Hero MotoCorp Xtreme 250R

Following on from the Karizma XMR 210 and Mavrick 440, the new Xtreme 250R marks Hero’s latest venture into the premium space, and it’s an important one because this is the debut of a new quarter-litre engine – one that’s Hero’s most powerful to date.

Hero Xtreme 250R engine refinement, performance

New 250cc engine derived from Hero's existing 210cc mill

Well, I say new engine, but in essence, this is a stroked-out version of the 210cc motor we’ve already seen in the Karizma. So capacity is up to 249cc, and you get 30hp and 25Nm. All these numbers, combined with other aspects of this motorcycle, make it pretty easy to see that it’s been benchmarked against the KTM 250 Duke – in other words, it’s aiming to be the sportiest 250cc bike out there.

To that end, the engine pulls quite cleanly and strongly all across the rev range; it’s fairly tractable at the bottom end and there’s a good spread of torque all the way across the rev range, with performance to be found in revving the motor out almost all the way to the redline. So, the Xtreme feels quick and performance isn’t an issue, but that’s not to say that this engine is perfect.

This is the most powerful road engine Hero has ever built, so it’s venturing into new territory. That's noticeable in the refinement department, where the company hasn’t quite got it nailed yet. Across all the bikes present at the media ride, some were quite smooth, others were a little buzzy, and some were fairly gruff and vibe-y. The Xtreme we rode for most of the day was vibe-free at the handlebars, but there were quite a few vibrations felt through the seat, tank and footpegs; some of the bodywork near the front of the bike was also buzzy when revved.

Hero Xtreme 250R ride and handling

Xtreme 250R's ride has a hard edge to it, unlike its smaller siblings

The smaller members of the Xtreme family – the Xtreme 125 and Xtreme 160 – feel more like sporty commuters. The Xtreme 250R comes across more as an out-and-out sport naked, and this is most evident in the suspension setup. The smaller Xtremes manage to offer a degree of plushness in the way they ride. On the 250R, at low speeds especially, the ride feels quite jarring and there’s definitely a hard edge to the setup – it feels firmly damped.

This does get better as speeds rise or with a heavier rider on board, but by and large this is not going to be the most comfortable bike to live with everyday – the ergonomics are quite neutral and comfortable, but the ride quality certainly doesn’t feel plush. Moreover, there are others in this segment that feel equally sporty but manage to offer superior ride comfort.

The flip-side of that firm setup is that it beautifully complements the trellis frame to create a fun handling package. The Xtreme 250R feels nimble and agile through the twisties, quite happily and predictably responding to rider inputs. It’s also got grippy MRF Nylogrip tyres to back it up (though the front isn’t a radial), and this sweet chassis package – combined with the fairly quick motor – make the Xtreme a reasonably fun bike to ride on the open road.

Hero Xtreme 250R quality, fit and finish

The design is striking but doesn't come together very well, quality could improve too

Hero says it’s aiming the Xtreme at people who value grabbing attention just as much as the riding experience, so they’ve made an effort to make it look striking. There are definitely certain elements and details across the bike that grab your attention, but I’m not sure the overall design here comes together cohesively – it’s certainly got some muscle to it, which is nice, but some areas feel a little busy and overdone.

The step up from the rider’s seat to the fuel tank looks disproportionately large, and the fuel tank region itself has a lot of layering going on, with many different colours, finishes and graphics all jostling for space. The radiator shrouds also seem a little overstyled, and when you dive in for a closer look, you can see certain areas where the Xtreme feels built to a cost.

Near the headstock you’ll find some quite unsightly welds, which is unfortunate because they’re right in your line of sight when looking at the instruments. Certain sections of the frame on our bike also had rough surface finish and untidy welds, but vital touchpoints like switchgear feel reasonably good.

Hero Xtreme 250R price and verdict

Xtreme 250R is a good value proposition in the 250cc space

Priced at Rs 1.80 lakh, the Xtreme 250R undercuts the likes of the Suzuki Gixxer 250 (Rs 1.98 lakh-2.17 lakh), and is a great deal cheaper than a KTM 250 Duke (Rs 2.28 lakh). That said, it isn’t quite as well equipped either – it’s fairly simple with no TFT screen or quickshifter, you get a simple LCD dash, all-LED lighting and ABS with two modes. Speaking of instrumentation, it’s the same fairly basic monochrome LCD display that you see on the Karizma, and it would have been nice to see a TFT or at least a colour LCD unit on the top variant.

So, how does one sum up this bike? Well, if you are shopping in and around the Rs 2 lakh mark for a performance bike, you could go a few different ways. On the one hand, you’ve got something like the Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z, which takes a brute force approach to performance, giving you maximum displacement and horsepower for the price. At almost exactly the same price, you could also get something like a Yamaha R15, which is the polar opposite – it’s only a 155cc, but with a very sharp focus on handling and a sporty riding experience. Somewhere between those two is where the new Xtreme 250R sits – it’s definitely got more grunt than the R15, without being as heavy-feeling as the NS400Z. It strikes a nice middle ground as a sporty 250cc bike, and as always with Hero, the value proposition is quite strong.

Also See: Hero Xtreme 250R video review