• The production-spec Hero Xtreme 160R was first showed off in Feb 2020

• It is the lightest bike in its class

• Uses a new air-cooled engine that makes 15hp and 14Nm

Hero showed off the all-new Xtreme 160R at its Hero World event in February and originally planned to launch the bike by the end of March. Those plans were delayed by a few months for obvious reasons and the company has just announced that it has commenced deliveries of the new 160cc bike.

The Hero Xtreme 160R is the Indian brand’s first product in the premium 160cc segment and it is designed to take on the likes of the TVS RTR 160 4V (starting at Rs 1,02,950), the Suzuki Gixxer (Rs 1,11,900), the Yamaha FZ V3.0 (Rs 99,700) and Honda’s upcoming BS6 motorcycles. 

The Xtreme 160R uses a relatively simple 163cc, two-valve, air-cooled engine, but Hero quotes a healthy 15hp at 8,500rpm and 14Nm of torque at 6,500rpm. The bike gets a newly-developed diamond frame, which has helped the company achieve the lowest kerb weight figure in the class of 138.5kg. Hero quotes a segment-leading 0-60kph time of 4.7s. We had a very brief opportunity to ride the new Xtreme around Hero’s test track at the CIT facility outside Jaipur and it promises to be an enjoyably quick and agile machine. 

The Hero Xtreme 160R will be available in two variants - the customer will be able to choose between either a rear drum or disc brake. The rear-drum model is priced at Rs 99,950, while the rear-disc variant costs Rs 1,03,500 (ex-showroom, pan-India). Single-channel ABS is standard on both. Hero also claims it comes with segment-first features like all-LED headlights (including the indicators) and a side-stand engine cut-off feature.

The Xtreme 160R is the first naked motorcycle from Hero in a long time to feature youthful and sporty styling. The bike will be available in three colours.