Hero Xtreme 250R Review: Extremely Impressive?

Hero wants to go bold and this is the product with which it wants to fulfill its mission. Welcome back to Acko Drive everyone, today we are riding the new Xtreme 250R, the most powerful and fastest Hero motorcycle to go on sale. With this bike it wants to make an impact in the quarter litre class segment, a class of motorcycles which hasn’t found much attention from buyers. Coming back to the bike, as you can see it looks smashing, Hero claims it to be the quickest bike in its segment and gets a bunch of features. While on paper it’s impressive, but the real test is in the real world, let's hit the road and find out whether this bike lives up to the tall expectations.

Design & Features

The bold approach starts with the design itself and the Xtreme 250R has oodles of presence. It follows the mass forward design language as seen on many legendary street nakeds..and the whole mass of the motorcycle is centered around the massive fuel tank. The sharp lines and creases make the fuel tank look muscular, and the same is amplified further by the large fuel tank extensions. The angular LED headlight and DRLs flow well with the overall design. The tail section is very slim as the number plate has been positioned on the floating rear tyre hugger. The only design element that I didn’t like is the exhaust muffler as it could have been larger. There are  3 colour options - Firestorm Red, Neon Shooting Star, Stealth Black. However, the golden USD fork only available with Firestorm Red.

The LCD instrument cluster also looks like a misfit and the display size is too small on an otherwise large dimension bike. However, it comes with a host of details such as real-time fuel efficiency, range, navigation, music control, lap timer, ABS modes and more. The new switch gears also look solid in touch and feel. Panel gaps are tight, but the weld quality on the frame and especially the one near the headstock is an eyesore. The overall design is modern, sporty and muscular, and with respect to visual appeal, the Xtreme 250R is right up there.

Performance 

Powering the bike is an all-new 249 cc, liquid-cooled engine, which is also the most powerful motor built by Hero MotoCorp. The mill churns out 29.58 bhp at 9,250 rpm and 25 Nm at 7,250 rpm. The first thing you notice about the Xtreme 250R is its acceleration, the engine feels eager to revv and it shoots off the line in a thrilling manner. Hero claims it’s the quickest accelerating bike in its segment, with it managing the sprint to 60 kmph in 3.2 seconds and I have no reason to doubt the above. The motor has a good low and bottom-end performance, which means while riding through stop and go traffic, you will not have to constantly change gears. The clutch action is light, but the gear shift quality needs to be improved.

In the mid-range, one can also feel vibrations on the seat during roll-on acceleration between 4,000-6,000 rpm. When a motor is tuned for a meaty low-end, the top-end performance suffers, but that’s not the case with the Xtreme 250R. It feels alive post 7,000 rpm and the top-end performance is ballistic as I saw a speedo-indicated 150 kmph, so yes, the Hero Xtreme 250R is properly quick. Another impressive aspect are the refinement levels and stability at high speeds. You can cruise between 120-130 kmph in an effortless manner, something a lot of bikes in this segment would struggle with. It has a 11.5 lite fuel tank capacity and Hero claims a fuel efficiency figure of 35 kmpl.

Handling, Ride Quality & Braking

Hero has opted for a trellis frame on the Xtreme 250R as it offers high torsional stiffness. It’s also among the few motorcycles in its class to boast a 50/50 weight distribution. The first thing you notice is how agile the bike feels, you can turn the motorcycle just with your legs, it’s that flickable. The above nature means that one can slice through traffic effortlessly and the Xtreme 250R is a bike that you will enjoy hustling through in city traffic. It’s a heavy bike at 167.5 kg, but in motion, you don’t feel its heft given its balance.

Show it a set of fast corners and you will have a delightful experience. The bike tips into corners easily, holds the line with confidence and you can punch out of corners. The chassis has been very well designed and the stability through the fast corners gives the rider loads of confidence. The only limiting factor I felt were the MRF tyres as the frame’s true potential was being held back by the tyres and with gripper rubber, the handling dynamics could be enjoyed better.

The suspension setup is premium with the chassis being suspended on a 43 mm USD fork. Given its brilliant riding dynamics, the suspension setup is a bit on the firmed side, which is understandable. At slow speeds the suspension handles most of the undulations, but on the sharp bumps, the monoshock does bottom out. However, at no point did the rear suspension toss me off the seat. So for a sporty naked, the ride quality is quite good.

The disc brakes are up to the task of shedding speeds, with good feedback through the front lever, however the rear brake lever could be larger for better feel with riding boots. The ABS system did its job well, but on my way back from the shoot, I could feel the brakes fade a bit.

Verdict 

Hero has a winner in its hands, the Xtreme 250R is phenomenal as a motorcycle but what will really help build its case is the value proposition . At ₹1.80 lakh, it sits in a sweet spot between many 200-300cc bikes. 

Hero officials mentioned in the presentation that with the Xtreme 250R they wanted to make a statement and the bike clearly manages that. Wherever we went, the motorcycle grabbed attention and a lot of curiosity among the masses. I feel, the in-your-face styling will be one of its highlights, especially among youngsters.

The visual drama is aptly supported by the performance on tap. The acceleration is thrilling, the top end performance is exciting and when you want to cruise, you can do that too at ease, this versatile nature of the motor makes the bike very attractive and distinct.

And it also maintains the excitement levels when it comes to handling as it’s engaging and loads of fun. Yes, the console looks cheap, the quality levels could have been better, but the above aren’t deal breakers. If you wanted a fast, fun and great looking naked bike under ₹2 lakh, the Hero Xtreme 250R is very highly recommendable in our opinion.