Hero Xtreme 250R Review
Hero Xtreme 250R Pros
• Bold design manages to grab attention on the road
• 249cc liquid-cooled engine puts out 29.5 BHP and 25 Nm. Performance is impressive with top-notch refinement
• Well priced. Undercuts the competitors that offer similar levels of performance
• Sorted ergonomics with a nice balance between sportiness and comfort. Spacious rider’s seat offers good comfort over long distances
• Great handling characteristics thanks to a balanced chassis and firm suspension
• Feature list includes LED projector headlamp, LED taillamp, LCD colour display with phone connectivity, lap & drag race timer, turn-by-turn navigation, dual-channel ABS with 2 modes and USD forks
Hero Xtreme 250R Cons
• Fit and finish could’ve been better. Multiple uneven panel gaps affect the perceived quality of the product
• Brakes are average and don’t offer confidence during hard braking
• Tyres tend to lose traction on hard acceleration and limit you from exploring the full dynamic capability of the motorcycle
• Ride quality can feel busy over poorly finished road surfaces
• At 11.5 litres, the Xtreme 250R has one of the smallest fuel tanks in its segment
• Misses out on TFT display and the process to toggle between ABS modes is unnecessarily complicated
This review has been jointly compiled with Omkar. Thanks to him for the expert observations and photography!
Introduction
Hero MotoCorp has been the leading two-wheeler manufacturer in terms of sales in India for a long time, but most of it comes from budget commuter motorcycles like the Splendor. These are motorcycles that appeal to your head rather than your heart and lack aspirational value. This is something even its premium motorcycles like the Karizma XMR 210 and Mavrick 440 struggle with.
Hero’s Xtreme lineup of naked streetfighters has been different, though. They’ve upped the aspiration quotient of its motorcycles with the Xtreme 125R and managed to grab a huge chunk of sales from TVS, which was enjoying a monopoly with the Raider 125 until then. Even the Xtreme 160R in its latest avatar looks good for a motorcycle of its class. Earlier this year, Hero brought out the Xtreme 250R, the biggest Xtreme yet, and it’s fair to say, it piqued some interest among buyers. Does it have the performance to back that up, though? We spent a day with the Hero Xtreme 250R and these are our first impressions after riding the bike across a variety of road conditions in and around Udaipur.
Hero Xtreme 250R Pricing
After unveiling the Xtreme 250R at EICMA last year, Hero finally launched the motorcycle in India at an impressive price of Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom). On one end, there’s the Bajaj Pulsar N250 at Rs 1.65 lakh ex-showroom, which falls behind the Xtreme 250R in terms of performance, while at the other end is the KTM 250 Duke which offers similar levels of performance but is significantly more expensive at Rs 2.27 lakh ex-showroom. The Xtreme 250R will exclusively be sold via Hero Premia, the brand’s premium chain of showrooms. The bookings have already commenced.
