Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Cameraperson: S Aadeetya
When Hero invited me to test out the new Xtreme 200R at the Buddh International circuit, I was surprised. Because at the end of the day, this 200cc bike is going to be a commuter bike which is going to be ridden on a day-to-day basis.
It is going to be fuel efficient and not so powerful. But is it sporty enough to have a spin around the circuit and have a good time?
We're going to find out in this first ride review of the bike.
As we saw with the Xtreme 200R earlier this year, the bike has a typical Hero touch to it. The bike gets a mix of sharp and subtle features with heavy focus on graphics tapered over the body.
The handlebar has been placed to fit the needs of a regular rider, with DRLs mounted right above the headlamps. The textured seat focuses on giving you the grip while seated. The bike weighs around 137kg and offers a ground clearance of 167-mm, as claimed by Hero.
This is Hero's first 200cc bike packing 18.4HP of power and 17.1NM of torque. The single-cylinder air-cooled engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. With these figures the Xtreme 200R does fall short of its rivals but expect better mileage from this one in return.
Does this 200cc bike scratch it up on a F1-level circuit like the BIC? We had a ball scraping through the corners, taking it up a notch and pushing it to the limit. And surprisingly, the bike held its own without feeling overwhelmed in the arena. The tyres had ample feedback, and switching gears between each section was easily doable.
While fast-paced bikes are ideal for a circuit, we realised that for anyone starting off on a professional arena, bikes like these could be the way to go. We still don't have the price yet but we believe that in order to be aggressive in the market with brands like TVS and Bajaj they need to make sure they go adventurous with the pricing as well.
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