[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Anyhow to put as simply as possible, at 5000 RPM in final gear the GS150R and Gixxer does more or less the same speed i.e around 70 kmph.

Took an older gixxer out for a ride and... I can't believe I didn't notice this earlier. I guess I better eat my words, and go renew my suzuki fanboy licence. But suzuki won't get my money again just yet after having been spoilt silly by the gs150r all these years.

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by darkLightning

I was waiting for Xtreme 160R launch as a potential bike to buy for daily commute and weekend tours but now I am looking more towards Xtreme 200S launch for the same, If the difference is no more than 10k I will happily pick 200S over 160R

Did you factor in the weight difference? The Xpulse/200s is around 10-15 kgs heavier than 160r. So the real world performance isn't going to be different in all these 3 bikes. Also none of them actually are meant for tours and for what they are all of them can tour at similar speeds. All 3 are meant for different purposes.

[darkLightning]

Originally Posted by Waspune

Did you factor in the weight difference? The Xpulse/200s is around 10-15 kgs heavier than 160r. So the real world performance isn't going to be different in all these 3 bikes. Also none of them actually are meant for tours and for what they are all of them can tour at similar speeds. All 3 are meant for different purposes.

Actually I have and therein lies a very interesting observation. Let me explain my analysis based on some mathematics, physics and general observation.



For the purpose of this comparison I have copied Xpulse 200 BS6 engine figures to Xpulse 200T and Xtreme 200S and as Xpulse 200 got 3 kg heavier so I have applied same 3 kg weight increase to 200S and 200T. (Note :- Since Hero is not displaying BS4 figures anymore officially so source of base wight was other portals)

As you can see above actually when it comes to power ratios it's actually like this

200S > 200T > 200 > 160R

The difference is not very much when it comes to straight line driving but on an incline 160R body is more than a half kg per PS heavier than 200S.

So based on pure mathematical observation it is actually 200S which is most powerful bike in Hero lineup.

Now let's apply some physics to it,

200S and 160R are admittedly little front heavy bikes where as 200 and 200T weight distribution is more balanced, again on a flat road difference will be minimal but on an incline the front heavy bias will put 160R and 200S at a slight disadvantage, herein 200T becomes the leader in pulling power on incline due to it's figures close matching 200S and wight being balanced engine can pull it little bit easier as compared to 200S.

Adding a pillion into the mix again complicated the thing, because now 160R and 200S front bias compensated a little bit for pillion weight, where as 200 and 200T become more rear biased (performance on 200 noticeable drops with a pillion as confirmed by users as well) herein again 200S can theoretically inch ahead on an incline.

On this note let's add some more bikes in this range into the mix sorted on power ratio.



As can be seen statistically Hero lineup actually is ahead of others in it's price range even beating the Duke 125 which is a so called performance bike, only real competition is Pulsar 220F which is still one price bracket above Hero.

Now the question is if Hero bikes are statistically superior then why they are not felt as such, well I can attribute that to below reasons -

1. Tuning - To be frank other than Karizma Hero never really went for a bike with thrills, Hero bikes are always tuned to perform well up to 70-80 kmph range (I have beaten Discovers and Pulsars with my Splendor), Hero has never been bothered about 100 kmph mark and let's face it that is not even a legal speed for bikes in majority of India. Hero concentrated on good low and mid range performance in fact from my experience I can see only Royal Enfield giving a more powerful lower end performance. Hero never was bothered about top range even Xtreme 160R it is marketing as quick off the blocks and not as a highway speed racer.

2. Ease - Again other than Karizma none of Hero bikes can be called as difficult to tame, in fact this very attribute made hero bikes preferred choice for yeoman whereas however what it did is the image of Hero never came out to be of a wild machine, where as Pulsars, KTMs, R15s they are all intimidating to learn in one aspect or another and as such give the feel that you are taming a monster.

3. Marketing - Again Hero never really bothered about marketing performance of it's bikes other than Karizma and upto a certain extent CBZ, only now Hero has started targeting back the audience with highlighting it's performance driven lineup(although bikes are still tuned to be easy instead of wild).

These are all my points based on personal research and preference so feel free to point out any corrections required.

And lastly on a lighter note couldn't help but put the Karizma model into this comparison to highlight why it smoke the competition back then and as you can see it still sweeps the floor in it's price range and only Pulsar 220 ever really competed with it and what a legend that rivalry was (R15 stole the thunder from both but it was always a bracket or two above)

[vishchan]

It is rather surprising that the launch of what Hero projects as their new-gen stylish, performance bikes is so muted. I would have expected some test drives, and reviews out by this time, but more than a week since launch, all I see are 4 month old videos on Youtube. At the very least the company itself could have put some short 2 mins videos of various differentiators of Xtreme160R.

I'm not a marketting expert, but seems a little lazy from Hero. I expected them to market this bike aggressively for it is a shot at a segment they lost 15 years back to Pulsar..

[Venkatesh]

Hero Xtreme 160R reviews

https://youtu.be/oQ-roJ2PsBo

https://youtu.be/JKMexDhNdWQ

https://youtu.be/FL3EakR1eH8

https://youtu.be/b4jtAUhz-RM

https://youtu.be/Q3gqpTxIj08

https://youtu.be/uhQIfs_aaaQ

https://youtu.be/9h-zy2Kj7wY

https://youtu.be/JhwyhECg-Oc

https://youtu.be/7i0iojXG40c

[darkLightning]

Adding one more review from Bikewale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZST1C5AXIo

[drt_rdr]

Why is everyone harping about how "lightweight" the bike is? Since when has 140 kgs been considered lightweight? We've had much lighter bikes in the segment before.

Hero's marketing department must have handed out some nice kickbacks for everyone to harp positive on such a borderline absurd thing.

Powerdrift review was surprisingly sensible and relatable (in most aspects) for a change, even with the guy wearing a racing neck brace to test a commuter bike.

[Amit_breakfree]

I for one is pleasantly surprised to hear some good reviews. Atlast Hero is headed towards the right direction.

As Shumi is saying in the PowerDrift video that any all the reviewers would only talk about the stickers but this time Hero has got a good machine to back that up.

Good looks - Check
Decent performance - Check (from the reviews)
Decent handling - Check (from the reviews)

Only two problems which I think - commuter grade switches and controls borrowed from the same parts bin and somewhat lack of fit and finish.

Would be interesting to see market's response to this. Hope to see something else apart from the same Pulsar face from last 15 years.

[SoumenD]

This bike seems to have got some great reviews from the reviewers. But a couple of things which they have been harping about makes me doubt if they have been paid to say so? Like the 139kg kerb weight, 4.7 seconds to 60kph, petal discs & 15 PS power.

My 13 year old Apache RTR160 has better numbers TBH.
15.2bhp, 136kg kerb weight, 0-60 timing of 4.6 seconds & ofcourse they came with petals back then itself. In 2020 these numbers are OKish maybe but nothing to be praised so much.

Ofcourse I agree this being a new bike is much more advanced technologically but I somehow find these reviews giving way too much weightage to these mediocre numbers.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Ofcourse I agree this being a new bike is much more advanced technologically but I somehow find these reviews giving way too much weightage to these mediocre numbers.

Bikes have turned out to be sluggish after the implementation of BS6, which is why they are dramatizing whatever is on-paper, or whatever they are asked to. As essentially there isn't a single bike(in the 150cc segment) that is significantly better when compared to its BS4 predecessor.

Besides at the current on-road prices, I think it makes more sense to stretch a little and buy a sub 2 lakh OTR 200+cc bike over a 150cc retailing at 1.3L

[Bismaya]

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

As essentially there isn't a single bike(in the 150cc segment) that is significantly better when compared to its BS4 predecessor.

The only exception I've ridden so far is the NS160 BS6. The Fi has made it much more responsive and given it the much needed low and mid range that severely lacked in the BS4 models. Ofcourse it's not as perfect as a 2v engine but it's stilll better. The extra horses also are significantly observed when it reaches the redline quicker when I TD'd it. It's more quick than the old counterpart.

[jetsetgo08]

125cc Honda Shine or Hero Glamour: OTR Rs.83-88k (Combi-brake but No ABS)
150cc Bajaj Pulsar/ Honda Unicorn 160/TVS Apache: OTR Rs.1.1L-1.2L
160cc TVS RTR1604v/ Yamaha FZ/ Hero Xtreme160/ Suzuki Gixxer: OTR Rs.1.25-1.35L
220-250cc Bajaj Pulsar 220/Yamaha FZ250/TVS Apache 200/Bajaj NS200: OTR Rs.1.45L-1.55L

Which one of these could still be called the most value for money, price to hardware perspective? Could this list be classified as what an executive commuter would look at?

[darkLightning]

The stylishly designed pillion grab handles on Xtreme are actually proving to be not as ergonomically sound as per reviews especially for ladies who sit sideways.

I was browsing on youtube and saw a few videos mentioning that Hero has started giving official accessories like Engine Guard, Saddle Stay, Bolt on Grab handles for Xtreme 160R starting from Rajasthan and Chandigarh, is anyone here aware of the same ? I can't find any such thing on official Hero site but then again even XPulse accessories are not listed on Hero website so can't completely trust that either.

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Which one of these could still be called the most value for money, price to hardware perspective? Could this list be classified as what an executive commuter would look at?

Between 160-200cc options there is one solid old workhorse still plying it's trade, Apache RTR 180 BS6, I feel it to still be more VFM than the other ones on this list.

[vishchan]

Originally Posted by darkLightning

The stylishly designed pillion grab handles on Xtreme are actually proving to be not as ergonomically sound as per reviews especially for ladies who sit sideways.

The grab handle and the raised pillion seat makes it very uncomfortable when pillion sits side ways. From the reviews it isn't great for pillions in general.

Makes me think why companies like Hero which have decades of experience in providing good commuter comfort want to deviate from neutral designs and mess it up. For me, the seat design is a deal breaker. Unicorn/Apache have more comfortable pillion seating position.

[condor]

Did Hero rename this bike as the Thriller160 ?

https://www.heromotocorp.com/en-bd/t...rcycle-89.html

I dont see any Extreme listed on Hero's product portfolio.