Hero Xtreme 125R Review: TVS Raider, Beware!

The Xtreme 125R turned out to be a really fun little bike on Hero’s test track

Ever since it came out, the TVS Raider has been our favourite 125cc bike and it’s for obvious reasons. It’s properly sporty and really changed our perspective about 125cc bikes. So when news about the Hero Xtreme 125R being in the pipeline surfaced online, the Xtreme definitely had to do some things really nicely to win this battle against the Raider. 

And now a couple of days ago, we finally got a chance to briefly ride the Xtreme 125R at Hero’s test track in Jaipur and honestly…we were pleasantly surprised!

Looks Aggressive!

In terms of design, the bike has definitely done justice to the Xtreme tag. With the Xtreme 160R, Hero showed that it can make some really aggressive looking bikes and the 125R is no different. The sharp and angular lines, angry-looking headlight, DRLs and the chiselled fuel tank are some of the elements that make the Xtreme look like a much bigger bike. Heck, remove the badge and the Xtreme 125R can come off as a 200-250cc bike. All of this without anything being too ‘in your face’. 

It Goes Nicely 

The Xtreme 125R’s 125cc engine makes 11.55PS and 10.5Nm. Forget what the spec sheet says as to where this engine ranks in its class, because once you hop onto the bike, you will genuinely like the engine. It has decent grunt at the bottom end but the mid-range is where it shines. It feels punchy and quite tractable too, meaning I could take almost every corner in a gear higher and the engine would have the drive to come out of the corner nicely. And what really impressed me was its smoothness. There are no vibrations to be felt throughout the revs and it’s only at the very top that you feel a slight tingle, especially at the handlebars. 

In my opinion, Hero doesn’t get enough credit for the chassis’ it has been making, especially over the past couple of years. The Xtreme 160R, XPulse 200 4V and the Karizma XMR are all examples of the same and the Xtreme 125R now joins this list. It feels very agile and flicking it from one side to the other is effortless. And once you start trusting its front end once leaned over, the bike doesn’t disappoint even when ridden hard. Riding it at Hero’s track was definitely fun. 

Stops Nicely Too

The big 276mm front disc has a good initial bite and given that the Xtreme 125R is the only bike in its segment to get ABS, I was braking with a lot more confidence. Even its tyres held up nicely during our short track stint.  

And Most Importantly, It’s Priced Nicely Too

Rs 95,000 is what Hero is asking for the Xtreme 125R’s base variant. If you want ABS, you’ll have to pay Rs 4,500 extra, a premium that we think is very reasonable. So if you were thinking about the variant, we’d definitely recommend you to make the stretch and get the ABS trim for Rs 99,500 (both prices ex-showroom Delhi). In typical Hero fashion, the pricing is super competitive and our price predictions were bang on. 

Should You Buy The Hero Xtreme 125R?

If a sporty 125cc bike is what you’re looking for, the Xtreme 125R would definitely make for a great choice. It ticks all the boxes a beginner would want from his/her first bike and as you can see, there aren’t a lot of negatives about it. How it exactly fares against the Raider is something we’ll only be able to verify through a road test, but what we can say with surety is that beginners can hop onto the Xtreme 125R and have a lot of fun on it.