Within the premium 125cc motorcycle segment, TVS used to have an absolute monopoly with Raider 125. Rightfully so as it is a tech-loaded motorcycle with a no-nonsense approach. Hero MotoCorp has entered the chat with its newly launched Xtreme 125R. So, a natural comparison was evident. That’s exactly what we are doing.
But this comparison wouldn’t make sense without the OG premium 125cc motorcycle, which is Pulsar NS125. Before starting, we must acknowledge how well Pulsar NS125 has established relevancy even today with just a few sticker changes since inception. NS160 is like a sexy grandpa. Anil Kapoor, if we may.
However, all eyes are currently on the newest kid on the block, Hero Xtreme 125R. It is easily the sportiest motorcycle in this comparo. The new design is edgy and has a muscular and characterful appeal that will appeal to younger riders. This way, Xtreme 125R offers more street presence than the other two.
Where powertrains are concerned, all of them have a single-cylinder engine that displace close to 125cc. TVS Raider is the only one to get a 3V head and is oil-cooled with a clever implementation that doesn’t need an active cooling system. Pulsar NS125 has a 4V head too. Power and torque figures are almost the same and all contenders get a 5-speed gearbox.
However, Bajaj Pulsar NS125 weighs 144 kg, which is 21 kg more than Raider’s 123 kg and 8 kg more than Xtreme’s 136 kg. It is the biggest of the bunch too and has tallest seat height along with biggest fuel tank at 12L. Fuel efficiency is highest with Raider at 67 km/l and Xtreme isn’t far off at 66 km/l. What is far off, is Pulsar NS125 with 56.4 km/l claimed efficiency.
Hero did the right choice of going with fatter rubber with Xtreme 125R and this contributes to the bike’s overall macho appeal. For context, both Raider and NS125 get 80/100-17 front and 100/90-17 rear tyres, while Xtreme packs 90/90-17 front and 120/80-17 rear tyres. The concept of rear disc brakes and USD front forks hasn’t entered this price bracket in motorcycles yet.
Hero is the only one to offer single-channel ABS, which is a commendable move by Hero. All three motorcycles in this comparo get a rear mono-shock suspension setup. Hero offers LED lighting all around including turn indicators. Raider offers halogen indicators, while NS125 offers halogen headlights and indicators.
Where features are concerned, only Pulsar lacks USB charging port and a fully digital instrument cluster. Speaking of, Hero offers an LCD unit that supports Bluetooth connectivity for call and SMS alerts. But TVS Raider 125 is in a league of its own as it offers a 5-inch TFT screen with Bluetooth features like navigation, call management, notifications, weather and sports updates, voice assist along with 99 connected features.
While a single variant of Pulsar NS125 costs the highest at Rs. 1,04,896 (ex-sh), pricing of Hero Xtreme 125R and TVR Raider 125 are pretty much neck and neck. Because I work in automotive media and get to attend media drives, one of my cousins asked me how Hero Xtreme 125R was, as he was planning to buy one.
As Raider 125 is more bang for the buck, along with features to make riding in big cities convenient, I asked him to look at it once before buying. He replied that he wouldn’t consider Raider as it split opinions on headlight design. I think that sums up this comparison. The new design that Hero is bringing, is likely to leave its mark on buyers and seems to be hard to shake off, even with a much fatter brochure.