A comprehensive overhaul addresses the Xtreme’s shortcomings.
Published on Nov 26, 2023 07:00:00 AM
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Hero has retained the Xtreme 160R’s basic design but has beefed everything up. You can see that in the meatier fuel tank (although it measures the same 12 litres as before), longer tank extensions, a chunky-looking golden 37mm KYB USD fork (only on this top Pro variant) and the thicker split seats.
Overall, this is a good-looking motorcycle and it does catch your eye especially in this ‘Neon Shooting Star’ hi-viz colour. One thing you really need to consider if you’re opting for this specific colour is that the matte paint on the tank is very hard to keep scratch-free and in less than 1,000 km, this bike has already developed some scratches. Since the colour is an eye-popping neon yellow, the scuff marks where you grip the tank are more prominent than on a more muted hue.
The Xtreme 160R 4V in this Pro guise strangely misses out on Bluetooth connectivity that the lower Connected variant and even the 2V model get. However, unless you’re a real stickler for technology accompanying your motorcycling experience, I don’t think there’s anything you’re going to miss here.
The negative LCD dash shows you all you need although I wish it was either brighter or better positioned. The way it is set right now makes it hard to even make out what speed you’re doing when the sun is overhead. Rainwater has seeped into the dash over the past few months and has left a few marks on the inside of the lens due to condensation, which has further worsened readability. We’ve also noticed that the 160R stitching on the seat has started to fray within a few months of daily use, and these aren’t nice things on a bike that’s done less than 1,000km. Hero would do well to improve the overall fit and finish because despite this bike bringing an improvement over the Xtreme 2V, quality levels are still not quite up there with the segment leaders from TVS and Bajaj.
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