I think that the Bajaj Pulsar N160 has an extremely unfriendly pillion seat, TVS Apache RTR 160 4V is quite dated and the Honda SP160 is just the old Honda Unicorn with new clothes.
BHPian blue_wizard_v12 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Initial observations of Hero Xtreme 160R 4V Dual Channel ABS 2024 and how I got Rs 18.5k off on a brand-new bike.
Purpose and use case of the bike:
The bike has been primarily bought for daily commuting for my father and his occasional use for farming.
Requirement:
He was using a 125cc (Honda&Bajaj) for a decade now and told me to get a 160cc which has a flat seat for occasional female pillion use and should be light weight with good reliability.
Options considered:
None. Xtreme 160R was launched at the same time and fulfilled our requirements considerably. (On a side note- N160 has an extremely unfriendly pillion seat, RTR 160 4v is quite dated now and SP 160 is just age-old unicorn with new clothes and an overall silhouette similar to SP125 which is a big no)
Booking and delivery:
Booked the bike through Flipkart and HDFC credit card. Got 18.5k off on the ex-showroom price (Rs 1.4L). Got the bike in two days and took delivery on 4 oct evening.
Total on road price was Rs 1.67L approx (Ujjain, M.P.) plus considering the deal which I got on Flipkart bought this beast for under 1.5L which is super VFM in my opinion.
First impression and overview:
Hero actually updated the Xtreme several times over the years as it has been unable to generate the desired sales for the brand. From the past couple of months, Xtreme has been doing about 2k monthly sales, Apache and Pulsar’s hover around 30k units.
Xtreme has always been reliable and updates which hero has bought over the year’s particularly the 4v about a year ago and now this newly updated version has made it very competitive and in my opinion it now sits at the top of 160s.
Updates on the 2024 model are a flat seat (subframe is slightly changed which reduced the pillion seat height), new tail light, brighter instrument console and dual channel ABS.
- Bike has Xtremely good handling and feels quite light on its feet.
- Engine is very refined till mid-range and gets a little buzzy at the top end which is expected from a single.
- Braking is good and the inclusion of dual-channel ABS is a welcome addition.
- Suspension is the best in class, soaks up bumps pretty well and has a slight sporty edge to it.
- Seating position is xtremely comfortable with an upright posture and a little rear-set footpegs.
- Fit and finish can be improved but overall satisfied with the build quality.
- 160R 4V is not a common sight and the updated model does look very good and people actually notice it.
Overall me and my father are happy with our purchase and hope to cover many miles on this beauty.
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