Hero Xtreme 160R 4V road test, review

Where the 160R 2V’s air-cooled engine used to feel gutless once past the mid-range, the 4V’s air-/oil-cooled mill pulls quite cleanly right to the redline. The Xtreme 160R 4V managed the sprint to 100kph in 14.95s, which is a big improvement over the 2V’s laidback 23.36s and makes it the quickest of all the 160s.

It’s also a fairly tractable engine and you can let it chug along at 40kph in fifth without any juddering. However, that tractability is partly down to the short gearing, which really handicaps your highway cruising ability. 80-90kph is fine, but at 100kph, you can hear and feel a strain that isn’t very pleasant. Top speed is between 120-125kph depending on rider weight and how much you crouch.

Overall, the Xtreme 160R 4V returned 46kpl, which is respectable but taller gearing can potentially even increase that number, especially at highway speeds. 

While I gelled with the new engine quite well, the Xtreme’s gearbox left me wanting more precision. You really have to be positive with your shifts and over the 300-odd km I rode it, there were enough false neutrals to annoy me. This could be down to the fact that this bike is due for a service and we’ll circle back to this issue in a future long-term report.