Hero MotoCorp which has always been the lifeline of motorcycling in India has once again surprised the bikers with the new Karizma XMR.
The Karizma originally launched in 2003 was a milestone in the biking scene of India as it was among the first locally manufactured sports tourer. While imported bikes were still around at that time, Karizma was for the common man.
The Karizma gained popularity like wildfire and 20 years later, it still enjoys the same with the newest Karizma XMR.
The first model in 2003 was built in partnership with Honda and Hero.
However, with the launch of the redesigned Pulsar and especially, the Pulsar 220, Karizma had to face certain drawbacks as in comparison to the 220, it had less power.
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Also, the biking scene was changing in India bringing out new challenges as in the early 2010s, more and more powerful motorcycles were taking over the market.
During that period, Hero-Honda broke out and the rights remained with Hero for the Karizma.
In 2014, Hero decided to launch the redesigned Karizma V2 but this model did not appeal to the new bikers much as it lacked power as compared to other motorcycles in the market.
Some people also claimed that they did not like the looks of the new Karizma and eventually, the Karizma failed.
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Hero decided to discontinue the Karizma in 2019. However, after it was discontinued, the popularity remained.
And with the years, there were calls for a relaunch of the Karizma but with a better engine.
Hence, the Karizma XMR was born with Hero putting more effort into giving the machine more power.
The latest Hero Karizma XMR comes with all new modern features. Hero has claimed that it is the most powerful motorcycle in its class.
The Karizma XMR comes with a 4 Stroke-4 Valve Single Cylinder Liquid Cooled DOHC 210cc engine.
The engine produces 25.5 PS power at 9250 rpm and 20.4 Nm at 7250 rpm of max torque.
For the first time, the Karizma is equipped with a 6-speed gearbox and a mono-shock rear suspension (Gas Charged) system. However, the front suspension still remains the same old telescopic shock absorbers.
It also has a dual channel ABS system with a Dia 300 mm petal disc on its front and 230mm on the rear.
Another upgrade is that the new machine gets a 140/70-17 TL tyre on its rear.
Apart from this, it gets an auto-illuminated class-D LED projector headlamp with LED DRLs.
The Karizma XMR also gets a fully digital instrument cluster with an LCD display ditching its signature instrument cluster system.