The Hero Xtreme 160R was always a very likable motorcycle with a unique design, great chassis, and peppy performance within the city. What let the bike down was that the motor would struggle above 80kph and it didn’t feel quite as special as some of its rivals. This new 4V model hopes to fix all of that.
Hero Xtreme 160R 4V engine and performance
Hero informs us that this is a lot more than just a new oil cooler and a 4-valve head. In fact, the block and crankcases have been changed, and the gearbox has been completely redesigned with new ratios. At 8,500 rpm, the output of all these efforts is 16.9 horsepower.
That amounts to a respectable increase of 1.7 horsepower over the previous model, and Hero claims that the new gear ratios enable it to accelerate much more vigorously than before while maintaining the same top speed as before.
Hero Xtreme 160R 4V ride and handling
The Xtreme 160R has always been a light, nimble, and easy-to-ride bike, and that has mostly stayed the same. Even though the highest-level model equipped with the USD fork now weighs 145 kilograms, it remains one of the class’s lightest bikes.
Riding
Even though Hero has made the suspension a little softer to make it more comfortable, it still feels a little more squishy and doesn’t communicate as well on the limit. The footpegs will scrape the ground without much effort when you really start pushing it, but given what this bike is meant to be, it is a fun little thing.
Hero Xtreme 160R 4V design and features
- Hero took advantage of this opportunity to subtly modify the design.
- On the USD model, the headlamp is mounted lower and the plastics surrounding the fuel tank are angled slightly more aggressively.
- The motorcycle appears muscular and quite large for a motorcycle of this capacity thanks to its split seats.
- There are three variations – Standard Associated and Ace.
- The USD only applies to the Pro model, it is odd that the mid-spec model is the only one that offers all of the Bluetooth-enabled connected features, such as geofencing and navigation alerts.
Hero Xtreme 160R 4V verdict
This bike will be above the Xtreme 160R 2V, which is still available for purchase. Prices for the standard model start at Rs 1.27 lakh and reach Rs 1.36 lakh for the Pro model shown here. As a result, the Pro costs more than the highest-spec TVS Apache RTR 160 4V and Bajaj Pulsar N160’s dual-channel ABS model.