Ambitious Strides

Hero is a name well-known in the commuter two-wheeler market.

- Aakash S. Paul

The company has been making pocket friendly commuter bikes for the common Indian man for decades. But lately the company has been trying to push its way into the premium market. They launched the Xtreme 200R last year and now that bike has three more siblings, each catering to a different kind of rider. We got to ride the Hero Xtreme 200S, a sporty faired 200cc bike, on the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. An odd choice….or was it?

DESIGN AND STYLING

The Hero Xtreme 200S is essentially a Sports variant of the Xtreme 200R. So the company has slapped on a fairing to the front of the bike to give it a race inspired look. The bike does look good, especially from the side because this is where you are able to fully appreciate the lines and creases running across the fairing and the rest of the body. The front gets a horizontal and robotic looking LED headlamp unit. While there are no DRLs, the front does look simple yet menacing. The top half of the fairing with the curved wind-screen reminded me of the superbikes made by a certain Italian manufacturer. Barring the fairing, the bike looks very similar to the Xtreme 200R from the side and rear.

The seat cushion is adequate for two people and decently comfortable. The cowl helps with wind blast to a small degree. I was impressed by the fit and finish of the Xtreme 200S as there were no loose panels or weld marks evident. Good job Hero MotoCorp!