Hero Honda was one of the biggest two-wheeler manufacturer in the country right until the Indian company, Hero Motocorp Ltd. and the Japanese Honda Motor Co. Ltd. decided to split their paths and go their separate ways. No one was sure whether Hero Motorcorp would be able to retain its position in the market without the support from the Japanese giant, but the Indian 2 wheeler giants have been able to maintain their strong positon in the market thanks to many new releases and revamped versions of their older motorbikes too.
One of the most successful bikes from the Hero Honda stable was the 150 cc CBZ extreme introduced in the year 2006. Last year, Hero Motorcorp released a revamped version of the CBZ Xtreme, named the Hero Xtreme. The new release only enjoyed a mild success in the Indian market. Hero recently announced its plans to release an upgraded version of the Xtreme called the Xtreme Sports.
The Xtreme Sports is going to be powered by a 149.2 cc air cooled engine that is capable of churning out 15.2 HP of power and 12.8 Nm of torque. The bike by Hero was supposed to be released at the end of the last year or early this year, but the release got delayed. The reason for the delay was an unusual problem. Thanks to the traffic in the country, the bikers have to frequently turn off their bikes every time they are stuck in traffic or waiting at a traffic light. But because of the odd positioning of the ignition key in the new Xtreme Sports, it becomes very difficult for the rider to switch off the bike frequently. The keyhole is placed on the side of the bike as opposed to the common position in the centre of the console like many cruiser bikes. This is the main reason why Hero Motocorp decided to halt the launch of Xtreme Sports last year and introduce an engine kill switch.
The new Xtreme looks more appealing and sporty than its older sibling thanks to a sharp and edgy design. The Xtreme sports would be competing against Yamaha FZ, Honda CB trigger and the Suzuki Gixxer.
Source: MB
