Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company are having sizeable
market share in the capacities between 160 and 200 cc for several years. However,
Hero MotoCorp, which had about 15-16 percent hold in the entry-level premium
space just a decade ago, has become a distant memory. The important reason for
losing out to the other two homegrown brands, while dominating mass market
volume segments, is that Hero failed to update its flagship products like
Karizma and went numb when Pulsars and Apaches raised the bar constantly in
performance and equipment wise.
Despite showcasing promising concepts, Hero’s
fallout with Honda was a major blow. Fast-forwarding nine years, the largest
two-wheeler maker in the country is back with more focus on premium products
after making hefty investments in R&D over the years. Hero is banking on
its new 200 cc platform as the Xtreme 200R is waiting to grace the market soon
directly rivalling the Bajaj NS 200 and TVS Apache RTR 200 4V. With the X-Pulse
200 signalling a highly affordable adventure motorcycle by the end of this
year, the platform will bear a couple of other models including a faired
motorcycle. We have here rendered the faired sports tourer taking design
inspiration from the HX250R concept with a bold and edgy body panels
complementing the overall stance of the motorcycle.
With suspension, brakes and other conventional bits
taken from the Xtreme 200R, the tail section adorns the look of the HX250R in
one render and the other mimics that of the Xtreme 200R. It will use similar
hardware as the Xtreme 200R and comes powered by the BS-IV compliant, 200 cc
single-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke engine. Coupled with a five-speed
constant mesh transmission, the engine is capable of pumping out 18.4 PS of
peak power at 8,000 rpm and 17.1 Nm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm.
Hero could
upgrade the engine to closely match the specifications of Bajaj Pulsar RS200 as
well. But it is highly unlikely, as we predict a price tag of around just Rs.
1-1.1 lakh (ex-showroom) by heavily undercutting the competitors like Yamaha
R15 V3. It is expected to be launched by the end of this year as Hero eyes a
strong series of contention with the upcoming 200 cc motorcycles.
