There’s no better way to describe the 160cc motorcycle space in India than by calling it a segment that can get your pulse racing without being too hard on your wallet. Motorcycles in this space walk the fine line between being performance-oriented and frugal, penny-wise commuters. Hero gave us a taste of its all-new entrant to this segment, the Xtreme 160R back in February and we’ve finally got the chance to spend some time with it in city, out on the highway and on some winding roads. Here’s what we think.
The 160R is Hero’s first offering to feature all-LED lighting. While the taillight and turn indicators are quite bright, the same can’t be said about the headlight. The throw from the new headlight is adequate, but it could use a stronger beam.
While the Xtreme 160R does use fully-digital negative LCD instrumentation, it doesn’t really display more than what a typical digi-analogue unit would. All the data you get is from the speed, tacho, odo, clock, fuel gauge and two trip meters and there is no trip computer information. Hero says they’ve got a new ECU with 14 sensors in place for its fuel-injection system and it would have been nice if some readings like real-time fuel efficiency and engine temperature could be displayed. Another tiny niggle is that the display can be hard to read when sunlight hits in directly from above.
What we missed out on most was a gear position indicator, but the Xtreme makes up in other areas with features like a hazard light switch and a side stand down engine cut off function. There’s also a neat new kill switch that doubles up as a starter button.
The Hero Xtreme 160R is priced very competitively at Rs 99,950 (rear drum brake variant) and Rs 1.03 lakh (rear disc brake variant). It is the most affordable motorcycle in its segment and a full Rs 10,000 cheaper than the Suzuki Gixxer which is now the most expensive bike in the space. While the 160R is lacking when it comes to the top-end quotient of the engine, it makes up for it with attractive design, enjoyable handling, comfort and impressive fuel efficiency. That said, the finish in some areas could have been better, as could the feature list, but the latter would have driven the price up. To sum up, the Xtreme 160R is a good looking everyday motorcycle that’s brisk in the city, fun in the corners and light on the pocket. If you want the fastest bike for the money, you will have to look elsewhere.
from Autocar India - Bikes https://ift.tt/2P4nWCf
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