At the 2023 EICMA show, Hero MotoCorp has unveiled five new concepts to the world. This is not counting the company’s foray into European markets with the Vida V1 Pro electric scooter. The five unveils included concepts like the 2.5R Xtunt, an electric dirt bike — Lynx, an electric bike for kids called the Acro and what is closer to production — the Xoom 125R and the Xoom 160. You can read more about these concepts by clicking on them. For now, let's take a look at the Xoom 160.
The Hero Xoom 160 deploys maxi-scooter styling which is a departure from anything we have seen from Hero up until now. The scooter gets a split LED headlight setup on top of which sits a tall windscreen and an almost adventure bike-like front end. In typical maxi-scooter fashion, you don’t have a flat footwell but sidestep on either side to place your feet. The scooter looks substantial and will also have a bunch of accessories displayed on the unit at EICMA.
Like the Xoom 125R, the Xoom 160 also comes with 14-inch wheels, but based on appearance, these seem wider than on the 125R. They are also fitted with block-pattern tyres, which suggests that the scooter should also be able to handle some extent of soft-roading. Hero certainly believes that this will be able to go for longer distances, as suggested by the inclusion of a topbox on the demo scooter at the EICMA stall. In terms of suspension, this gets a traditional telescopic fork setup at the front and twin sprig shocks at the rear. In terms of the engine on offer, all we know is that it is a 156cc, single-cylinder, liquid- cooled unit and makes 14bhp at 8000rpm and 13.7Nm at 6500rpm. It also gets Hero MotoCorp’s patented i3s silent start and idle stop feature. With a full tank of gas, the Xoom 160 weighs 141kg.
The Hero Xoom 160 will come equipped with features like LED lighting, keyless ignition, a remote seat opening function, and smart find, which allows you to find the scooter in a parking space by pressing a button on your keyfob. Whether or not this scooter will have phone connectivity and navigation functions is something that remains to be seen. But considering that this will be the company’s flagship scooter, it will be safe to assume that these features will be present.
The Hero Xoom 160 like the 125R also looks close to production and shows launch sooner rather than later. In terms of rivals, the Xoom 160 will go up against the likes of the Aprilia SXR 160 and the Yamaha Aerox 155.