most important product in its portfolio. Developed in-house entirely, this project has been about Hero's R&D capability, which has been churning out impressive two-wheelers. Hero pioneered the 150cc segment with its iconic CBZ. Over a period of time, this product has evolved quite a lot, and since the market demands features and performance whilst not sacrificing fuel economy, the latest iteration from Hero has been the 160R 4V.This product aims squarely at the youth who want more performance in this segment than a plain vanilla 125cc, with no compromises.

 The styling is the main highlight here, with a futuristic headlamp, dual seat layout, a muscular tank and tail section. Even the choice of colours here is bold and sporty to appeal to this particular segment. The feature list is quite expansive, with a segment-first instrument cluster that includes adjustable brightness, Hero's connectivity app,new high-quality and comprehensive switchgear and a lot more on offer. Naturally, keeping with the times, the instrument cluster is fully digital, although it might take more of a look than a glance while riding. No cribbing about the full LED headlight that does its job rather well with good illumination when called for. Naturally, the first impressions that come to mind is that it is a sporty, 160cc machine that ticks most boxes.

In terms of riding the motorcycle, the new engine is smooth, quite refined and rideability in the city we feel is acceptable but could have been a little better. Riding sedately in the town is nothing to complain about, but push it harder, and you do feel a lack of torque in the lower end. The extra tall gearing makes it feel sporty, as you rev it higher for more top-end power. The refinement though is pretty good, with low vibrations, even when you rev it hard. The motor is quite free-revving and coupled to a slick-shifting gearbox, the ride is suitable for most conditions.

The ride quality over most surfaces is pretty good too. Most bikes from the Hero stable handle quite well and this one doesn’t let you down as well. Agility and nimbleness combine with a sporty feel to give you confidence around corners and while handling urban roads with their potholes and speed-breakers. In fact, throw any kind of a surface to the 160R 4V and it comes out tops.

The new features and updates to this motorcycle have done it a world of good.It is a strong contender in its segment and it has all the bells and whistles to make it a top contender in its segment.

Priced at INR 1.27 lakhs, ex-showroom.

Story by Mohit Soni