Hero Xtreme 125R

The Xtreme 125R is Hero MotoCorp’s latest entry into the sporty 125cc commuter segment. Historically, the 125cc bikes have been considered “executive” commuters - a step up from the regular 100cc commuter motorcycles. But these only offered slightly more performance and maybe a couple of extra features. But in recent years, manufacturers have started to introduce more premium, sporty 125cc commuters, starting with the TVS Raider 125. Hero MotoCorp was quick to follow up TVS’ efforts with this bike - a complete departure from their basic 125cc bikes like the Super Splendor and the Glamour.

Hero has further expanded the Xtreme 125R lineup with the new Stealth Edition in November 2026, priced at Rs 1,16,250 (ex-showroom). This variant brings a 4.2-inch TFT instrument console with turn-by-turn navigation, music control and a segment-first Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). It also gets coloured alloy wheels and is offered in a distinctive Midnight Black shade with Pearl Red accents.

The Xtreme 125Ris is the sportiest 125cc commuter bike that Hero MotoCorp makes, and I was among the first few Indian auto journalists to ride it at the company’s CIT (Center for Innovation and Technology) test track. After that, I’ve also had the opportunity to ride this bike a few times in Pune, and later I spent a few weeks riding it on my daily commute when we got the Xtreme as a long-term test bike. On the whole, I must have ridden this bike for a thousand-odd kilometres, and here’s how the bike feels to live with:

The bike's design is very unique and looks very different compared to other bikes in the 125cc segment. The twin-pod LED headlight setup is the same one Hero uses on the Xoom 110 scooter, and it certainly looks interesting on this bike, thanks to the chunky bikini fairing. The most prominent part of this design for me has to be the tank extensions, which are mounted low on the front of the tank and are quite wide too - almost like a radiator shroud on a liquid-cooled bike. I also quite like the sleek LED indicators and the compact LED tail light.

The silver finish (on the Cobalt Blue and Firestorm Red paint schemes) which extends from the tank to halfway down the tail panel looks very distinct too, and contrasts well with the matte black panels and the body colour panels (red or blue). In my opinion, out of all the colours on offer, the Cobalt Blue paint scheme looks the best, but for those who want a more subtle colour, the Stallion Black will be a better option. Also, Hero launched two new colours for the ABS variant.

The new Stealth Edition gets a distinctive Midnight Black colour scheme with Pearl Red accents. It also features coloured alloy wheels, which give the motorcycle an even sportier appearance while offering a nice contrast to the black theme.

That said, the bike’s design does look quite busy, regardless of the colour you choose. I think for younger buyers this might be the perfect bike as it looks quite big and muscular - more like a 150cc than a 125cc. But more mature buyers might find it a bit much and might prefer more conventional designs like the Honda Shine 125. 

Build quality

While I couldn’t really fault the overall fit and finish of the bike, thanks to top-notch paint quality and even panel gaps, the bike does have a “plasticky” feel to it thanks to all the large panels. I suspect that over a couple of years of riding, these might not hold up too well, and might just start rattling. But this remains to be seen.

I do have some problems with the rear tyre hugger and the multi-piece chain guard. The hugger is mounted on solid steel pipes which connect to the swingarm. No doubt this mounting system is quite rugged and won’t break easily, but it is quite heavy and does look a bit ugly. And when I rode the bike during the monsoons, the chain guards did a great job of keeping mud and debris away from the chain. But these really get in the way of any DIY chain cleaning or maintenance. Details like the hugger and chain guard are a small but real part of the Hero Xtreme 125R features list, even if they add a bit of extra weight.

This is the most affordable bike in India to get optional single-channel ABS (anti-lock braking system). The ABS equipped variants also get a larger 276mm front disc brake, which really enhances braking performance while keeping the rider safe on slippery roads. It's also important to note that in November 2025, Hero launched the dual-channel ABS variant. 

And the new Stealth Edition also gets the dual-channel ABS setup. Hero has also equipped this variant with three riding modes - Rain, Road and Sport - allowing riders to tailor the motorcycle's performance to different riding conditions.

The more affordable variants get combined brakes (or IBS - Integrated Braking System, as Hero calls it) with a smaller 240mm front disc. This one also gets a hazard light switch on the switchgear. 

Convenience Features

The bike is equipped with a small negatively lit LCD instrument console, which also gets Bluetooth connectivity for call and message alerts, but no navigation. While this console shows you a lot of relevant information such as a tachometer, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, clock, and even overall fuel economy, I found the screen size too small and the layout a bit too cluttered. Also, under direct sunlight, I really struggled to read the screen. That said, the dual-channel ABS variant of the bike not only gets a smartphone-connected colour-LCD console, but is also equipped with cruise control and ride-by-wire (electronic throttle) with three riding modes. 

The bike comes with a split seat as well as a one-piece seat option. But I’ve only ever ridden the split seat variant, so I can’t really comment on how the single-piece seat is in terms of comfort. Now, in the split seat variant, the rider seat is quite large, and I had plenty of space to move backward and forward to find the perfect seating position. Now I’m not a small guy by any means - I’m 5’9” and 82kg, and found the seat quite spacious.

Although the footpegs are a bit rearset, the wide handlebar is quite tall, so I was sitting in a fairly upright posture. But if I wanted to get into a slightly sporty, leaned-forward riding position, I could just shift back in the seat. The seat foam is a bit on the firmer side - something that I really appreciated with my above-average weight. But if you’re lighter, you might find the seat a bit too hard on longer commutes. The seat height of 794mm is not the shortest in its class by any means, but since this one is so narrow in the middle, even riders as short as 5’4” or 5’5” should not have too many issues getting both feet on the ground. 

Although the pillion seat of the Xtreme 125 is quite large and accommodating, it is set quite high. So shorter pillions - those who are 5’3” or 5’4” might struggle to climb on to it. And because it’s so much taller than the rider seat, pillion riders might feel they’re sitting a bit too tall, and will need to lean back a bit to hold the grab rails.

A couple of times when I sat pillion behind one of my shorter colleagues, I had a clear view of the road ahead from above his helmet. While I have no complaints about the rear seat comfort, the seating position for the pillion is a bit strange at best.

This bike runs on a 125cc air-cooled engine is all-new and one of the most powerful in its class. It produces a max power output of 11.56PS @ 8250rpm and a max torque of 10.5Nm @ 6000rpm. Recently, the engine was also made OBD-2B compliant. 

One of its engine’s key strengths is its high mileage. In my city testing, I was able to get an astounding mileage of 81.53kmpl. Of course, it was a day with very light traffic, and I could easily ride the bike in fifth gear most of the time, but even in heavy stop-and-go traffic, I’ve seen a mileage of over 60 km/L every single time. At highway speeds, though, this engine becomes less efficient, and I was able to manage 61.68kmpl. Here’s how the Xtreme’s mileage compares to its biggest rival - the TVS Raider 125.

City Performance

The first impression I got of the Xtreme 125R’s engine in the city was just how smooth the engine feels in traffic. At city speeds, there are barely any vibrations, no matter how slowly or quickly you’re riding. And I could easily enjoy a smooth ride at slow speeds in high gears - even picking up speed from 35kmph in fifth gear is no problem for the bike.

While the engine is quite tractable, it doesn’t have the same punch at city speeds as the TVS Raider. So quickly overtaking other vehicles requires you to downshift a gear or two. 

Highway performance

I understand that 125cc bikes are not designed primarily for highway use. But on my daily commute, which includes about 10km of highway riding everyday, the bike handled it quite well. In fact, the engine feels smoother at higher speeds than the TVS Raider, and sitting at speeds of 80-90kmph on the highway was a fairly relaxed experience.

Start to push beyond that, though, and this one starts losing breath. I saw about 105 km/h on the speedometer once, but it took a lot of time to get there, and while there weren’t too many vibrations at that point, the engine did sound strained. I noticed that cruising around 70- 75 km/h is the sweet spot on the highway, where it still has some power left in reserve to make reasonably quick overtakes. The bike feels better on the highway than the TVS Raider, but the Raider feels better in the city. Here’s how my tested acceleration figures of the two bikes compare

These numbers are genuinely impressive for a bike with this much performance on tap. Mileage holding up at over 60kmpl even in heavy traffic is one of the biggest reasons to consider it over a more basic commuter. This one and the TVS Raider are quite closely matched in performance, but the Raider is slightly quicker in all conditions.

Gearbox

I found that the 5-speed gearbox is not particularly smooth. While I never encountered a misshift or a refusal to shift, the shift action is a bit hard, especially on our long-term test bike.

But I remember the gearbox being quite smooth when I first rode the bike at Hero’s CIT test track. Our long-term bike came to us with about 1600km on the odometer, and the gearbox feeling hard to shift. So my guess is that the quality of Hero’s mechanical components is not the best.

Underpinnings

The bike gets a fairly fat 37mm telescopic fork, which is the same as the one on the Xtreme 160R 2V. The rear suspension is a preload-adjustable monoshock.

As I mentioned earlier, the variant that I’ve been testing is the ABS variant, and as such, gets a larger 276mm front disc brake and a 130mm rear drum brake. The tyre sizes on the Xtreme are wider than most other 125cc bikes in India - a 90/90-17 at the front and a 120/80-17 at the rear. In my testing, I found that this hardware translates to pretty good handling.

City Handling

At city speeds, the bike is pretty light on its feet. Moving in and out of traffic was no problem for me, and the wider handlebar provided enough leverage to quickly change direction. My commutes from home to office and back have always been fairly quick and easy, and it has never been a struggle to manage the bike even in heavy traffic.

Highway handling

The bike's quickness in changing direction did make me feel a bit nervous initially, especially at highway speeds. But once I got used to it and learned to trust the tyres, moving around highway traffic quickly felt second nature.

But, the faster you go, it starts feeling very slightly wobbly. I believe this is down to our test bike’s loose cone set (again, a concern about the quality of Hero’s mechanicals). And it felt especially wobbly when riding over the gaps between the concrete slabs of most of our highways here in Maharashtra. 

Braking Performance

But I’ve really come to appreciate how good the bike’s brakes feel. Whether you’re at highway speeds or in the city, squeezing the brake lever slows the bike down very confidently.

And with the inclusion of single-channel ABS, I never had to worry about skidding on slippery roads no matter how hard I braked. For your reference, here’s how the braking performance compares to the TVS Raider in my tests:

Ride Quality

The one thing that Hero has been getting right on their recent bikes is ride quality. And in my experience, the bike is no different. It rides over most bumpy roads and rumble strips really well, and I barely even noticed the bumps at city speeds. But at faster speeds, the rear suspension can feel a bit bouncy over larger bumps. However, the moment I was riding with a pillion, the rear suspension completely calmed down, and almost felt plush over ever larger bumps. The 180mm ground clearance is also generous enough to tackle most Indian roads.

The Hero Xtreme 125R is a great little premium, sporty commuter that offers a very unique design, great handling, good performance and fantastic fuel efficiency. For younger riders who want a sporty-feeling bike that doesn’t break the bank and delivers great mileage, this Xtreme makes a lot of sense.

That said, the lack of too many fancy features might put some people off. And more mature riders might find the Xtreme’s design a bit too aggressive for their daily commutes.

Variants

The Xtreme 125R is currently available in four variants. Refer to the table below for individual variant-wise explainers:

I would recommend the ABS variants of the Xtreme 125R. If you're on a strict budget, then single-channel ABS would do, but if you can, go for the one with dual-channel ABS as it prevents both front and rear wheels from locking up under hard braking. Learn everything about the Hero Xtreme 125 in our detailed buying guide. If you're financing it, Xtreme 125R EMI costs are worth comparing across the IBS and ABS variants, since the price gap between them isn't huge. Hero Xtreme 125R EMI plans should make even the dual-channel ABS variant manageable on a monthly budget, given how close the trims are priced to each other. Either way, Xtreme 125 EMI options make the extra safety of ABS an easy addition to justify.

The Hero Xtreme 125R rivals several sporty 125cc commuters, here's a list of all the detailed comparisons:

• Hero Xtreme 125R vs TVS Raider 125
• Xtreme 125 R vs Bajaj Pulsar N125
• Hero Xtreme 125 vs Bajaj Pulsar NS125
• Hero Xtreme 125 R vs Honda SP125
• Hero Xtreme 125R vs Hero Glamour X 125
• Hero Xtreme vs Honda CB125 Hornet
• Xtreme 125R vs Honda Shine 125
• Xtreme 125 vs Bajaj Pulsar 125
• Hero Xtreme 125 vs Hero Super Splendor 125 Xtec