Hero Xtreme 125R Long-Term Review: Fleet Introduction

The Hero Xtreme 125R stands out as the sportiest 125cc bike in the Hero lineup. We added the bike to our garage almost 2 weeks ago, and will be riding it for the next couple of months. Here’s a brief introduction of the bike and a breakdown of what we are planning on doing with it.

Setting Context

I personally ride a Yamaha MT-15, and as a fan of high revving Japanese engines, the MT has been one bike which hasn’t disappointed me. What I love about the bike is the refined engine, combined with the sporty handling characteristics and the relatively comfortable ergonomics.

The Yamaha MT-15 offers really good performance, and there’s nothing I’d change about it. But I’ve always wanted to see how it would be to ride something else for a while, as riding the MT-15 for so long has become a bit boring. A sporty 125cc bike for my commutes would be the break that I was hoping for and could give me a new perspective on motorcycling. The Hero Xtreme 125R seems like the perfect bike for this.

Breaking In

One of the things which I like about the MT-15 is the aggressive design, and the Xtreme 125R’s sporty and aggressive design made me feel right at home. The bike is quite a looker thanks to the Ducati Streetfighter inspired headlight section. 

Powering the Xtreme 125R is a 125cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine which outputs 11.4PS and 10.5Nm. The power and performance are quite impressive for a 125cc bike. The bike also offers a few things which make it stand out in this segment. The 37mm telescopic fork, the 120-section rear tyre and the 276mm front disc brake, all three largest in the 125cc segment. Along with this, the bike also offers single-channel ABS a segment-first feature. In terms of features, the console gets smartphone connectivity for call/SMS alerts.

Overall, the bike has impressed me quite a bit with the many unique bits it has on offer. But how much of a difference these will make in terms of real-world performance is something we will see in the coming months.

What I look Forward To

The Xtreme 125R will be my personal commuter for the next couple of months, I will be riding it in the city and highway, going on weekend trips on it. The idea is to see how it feels like to live with the bike, and also to test out if our observations from the first ride review hold up.

Lastly, I will also be doing a long tour on this bike. It will be similar to the one 600km trip I did on the Hero Splendor Plus in the past. This will be the ultimate test of the bike’s performance. Overall, I am quite excited to see what the bike has to offer in terms of real world performance. With the upcoming long term review updates, I hope to answer the question, whether or not you should get the Hero Xtreme 125R.

Kilometre reading on arrival: 1600km

Kilometre reading today: 1745km

Pros: Good bottom-end grunt, powerful front disc, comfortable seat

Cons: The ride quality could have been better, instrument console doesn’t offer good visibility