The 2015 Hero Xtreme Sports gets certain improvements, but the design hasn’t changed much compared to the 2011 CBZ Xtreme which explains the dated looks on the sporty commuter.
The Hero (then Hero Honda) CBZ was one of the first sporty 150cc bikes to have touched the Indian market at the dawn of the new millennium. After a successful run, Hero discontinued the CBZ in favour of other models only to resurrect the brand name with the CBZ Xtreme, a sporty commuter for those who wanted to live ‘Off the edge’, their words not ours. Come 2015 and Hero MotoCorp is back with the Xtreme Sports, a 150cc sports commuter that just won’t let go of its CBZ lineage. Don’t believe us? Have a look.
Comparing designs of the older Hero CBZ Xtreme and the new Xtreme Sport, the bike is essentially the same with very little to differentiate. Either the designers at Hero were planning to invoke nostalgia with the same design language or weren’t too bothered by it in the first place. The bike continues to get the star spoke alloys along with the brushed silver finished exhaust muffler and side cladding. Sure the headlight cluster has changed and is apparently ‘wolf shaped’, but does little to make a substantial difference in the overall looks of the bike.
In addition, the 2015 Hero Xtreme Sports continues to get split seats, brushed silver grab rails and even similar body graphics. The ‘X’ graphic is smaller this time round though. Coming to notable differences, the Xtreme Sports is now a lot more slender while the tail light cluster is new and has been trimmed for a sleek appearance. The instrument cluster too is a recycled unit and misses out on several features while the oddly placed ignition key only makes things complicated. All said and done, the updates do little to make the Xtreme Sports a visually pleasing motorcycle.
Priced at Rs. 83,000/- (on-road, Mumbai), the 2015 Hero Xtreme Sports doesn’t really make a case for itself, especially with much better looking offerings in the segment. So you end up paying for an old looking motorcycle with a tad bit more power on offer. The bike competes against the likes of Suzuki Gixxer, Yamaha FZ FI V2.0, Honda CB Unicorn 160 as well as the upcoming Bajaj Pulsar 150 NS and just happens to leave a lot to be desired, despite having a refined 149cc motor under its belly. Does the Xtreme Sports make sense to you? Let us know in the comments section below.
