Small-displacement sportbikes may not make sense to you at first, as a sportbike is meant to be sporty and fast, right? Well, over in the Asian market, there’s a wide selection of pseudo-sportbikes that sort of look like sportbikes, but are actually meant to be commuters for use in the city. I’m not talking about the likes of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R – neither am I referring to the likes of the Yamaha YZF-R15M.
These small machines are full-fledged sportbikes in their own right, as they feature low-slung clip-ons and high rearsets; an ergonomics package that’s in line with what we associate with sportbikes. I’m talking about commuter-focused machines like the Suzuki Gixxer SF, Bajaj Pulsar RS200, and the newly launched Hero Xtreme 200S 4V. These bikes are all popular in India, and provide commuters with a sporty-looking motorbike to use on a daily basis.
Speaking of Hero MotoCorp, the brand just released the Xtreme 200S 4V in India, and as I mentioned earlier, it gives commuters a sporty machin e to hit the road on a daily basis. As you’d probably expect, style is the name of the game when it comes to this bike, and when it’s parked, it could very easily be mistaken for a full-fledged sportbike. After all, it gets full fairings, LED lights, and a sporty stance. Upon closer inspection, however, you’ll notice that this bike is rocking a tall clip-on style handlebar and mid-set foot controls.
On the performance side of the equation, Hero has made use of its tried and tested single-cylinder workhorse, a 199.6cc, air and oil-cooled, fuel-injected engine. This utilitarian motor pumps out a respectable 19 horsepower and 12 pound-feet of torque, which is by no means lightning-fast, but capable enough to chug along city streets and open highways.
Apart from style and reliability, accessibility is another important factor when it comes to bikes like this. Indeed, the Xtreme 200S 4V is sold for a fairly attractive price tag of Rs 141,000, or about $1,718 USD. Adding to the appeal are three two-tone colorways consisting of Moon Yellow, Panther Black Metallic, and Matte Axis Gray Metallic.
