Hero Xtreme

Hero’s brand new 200cc contender ridden

First off, kudos to the Hero MotoCorp team for bringing out the Xtreme with a 200cc motor. Instead of facing the heat and immense competition in the hotly contested 160cc space, it only made sense to establish themselves in the new and growing entry-level premium sport segment. How well they’ve done with the new motorcycle is what we set out to gauge at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.

An unlikely destination for a small capac- ity motorcycle but as it turned out, we had quite a blast riding the new Xtreme 200R there. The North loop of the circuit consists of the more technical sections starting from turn 5 and ending at turn 15. Here, the Xtreme displayed surprising levels of grip

THE XTREME 200R NEVER SHIED AWAY FROM THE DEMANDS OF THE RIDER WITH OPTIMUM GRIP ASSURED BY THE TYRES AND CHASSIS

from its diamond type chassis that looks visually similar to the one doing duty on the 150cc Xtreme Sports. The frame is said to be lighter yet stiffer and it now uses 37mm front forks and a monoshock rear suspension. What that has done is improve riding dynamics substantially. Being a Formula One circuit, the corners on the track are fast and flowing for a meagre 200cc machine. That meant that we could stay pinned in fifth gear with only throttle roll offs for turning into some corners. The Xtreme 200R never shied away from the demands of the rider with optimum grip assured by the tyres and chassis. Ride quality has been dialled to focus on daily use but is set a tad on the stiffer side to aide handling, vastly impressing with its manners on track. Despite the 100 section front tyre, the Xtreme 200R can be easily flicked from corner to corner hinting at real-world agility in traffic. Also worth mentioning is the 148kg kerb weight which is well distributed and the motorcycle feels lighter than indicated while on the move.

The 199.6cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine was