Hero is going through a resurgence, as they are making their best effort to be a proper contender in the performance motorcycle segment in India. Their latest bike makes that intent abundantly clear, as the legendary Karizma nameplate has been resurrected, with the new Karizma XMR. Priced at Rs 1.73 lakh, ex-showroom (introductory), It is the most expensive bike to wear a Hero badge till date. Once the offer is over, the Price of the XMR will be set at Rs 1.83 lakh, ex-showroom.
The Karizma of yore used to be a sport-tourer, but for the XMR, Hero has gone the supersports route, underpinned by an all-new trellis frame, narrow headlamps, a sharply angled fairing and a unique split-seven spoke alloy wheel design. The slashes on the fairing and the interplay of coloured and black plastics lend it a contemporary look, and it wouldn’t be out of place in the company of modern supersports motorcycles from international manufacturers. The windscreen is height-adjustable as well – something usually seen on much more expensive motorcycles.
But the heart of the matter is without a doubt the new engine. Displacing 210cc, this liquid-cooled four-valve per cylinder single-cylinder motor pumps out 25.5PS and 20.4Nm – the highest ever for any Hero model once again. The engine sends its power through a six-speed transmission and it has a slip-and-assist clutch to manage the output – bot features are seen for the first time on a Hero motorcycle. To bring it down from speed, it gets discs front and rear with dual-channel ABS, again for the first time on a Hero.
The instrument console, in keeping with the times is fully-digital and gets Bluetooth connectivity as well. What we’d like to point out though, are the colours. The XMR will be offered in three colours only – yellow, red and black, which are the most iconic colours of the OG Karizma.
Since its launch in 2003, the Hero Karizma has been one of the most desirable performance motorcycles in the country, and the flagship of the Hero brand. However, waning interest killed the nameplate in 2019, when the last Karizma ZMR rolled off the assembly line. And now, on the 20th anniversary of the launch of the OG Karizma, Hero has given us the XMR, which feels very fitting for the legend. Stay tuned for our First Ride Review, which is embargoed till August 31, 10:00am.
