[#drivingFreak]

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.

You can download the Hero Xtreme 250R brochure here.

[#drivingFreak]

Design & Styling

Hero has been bold with the design choices on the Xtreme family of streetfighters. The Xtreme 250R being the flagship model, is the most extreme of them all. Upfront, you get an LED headlamp setup with integrated DRLs. The motorcycle looks the best when viewed from the side with a tall sculpted fuel tank, angular tank shrouds and high-set pillion seat. It features a clean design at the rear with the LED taillamp neatly integrated under the rear seat base. The tyre hugger is a nice touch and compensates for the high-set rear end by adding visual mass to the lower area of the motorcycle.

The Xtreme 250R is offered in three colour options - Firestorm Red, Stealth Black and Neon Shooting Star. The USD forks on the red colour variant get a gold finish while the latter two make do with a Black shade for the same. If I had to nitpick, a bolder look for the headlamp would have added to the overall radical design of the Xtreme 250R.

Build Quality, Fit & Finish

Hero has made good strides in the build quality department with the Xtreme 250R compared to some of its previous models like the Karizma XMR 210. The motorcycle feels solidly put together and the overall quality levels are good enough for the price. The switchgear is neatly-finished and the switches offer decent tactility.

That being said, the Xtreme 250R still lacks in terms of overall fit and finish compared to its rivals. We noticed multiple uneven panel gaps across the motorcycle which could have been better executed. Working on this one area can help enhance the perceived quality of the product.

Features and Instrumentation

As expected, Hero has loaded the Xtreme 250R with ample features. The motorcycle is offered in a single variant with features like all-LED lighting, a USB-A charging port, and a colour LCD with Bluetooth connectivity, music controls and turn-by-turn navigation. The LCD even offers a 0-60 km/h and 0-100 km/h timer along with a lap timer. While the information on the LCD is well laid out, Hero could have offered a TFT, especially since it offers one on the Xpulse 210.

In the safety department, the Xtreme 250R gets dual-channel ABS with two modes - Road and Track. The latter allows you to turn off the rear ABS. The access to alter the ABS modes is poorly executed, though. It requires you to make multiple long presses on the switchgear to change the ABS modes, while a couple of clicks could have sufficed. To add to that, the motorcycle switches back to default ‘Road’ mode once you turn it off.

Wheels & Tyres

The Xtreme 250R has 17-inch wheels at both ends. It is shod with 110-section and 150-section MRF Zapper tyres at the front and rear, respectively. The tyres are one of the weak links of the overall package as they hold you back from exploring the full dynamic capabilities of the Xtreme 250R. I noticed the rear tyre losing traction under hard acceleration, especially on concrete patches of road. Additionally, they don't inspire much confidence to push the motorcycle in the twisties.

Ergonomics and Comfort

Hero has managed to strike a nice balance between sportiness and comfort with the ergonomics of the Xtreme 250R. The handlebars are placed such that your upper body is slightly leaned forward while the footpegs are rear-set but placed at a comfortable height to not make your lower body feel cramped. At 167.7 kg, the Xtreme 250R is around 5 kg heavier than the KTM Duke 250, but at no point does it feel difficult to manoeuvre at low speeds.



The redesigned fuel tank makes the Xtreme 250R feel bigger for a motorcycle of its class. The seat is placed at a comfortable height of 806 mm. Additionally, the rider's seat narrows down near the fuel tank area which should allow shorter riders to place their foot on the ground easily. The rider's seat itself is spacious and allows you to move around during spirited riding. The seat padding is on the firmer side which is good for long-distance riding. I spent about three hours in the saddle and didn't feel any pain. It is not the most comfortable motorcycle for a pillion, though. The pillion seat is placed high and requires some effort to climb onto.

Fuel Tank Capacity & Range

The fuel tank on the Xtreme 250R has a capacity of 11.5 litres, which is 3.5 litres less compared to the KTM 250 Duke. I rode the motorcycle for around 165 km, 80% of which was on highways at triple-digit speeds and 20% in city conditions. The speedo indicated a fuel economy of 26.7 km/l. I feel the motorcycle should easily manage 300 km+ on a single tank of fuel but a comprehensive ownership review should give a better idea of the same.

Maintenance

After an initial checkup at 1,000 km, the Xtreme 250R comes with a service interval of 6 months / 6,000 km.

Standard & Extended Warranty

Hero offers a standard warranty of 5 years / 70,000 km with the Xtreme 250R.

[#drivingFreak]

Riding the Hero Xtreme 250R

The Xtreme 250R is powered by a 249 cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine that puts out 29.5 BHP @ 9,250 rpm and 25 Nm @ 7,250 rpm and comes with DOHC tech. This unit has been derived from the 210 cc engine on the Karizma XMR 210 but gets a longer stroke. While the two engines might look familiar from the outside, Hero has also made updates to the internals in the 250 cc mill on the Xtreme 250R. The engine output figures are right on par with the KTM 250 Duke which boasts similar output numbers (1 BHP more compared to the Xtreme 250R) at identical revs.



To me, the engine is the highlight of the Xtreme 250R's package. It feels more torquey, exciting and characterful compared to one on the Karizma XMR 210. The low-end response is decent but it fully comes to life post 5,500 rpm. There is a noticeable uptick in performance and the engine pulls strongly up to 8,500 rpm. Hero claims the Xtreme 250R to be the quickest in its class with 0-60 km/h and 0-100 km/h times of 3.2 seconds and 8.5 seconds, respectively. I managed to hit 0-60 km/h in 3.6 seconds and 0-100 km/h in 9.1 seconds as per the inbuilt timer on the instrument cluster.

You can effortlessly cruise at triple-digit speeds with the engine comfortable chugging along at 6,000 rpm at 100 km/h in the sixth gear. There is ample power in reserve for quick overtakes and the engine continues to pull even at 120 km/h.

In city conditions, the motorcycle can be easily ridden at 20 km/h in third gear, below which there is slight resistance from the engine. The Xtreme 250R comes with a light slip and assist clutch. I felt the reach for the clutch lever (and even the brake lever) is a bit far, though, and that hinders your ability to shift quicker when riding aggressively. The gearshifts are smooth for the most part but require some effort to downshift during spirited riding.

The weather during our ride was chilly for the most part and the fan mostly remained shut. The time it came on, I noticed minor engine heat on my inner calves, nothing excessive to be a deal-breaker. I feel adding adjustable levers, a quickshifter and a better set of tyres will surely enhance the riding experience of the Xtreme 250R.

Refinement & NVH

Right off the bat, the refinement of this engine is impressive. The motorcycle remains vibe-free until you cross 7,500 rpm. Post this, there are slight vibes felt in the footpegs, but I would classify them as the ones that add to the character of the motorcycle making it feel more lively and engaging to ride. That being said, after riding through bad patches of road later in the day, I could notice slight vibes from the plastics around the fuel tank at high revs. The exhaust has a bassy note and makes people take notice of you riding something exciting.

Suspension & Handling

The Xtreme 250R is underpinned by a steel-trellis frame, suspended by chunky 43 mm USD forks and gas-charged monoshock with six-step preload adjustability. The overall setup is on the firmer side but does a good job of absorbing small bumps. Sharp bumps will register themselves, though, and the ride feels busy on uneven concrete roads. Enter smooth tarmac and the suspension setup shows its capabilities.

The ride at triple-digit speeds is stable. Show it a set of corners and the Xtreme 250R again shines with its ability to hold its line. I did encounter a few mid-corner bumps and while the motorcycle dealt with it with poise, it did slightly throw me off the seat on a couple of occasions. The wide handlebar allows you to make quick direction changes both in the city as well as the twisties. The limited grip from the tyres does hamper the motorcycle's cornering ability, though. We'd strongly suggest that you upgrade to grippier rubber if you intend to push the bike hard in corners.

Braking

The braking setup on the Xtreme 250R includes 320 mm and 230 mm Bybre discs at the front and rear, respectively. While the stopping power is decent, the lack of bite and feel hampers the confidence. Additionally, the lack of grip from the tyres means the ABS kicks in sooner than you expect. This again limits you from making full use of the dynamic capabilities of the chassis.

Closing thoughts

The Xtreme 250R is one of the better products in Hero's stable, something that should gain aspirational value as more people experience it. This is a quality that has been missing from the brand's earlier premium products. The Xtreme 250R has the performance and handling to back its streetfighter looks. All it needs is better finishing, tyres, brakes and a few extra features to complete the package. But that might be difficult for Hero to provide at its current price. That being said, Hero might introduce a higher variant of the motorcycle somewhere down the line.

[#drivingFreak]

Hero Xtreme 250R Images

While the design is subjective, at first glance, the Xtreme 250R is pleasing to the eye. It is almost Rs. 47,000 cheaper than the KTM 250 Duke, making it a great alternative to the latter:


The Xtreme 250R measures 2,023 mm in length, 828 mm in width, 1,062 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 1,357 mm. The seat height is 806 mm and the ground clearance is 167 mm:


Xtreme 250R looks the best when viewed from the side. A proper naked streetfighter stance:


Headlamp design looks relatively simple compared to the otherwise bold design on the rest of the motorcycle:


You get an LED projector headlamp setup. Here's all the lights and turn indicators in action in the dark:


USD forks finished in Black on our test unit. The setup is on the firmer side but doesn't feel harsh:


17-inch wheel and 320 mm Bybre petal disc brake upfront. Simple design for the alloys:


17-inch wheel and 230 mm petal disc brake at the rear. Tyre hugger is a nice touch!


Hero says it considered using sintered brake pads for the Xtreme 250R but decided against it to keep the maintenance costs in check:


Engine runs cool for the most part and the fan operation on the radiator is fairly silent:


Sculpted fuel tank design gives it a big bike feel from the saddle. The angular tank shrouds add to the sportiness of the design:


Your view from the saddle. Wide handlebar helps make quick direction changes:


Backlit switchgear looks good and the quality feels better compared to the Karizma XMR 210:


Colour LCD on the Xtreme 250R is decent but this motorcycle should have had the modern TFT present on the Xpulse 210:


Reach for the levers could have been better here. Adjustable levers would've been even better!


No ride-by-wire here but throttle response wasn't an issue. Bit of exposed wiring:


USB-A charging port is conveniently located ahead of the fuel cap:


A bit of black on the fuel tank adds a nice contrast to the grey and neon shade:


Uneven panel gaps across various parts of the motorcycle. One of the prime areas that Hero needs to work on their premium motorcycles:


Spacious rider's seat comes with firm padding which helps in long-distance riding:


Pillion seat offers decent space but you need to put in extra effort to climb on it. A little under-seat storage to keep tools and documents:


Six-speed transmission is smooth to operate for the most part. A higher variant with a quickshifter will make it even better:


Ample of protection for the engine and exhaust manifold:


Decent quality rear foot pegs. They are placed high which means the pillion won't have much under-thigh support:


Sporty exhaust with a bassy note sounds fantastic and adds more character to the motorcycle:


Gas-charged monoshock rear suspension gets six-speed preload adjustability:


Good-looking sari guard with tyre-hugger mounted below it:


Tail lamp design borrowed from the Karizma XMR 210:


LED tail lamp and turn indicators in action in the dark:


The new key is chunky and feels decent to hold :


Disclaimer: Hero invited Team-BHP for the Hero Xtreme 250R test-ride. They covered all the travel expenses for this riding event.

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[OffTheLine]

This bike seems great for the price Maybe this will be my first bike.

I feel like hero has really killed it with this one and have started to build a premium perception for themselves. I also think it's a good idea for them to sell this bike exclusively at the premia showrooms. The only issue is the lack of premium showrooms near people. The nearest premia to my house is still 7km away!

Still this is a great release by hero

[gops619]

My topmost expectation from this bike's entrance into the market is that it makes KTM reduce it's pricing for Duke 250 even further.

Hero have put together a decent looking bike and package and I hope they don't suffer the same fate as the Gixxer 250 and it manages to find a space for itself in the market.

[Rudraksh]

Hero took a long time to cook a perfect 250 bike and they did it finally.
This is the best design product from Hero from front to back and side.

I saw some review videos in which they praised its engine and refinement. That's what one wants here, a short-stroke power-packed refined engine. oh Yes...

Regarding the cons mentioned above, the Hero might/should bring another variant with a TFT dash, Visor, Adjustable Levers, and if possible a Quickshifter.

[loki]

Where is the Xpulse 250 with the same 30BHP engine? Good to see Hero making progress. My first bike was a Karizma R and i've always had a soft spot towards Hero.

The Xtreme 250 looks sharp although I might have preferred a regular tail tidy. What color options are there? A blacked out version without the loud graphics might be good.

[3HAR6AV]

Thanks DrivingFreak for this wonderful review. Any idea on full faring equivalent to be launched in this 250 platform.

[FlankerFury]

Originally Posted by loki

What color options are there? A blacked out version without the loud graphics might be good.

There is indeed a stealth black option on offer


Attached below are all the color options

HeroMotoCorp | Xtreme 250R

Originally Posted by 3HAR6AV

Any idea on full faring equivalent to be launched in this 250 platform.

Hero unveiled the Karizma XMR 250 alongside the Xtreme at EICMA last year.


xbhp.com | Karizma XMR 250

Should be launched in a couple months or so.

Attaching it's thread below
Team-BHP | (Hero Motors @ EICMA 2024)

[saitvsk23]

Someone cooked here!

Welcome back, Hero. This is what us fans wanted to see from your end. We're glad you're back with good aspirational motorcycles. Now don't mix up the new-gen owners with your standard crop of commuter motorcycle owners when it comes to the service department. We hope you'll enforce strict rules on setting up separate service centers for these premium motorcycles. Or else you'll end up having the same fate as Honda's ASCs. We don't want you to go that way now, do we?

All the best for the success that's yet to come with this model!

Now bring back the Hunk moniker to compete with the CB300F!

[TusharK]

Hero opens bookings for Xtreme 250R & Xpulse 210

Hero MotoCorp has now started accepting bookings for the Xtreme 250R and Xpulse 210. Customers can place their orders by paying a token amount of Rs 10,000.



The Hero Xtreme 250R is priced at Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom). It competes with the KTM 250 Duke in the Indian market.

The Xtreme 250R is powered by a 250cc, single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that produces 29.5 BHP and 25 Nm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.

The bike is equipped with a 43 mm upside-down fork finished in gold and an adjustable rear mono-shock. The brake setup consists of single petal-type discs at the front and rear, supported by switchable dual-channel ABS.



The Hero Xpulse 210 costs Rs 1.76 lakh (ex-showroom). It uses a 210cc, 4-valve single-cylinder engine that makes 24.6 BHP and 20.7 Nm. The engine now comes paired with a 6-speed gearbox.

The Xpulse 210 rides on a conventional telescopic fork and mono-shock rear suspension. It has disc brakes at both ends supported by dual-channel ABS.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Foretio]

Seems like a fantastic product from Hero both in terms of styling as well as performance. The only concerns are regarding Service Centre quality and long term reliability of the engine. I gave one of the cheapest and most common bike on indian road, my Hero Splendor Plus for servicing in one the service centre and got it returned with few stickers on plastic areas half removed and kind of torn. They told it was cause of pressure wash but still that was not a good sight to see. I wonder how these service centres will be able to handle bikes like Xpulse, Karizma and 250r which will require more care and attention.

[revhappy]

It is really sad, motorcycle manufacturers don't care about pillion comfort and safety for anything > 160cc.

Thankfully both Xtreme 160r and pulsar n160 have single seat options for pillion comfort. Apache 160 rtr too. So basically they are telling us, if you are riding with a pillion you are an uncle and you shouldn't ride > 160cc :(