Hero Xtreme 160R review, road test

Hero has always been quite conservative when it comes to styling and most of their two-wheelers use safe design philosophies that appeal to the masses. With the Xtreme 160R though, they’ve pulled a switcheroo and it almost looks like a futuristic concept bike. The headlight cluster is quite a complicated piece and the headlight itself is encapsulated in two layers of plastic panels that give the entire unit a transformer-like face, but without being too aggressive and polarising, like a certain rival from TVS. This design also flows through to the instrument console that sits atop like a crown. 

What’s also nice to see are that the indicators on this Hero have finally made the switch to LED. Not only are they smaller, but they also look a lot more contemporary. That said, the glossy black colour of the housing of these indicators don’t match the rest of the matt? black plastics on the Xtreme 160R.

It’s from the side that one will really catch sight of the unique styling. While the chunky tank is something we’ve seen before on Hero’s of the past - like the Hunk, the tank extensions are distinctive. These single-piece panels flow all the way from the front, along the sides and right upto the rear panels that house the taillight. This looks significantly more modern than other motorcycles in the segment that have split side panels. Hero has also put a part of its new tubular frame on display and while that looks quite sporty, it would've been nice to see neater welds.

Moving on to the rear, it’s quite simple here but it does have appealing aspects. Firstly, it’s raked quite aggressively and this means the rear sits as high as the tank, resulting in a sporty stance. Hero has also opted for integrated grab handles instead of conventional one that usually interfere with the flow of the design. Something else that also doesn’t stick out on this bike is the tailight, the lens on it has a smoked finish and it works rather well with the black bodywork around it. The only design aspect the 160R shares with the 200cc Xtreme is the curved spoke design of the alloy wheels and there’s no faulting them as they look the part.

In its entirety, the Hero Xtreme 160R does stand out and draw quite a bit of attention. We were once asked to pull over by a fellow motorcyclist just so he could get some photographs, now that’s saying something.