Hero Glamour Xtec review, test ride

After the death of the two-strokes, a segment I always thought would go unnoticed by enthusiasts is the 125cc commuter one. Any four-stroke motorcycle below 150cc has no business being anything but basic, ordinary commuters. However, with fuel and motorcycle prices soaring, this segment’s getting a lot more attention. And motorcycle companies are trying to make their products more interesting, just as they should.

The new Hero Glamour Xtec is essentially a kitted-out version of the one that was launched just shy of two years ago. One of the biggest changes the Xtec brings is the display that it borrows from the Xpulse 200. This LCD offers basic navigation assist in the form of arrows and a small readout underneath for remaining distance. It also has a readout for call and SMS-related information.

LCD shows nav, call and SMS alerts.

Two other ‘tec’ additions come in the form of a side-stand engine cut-off function and a USB charging socket. Like the standard variant, it also gets Hero’s start-stop and ‘Auto-Sail’ functions. Specific to this version of the motorcycle is the LED headlight, which looks quite cool with the blacked-out internals. The dark theme also extends to the paint schemes, as the Xtec is only available in gloss black and matte grey. The rest of the body remains rather commuter in its design.

LED headlight is a premium touch.

Powering the Glamour Xtec is a 124.7cc, single-cylinder engine that comes paired to a 5-speed gearbox. This engine isn’t as smooth as the Honda SP 125’s, but it’s quite refined. The Glamour is quite straightforward when it comes to its chassis, with neutral dynamics, commuter-like ride quality and adequate braking performance on the disc brake-equipped variant.

This variant is priced at Rs 85,100, while the drum brake-equipped Xtec costs Rs 80,500. Pricing is at par with those of its rivals, the SP 125 and the new TVS Raider 125. The Xtec certainly isn’t as youthful and sporty as the latter, but it offers a focus on fuel efficiency, while throwing in some nice features to spice up its essentially commuter experience.