“2014 Hero MotoCorp Xtreme marks its re-entry with a refreshed look into the highly preferred and competitive 150cc segment”
The 2014 Hero Xtreme is the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer – Hero’s flagship model. After its presence at the 2014 Auto Expo in India earlier this year Hero has launched this motorcycle a few months after it and we get a chance to take it on a spin and give you a flavor of this motorcycle.
The New Xtreme is priced at Rs. 70,322 (Ex-Showroom, Mumbai).
As said before, the Hero Xtreme is the Indian bike maker’s flagship 150cc model which is a motorcycle targeted mainly at the youth.
When you talk about its Styling, Xtreme features many cosmetic upgrades like the new headlight with pilot lamps, an updated visor, new tail lights with LED light guide, part digital cluster with side stand indicator and new graphics and edgy design. It looks best from the rear but the front is not that catchy and aggressive anymore as it now gets split indicators and the front has been slimmed down. The fuel tank remains somewhat same and gets a little bit of sharper design and loses its bikini fairing. The alloy wheels, side panels and one piece seat (except for its design) are carried from its older version. Hero’s designers have mainly changed the split grab rails, exhaust, and full LED tail-light assembly which looks free from its integrated side indicators. But the overall design gives the impression of a sportier motorcycle compared to the previous Xtreme.
Xtreme’s instrumentation is big on features. It gets a new trapezoidal design and its shape is outlined with a thick silver color which looks more attractive than anything else, it is equipped with a side stand and service indicator (Riders can’t ride off with the bike’s side-stand down, as the motorcycle cuts ignition to the engine in this eventuality.), an intelligent key (they come loaded with a sensor chip that is mated to a particular bike, so that no other key can be used), and houses everything from odo to the trip meter, to the time to the fuel level indication in digital form. The tachometer is an analogue unit though and occupies pride of place on the Xtreme’s cluster. There is a brand new addition of a mobile charging dock under the one-piece seat. The seat on the Xtreme is extremely long, runs right from above the tank all the way till the tail-piece. Hence, the seating posture is upright and comfortable.
The Switchgear of this motorcycle remains the same as the older version of Xtreme and now deploys stylish new clip-on handlebars that have comfortable grips and truncated, conical bar-end weights. The dual tone body coloured rear view mirrors provide ample rear view.
Even after Hero’s breakup with Honda, this motorcycle’s Performance comes from the same Honda sourced 149.2cc engine. The engine of the 2014 Hero Xtreme continues to produce 14.4 BHP of power at 8500 RPM and 12.8 Nm of torque at 6500 RPM, which is mated to a 5-speed transmission. The gearbox is butter smooth and so is the engine. As always, the motor is vibe free and even at redline, bike’s heart does not send out signs of distress. Overall, the punchy low and mid-end helps you potter around town with ease and gives you adequate punch for overtaking on highways. Stopping power comes from a single 240mm disc brake at the front and an optional 220mm disc brake at the rear. The standard variant gets a 130 mm drum brake setup at the rear.
On the Chassis part, front, the frame, the suspension, the steering geometry and the crucial dimensions like the wheelbase and ground clearance remains unchanged. The new Hero Xtreme is 2kg heavier, but which is not easily get to known and there’s no real change in the bike’s ride or handling character. The Xtreme remains a stable, reliable and ready to be rushed sort of a bike in city and around a sequence of corners.
Onto the conclusion, Hero’s new Xtreme is a well designed, smart motorcycle that looks refreshed and comes loaded with helpful features and goodies. The new Hero Xtreme makes a value-for-money package and the bike is made mainly for the youth and for those riders looking for up-to-date looks, a reliable engine, comfortable ergonomics with overall good ride quality.
