- Hero Xtreme 250R will go against well established rivals such as Bajaj Dominar 250, Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z and Suzuki Gixxer 250. Can it take a fight against the rivals? Read on to find out.
Back at EICMA 2023, Hero MotoCorp showcased the Concept 2.5R XTunt naked motorcycle. It created a lot of hype around it and it was positioned as a concept built for stunt street riding. Then there are the naked motorcycles are the most popular ones in the Indian market. So, with all the hype around the concept and the fact, that the naked streetfighters are so popular in the Indian market, Hero MotoCorp decided to put the motorcycle through production. The production version of the Concept 2.5R XTunt is called Xtreme 250R.
Back in 2024, the Xtreme 250R made its debut at EICMA 2024 and then at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the Xtreme 250R was launched. It is priced at ₹1.80 lakh ex-showroom where it competes against motorcycles such as Keeway K300 SF, Bajaj Dominar 250, Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z, Suzuki Gixxer 250 and Honda CB300F. So, should you consider it over the rivals? Hero invited us to beautiful Udaipur to test out the new Xtreme 250R and here’s what we think about it.
The Xtreme 250R is a head turner with its muscular design. The Concept 2.5R XTunt grabbed a lot of attention and the Xtreme 250R builds up on that only. It looks like a proper naked streetfighter with an aggressive LED headlamp in the front, a muscular fuel tank with tank shrouds and an upswept rear section. It is the rear section that stands out the most because Hero MotoCorp has repositioned the number plate to the rear tyre hugger instead of the tail of the motorcycle. The exhaust on the side is a short and stubby unit that takes design inspiration from other Hero motorcycles. Hero also offers diamond-cut alloy wheels that measure 17-inches in size.
Hero MotoCorp will offer the Xtreme 250R in three colours. There is Neon Shooting Star, Stealth Black and Firestorm Red. Out of these three, the Firestorm Red is the only colour scheme that comes with the upside-down forks finished in golden colour.
Hero Xtreme 250R: How does it handling and the ride quality?
The Xtreme 250R is underpinned by a steel trellis frame that is suspended by 43 mm upside down forks in the front and a monoshock at the rear with a 6-step adjustment for pre-load. The motorcycle performs really well in the corners. However, the tyres could have provided better feedback. In terms of the ride quality, the suspension is compliant and handles the rough roads quite well as long as the rider is not going very fast. While doing highway speeds, the motorcycle feels stable and the motorcycle does not bounce around.
In terms of weight, the Xtreme 160R has a kerb mass of just 167.7 kg so it is quite light and the seat height is of 806 mm so it would be accessible for most of the riders. The riding position is slightly committed with the foot pegs being slightly rear-set and there is a slight reach to the handlebar.
Hero Xtreme 250R: How does the engine perform?
The engine on duty on the Hero Xtreme 250R is a 249.03 cc, single-cylinder unit that gets liquid-cooling. It produces 29.58 bhp of max power at 9,250 rpm and a peak torque output of 25 Nm at 7,250 rpm. There is a mild buzz in the low-end where they don’t really bother and in the mid-range, the engine gets refined and in the top-end, the vibrations do increase and get a bit bothersome because the fuel tank also start vibrating along with the foot pegs and the handlebar. However, the engine does have a rev-happy nature and it screams to its red line with enthusiasm. So, yes if you are someone who likes revving the engine to its higher rpm then you might like this engine. At 100 kmph, the engine feels refined but as the speeds climb from that, the refineness starts to wear off.
The gearbox on duty is a 6-speed unit that comes with a slip-and-assist clutch. It is quite smooth and the clutch action is also very smooth and the effort is also very light. Rev-matching and downshifting was also effortless. In terms of fuel efficiency, the instrument cluster was showing a fuel efficiency of around 30 kmpl. However, fuel efficiency does depend on the riding habits.
Hero Xtreme 250R: How are the brakes?
Braking on the Hero Xtreme 250R is done by a 320 mm petal disc in the front and a 230 mm petal disc at the rear. There is dual-channel anti-lock braking system on offer along with Road and Track mode. The rider needs to pull the front brake lever quite a bit. Then there is the rear disc brake which kept locking on me because of which the motorcycle would fishtail everytime. Because of this, the brakes did not inspire any confidence.
Hero Xtreme 250R: What are the features on offer?
Hero Xtreme 250R comes equipped with all LED lighting, hazard lights, automatic headlamp and there is a digital instrument cluster on offer as well that shows plethora of information including average fuel economy, real time fuel economy, lap timer, acceleration timer and Bluetooth connectivity with music controls and navigation. The instrument cluster is quite visible under most of the sunlight conditions. Having said that, I would have liked if the Xtreme 250R came with the TFT screen that is doing duty on the XPulse 210 as it would just look better and premium. There is also a USB port to charge mobile devices.
Hero Xtreme 250R: Should you buy it?
There is no denying the fact that the Xtreme 250R might be the best-looking naked streetfighter in its segment with its strong road presence. The engine has a rev-happy character to it so people will enjoy pulling it towards the redline and the suspension is also sorted. The only thing that is lacking is the brakes so I would suggest that you go and take a test ride of the Xtreme 250R. At ₹1.80 lakh ex-showroom, the Xtreme 250R makes a strong argument for itself against its rivals.
First Published Date: 20 Mar 2025, 11:00 AM IST
