As you can probably tell, sporty, small-displacement commuters are all the rage in the Indian market. Indian motorcycle enthusiasts love bikes with sporty styling, but packing approachable performance and dependable tech. After all, India is home to some of the harshest road conditions, so it goes without saying that bikes there need to be built tough, and should the time come, be easy to repair and service.
A good example of this is the newly launched Hero Karizma XMR 210, a fully faired commuter packing some impressive tech and performance. The release of the XMR 210 is also the revival of the Karizma nameplate, which has been on a hiatus for the better part of three years. In its XMR form, it looks like a down-sized sport-tourer, with its full-fairing, windscreen, and raised clip-on handlebars.
The Karizma XMR is powered by a 210cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine that produces 25.5 horsepower and 14 pound-feet (20.4 Newton-meters) of torque. A six-speed manual gearbox sends power to the rear wheels. This new engine is housed in a steel trellis frame, and the suspension hardware consists of a standard telescopic fork and a preload adjustable rear mono-shock.
A front 11-inch (300-millimeter) disc and a rear 9.05-inch (230-millimeter) rotor perform braking duties, and are supplemented by dual-channel ABS, marking Hero MotoCorp's first model to feature this safety technology. Unlike single-channel ABS, dual-channel ABS incorporates wheel speed sensors on both wheels, enabling better ABS response.
The sporty commuter motorbike has an adjustable windscreen, which is a first in its class, as well as an LCD instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity for convenient turn-by-turn navigation. To top it all off, the XMR comes standard with all-LED lighting, lending it an even more contemporary and athletic appearance.
Just launched in the Indian market, Hero MotoCorp's new Karizma XMR 210 is offered in three colorways consisting of Iconic Yellow, Turbo Red, and Matte Phantom Black. The motorcycle is offered at an introductory price of Rs 172,900 (about $2,089 USD), and will later carry a sticker price of Rs 182,900 ($2,210 USD).
