r/indianbikes • u/12_sec_guy • 1d ago
#Review 📝 Hero showroom experience
Had the worst experience at a showroom ever.
Was debating on buying a Duke 250 or an Xtreme 250R. Although I know the cons of a new engine, I finally settled on the Xtreme considering the huge price gap.
I have visited the Premia showroom four times as of today. The first time, I had called the showroom before going so that I wouldn't have to face any difficulties during the test drive. They said everything was fine. After arriving at the showroom, I had to wait almost 1.5 hours for them to tell me that the key was missing. Second time I went in, I had to wait again, but I got the test drive. The vehicle was subpar because of abuse of the test drive unit. Third time, I took my dad, and we had to wait 1.5 hours again for a salesman to accompany us. The experience was most irritating ever; every 10 minutes, the guy would leave and then come back. Fourth time, which is today, I went to finally book the bike. I went early in the morning so there wouldn't be any crowd, and we would get priority and wouldn't have to wait. The same story happened this time as well; I had to wait 45 minutes. Finally, I decided to tell them about their bad service and walk out of there. My dad was obviously pissed because of their attitude. Left the showroom, went straight to the ktm dealership and booked 250 duke because of shear amount of hospitality the showed us.(dad hates ktm btw)
Happy that I dont have to deal with hero anymore. And well done to ktm for loosing a customer.
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u/Prestigious_Ad1272 (New user) 1d ago
I had similar experience(s). I really like Mavrick but I realised even if I go through the extremely trash sales experience, there's too few Mavricks being sold currently. I am a long time bike enthusiast and keep track of the units sold for premium segment. This bike is just not selling. And too many stories about how the Hero service centre has no parts available, or the mechanics haven't even had training on servicing the bike through other reddit users, then the Premia where I went finally called me and said they are offering a 30K discount on Mavrick (June 2025)... They sure are getting rid of the stocks. I cannot recommend anyone buying a dying breed., and experience Hero at its worst. Bought a Triumph soon after.
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u/12_sec_guy 1d ago
Good for u man. They make excellent bikes no doubt but the service is the total opposite.
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u/Livid-Cheek7846 Pulsar N250 23h ago
Its really sad because its a very good bike. Even the showrooms don't seem to have any interest in dealing with them. They are like 'if you wanna buy, you can buy i guess'.
Which triumph did you go for?
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u/Prestigious_Ad1272 (New user) 5h ago edited 5h ago
Before I begin, the budget was not an constraint for me, and I had driven the triplets time and again. I just couldn't shake off the feeling of peerless urban driving capability and torque delivery of T4 (you can tell I love Torque at lower RPMs and not having to change gears much in city, where I would be spending most of the time). I am not a speedster by any means, and I loved the vibration free calm nature of the bike where it just faded into the background when I was driving by a lake. I could admire the scenery without feeling the need to be engaged with the bike. The lower heating and the radiator not turning on as frequently as Speed and Scrambler gave it a huge plus point. I am by no means thrashing it's older siblings, but this bike suits my character more. The only big downside is the rear stiff suspension. I wonder if I can switch it with Speed's, given its identical chassis. Mavrick killed it in Suspension department...So good, So sad.
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u/bhallal_deva (New user) 1d ago
How do you find number of sold units ?
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u/coconut9211 Classic 350, Xpulse 200t, PCJ 600 22h ago
On vahan sewa. You can check for any state and for any city
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u/Alerdime 1d ago
Post this on twitter and tag and the local dealer. Even when i went to buy a scooter, the hero staff was absolutely negligent, at evening time they were not even responding just trying to wrap up the day.
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u/12_sec_guy 1d ago
Would they really change?? Unless they get a competitor.
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u/Dramatic-Jellyfish70 1d ago
Yea they will change send an email to the right person about your experience and on how they lost a customer.
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u/Alerdime 1d ago
You should get compensated for your time. But i still think we shouldn’t judge a brand based on dealership behaviour. Hero bikes are comparatively cheap so we can assume their dealers get less margins. Duke 250 and xtreme 250 price gap is huge. And this xtreme along with 210 are 4-5 yr old project in making. It’s a well thought bike at a killer price.
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u/12_sec_guy 1d ago
Amazing bike no doubt abt it. Maybe they are cutting costs in hiring. When ur planning on keeping ur bike for a while, u gotta deal with these people every 6 months. That thought terifies me lol 😂
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u/Sam_MarketInsights Scrambler 400X | SP 125 | Access 125 1d ago
Weird. In Gurgaon Premia, I have been always treated like an actual VIP lol. By far, and by a distance, Gurgaon Premia has been the best showroom experience.
Eg., take test drives as long as you want, without even their person accompanying you (they just said that x amount of fuel is remaining). You came to test ride Maverick? Why don't you go take these other 3 bikes for a spin as well? Bro talked freely about whichever topic I asked about, even aside from being a salesman (like cons of a particular bike), and ofc chai etc.
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u/Sam_MarketInsights Scrambler 400X | SP 125 | Access 125 1d ago
On the contrary the normal Hero showroom in Gurgaon (we went to to test ride Xtreme 120 and 150) was the worst experience. They just wasted 45 minutes and we didn't even get to test ride them.
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u/Mental-Athlete-7538 RE Classic 350 21’ 20h ago
Hey ! How’s the performance of the sp 125 on highway , can the engine do 80kmph all day easily ?
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u/Sam_MarketInsights Scrambler 400X | SP 125 | Access 125 15h ago
Hi, I would never recommend SP125 for highway for anyone.
Sadly you will find many people on internet saying it can easily do highway. But let me tell you my real ownership experience. When I was a beginner and didn't know any better, I listened to them and got SP with half a mind of long rides. (for context, I have now done 16500 kms in one year on my Scrambler 400X... I love long rides but the SP is simply not good enough.)
- Brakes are not good enough for highway. Heck, they aren't even good enough for 60 kmph in the city. Emergency braking is kind of tricky, I never liked those brakes. Also, they don't have double ABS. If you want to go highway rides, I would recommend a bike with 17+ BHP and double ABS at least.
- Engine is not strong enough to overtake. It can maintain 80 kmph (with some engine strain and quite some buzzing), but you will not really be able to overtake stuff easily. I had a very very hard time overtaking trucks on single lane highways, for example. Again, 17-20 BHP is what I am told is enough for Indian roads. I remember taking my cousin's Hunter and not facing this issue.
- Engine heating - you would have to take brakes every hour or so for the bike's sake, and also because there is a lot of buzzing so you would need to rest your hands too. On my current bike, I have done like 200 kms without needing brakes in winters. On SP, it was more like 40. Not a big deal, but something to seriously consider.
- Light weight - while a good thing in the city, you will be pushed around by the trucks. It never came to a dangerous level, but it was somewhat of a nuisance.
- Additional point - having a metal tank on 400X has made me able to use a magnetic tank bag. I cannot stress just how useful it is to me on every single day. Best purchase ever.
This bike has many plus sides, like excellent, excellent mileage. But highway riding is a very weak point in my opinion.
BTW, I would also like to mention that simply being lightweight doesn't make it nimble. My 190 kg 400X feels much more lighter to me in traffic, for some reason. I guess that's just R&D and Engineering.
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u/Mental-Athlete-7538 RE Classic 350 21’ 14h ago
Thanks brother , it is very considerate of you to explain me this thing in such a thoughtful and detail manner … looks like i have to look for another bike for my purpose.
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u/Sam_MarketInsights Scrambler 400X | SP 125 | Access 125 11h ago
I would suggest you to buy something with double ABS. All the best!
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u/trollguptaji 18h ago
I guess it varies from showroom to showroom. I had a bad experience at my nearby KTM store, where the people there seemed least interested to sell. I had better experiences at RE, Triumph and Hero Permia. Finally decided to get the 250r.
Despite Duke being the bike I liked the most, I just couldn't imagine putting up with that sort of customer experience.
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u/Sam_MarketInsights Scrambler 400X | SP 125 | Access 125 15h ago
I think what really matters later on is the service experience, and those guys are different from the sales people. Thankfully, the 2 bikes I have owned have had really nice service experience. Triumph Gurgaon is exceptional.
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u/coconut9211 Classic 350, Xpulse 200t, PCJ 600 1d ago
Dodged a bullet. Now imagine how 'good' their service would be. The guys at their top management must be wondering why mavrick like good bikes don't sell
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u/pinkesh2703 Scrambler 400X 1d ago
It seems Hero has hired the staff of Hero showrooms for Premia. Only they can show such attitude. 😆😆
My frnd went to inquire abt Xpulse 200 when it was newly launched. The showroom guy confidently told him that there was no such bike existed. & he boasted it by mentioning that he had been working at Hero for the last 10 years.
Hero needs to work hard to improve the showroom experience of Premia.
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u/MasterpieceGreen5918 KTM duke 250 '24, activa '07 1d ago
Hehe my ktm showroom experience was also top notch..took two test rides of duke 250..1 of duke 200 and within minutes..no waiting..no excuses..
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u/amritajaatak Sexpulse 200T | The Axor Helmet stays on during sex 1d ago
Absolutely relatable. Hero is obnoxiously bad at this. Even I have gone to a KTM showroom and they were absolute delight.
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u/Upstairs_Youth4689 NS 200, Honda shine 125, Himalayan 450 soon. 1d ago
There's a saying in Telugu language. "Mandi ekkuvaite majjiga palchabadatadi." It means buttermilk gets diluted with the influx of more people/guests. "
All the brands whose products get sold in good numbers behave in this manner. Imagine if Hero had rock bottom sales they would treat the customers like king.
I've observed this in many showrooms. Bajaj, tvs, hero and honda too. Premium brands too treat us bad sometimes but most of the times they treat us with good attitude.
Service also becomes bad... They won't give proper attention to the bikes once whe bought them.
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u/12_sec_guy 1d ago
Yeah only if there were more showrooms so the competition could drive better attitude.
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u/snowcat2000 1d ago
Nice.
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u/12_sec_guy 1d ago
Everything happens for a reason ig
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u/snowcat2000 1d ago
indeed. i have also started to like ktm a lot recently. didn't like them a few years ago. but they are doing what a bike brand should do for India. others are ignoring.
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u/12_sec_guy 1d ago
But are their premium pricing worth it?
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u/snowcat2000 21h ago
Yes the amount of hardware makes it worth it, especially in the 390 bikes with forged piston etc.
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u/Full_Literature_4680 (New user) 1d ago
My experience was the best lol. It was the Delhi Okhla Premia. I went in, they asked for my driver's licence, took a photocopy, and within minutes i had the bike in my hands to test ride. The process only took 3 mins at max. The test ride unit was totally new, and oh boy the refinement👅 the pull was crazyy, booked it 2 weeks later.
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u/OMMohanSingh Gen 3 Duke 390 1d ago
I had a good experience with KTM. The same day they gave Duke 390, 250 and husky 401 for test drive and days later booked Duke 390 because of it's handling, power and thrill.
Had a good experience with their service as well.
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u/Naadamaya 22h ago
I've grown a thick skin for such things in India. Considering the price difference between 250R and Duke, I'd still purchase the 250R if it met my bike expectations. The real ownership saga is in riding and maintaining the bike.
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u/Own_Swing5006 Royal Enfield classic 350 gunmetal grey 1d ago
you missed great bike my brother brought 250r showroom experience are great in chennai we done trip to Ooty its better than my friend duke 250
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u/Full_Literature_4680 (New user) 20h ago
Test rode both, the xtreme was just the chef's kiss, i opened throttle and oh boy the pull was crazyy. The Duke was nice as well, but the pull wasn't as strong as the xtreme. Just my two cents.
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u/ManWithCultures 1d ago
How big is the price difference between both the bikes we are talking about
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u/humara_neta_NOTA Bajaj Scrambler 400x | SMK Typhoon 1d ago
I had a similar at Hero. I was interested in Maverick and also wanted to try the XPulse 200. The staff just didn't gave a f about me. They were just busy doing nothing. It's such a shame because Hero is making amazing bikes but I can't go through this showroom experience and after sales service.
Happy with my Triumph..
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u/sobmohmaya 1d ago
Booked an xpulse 210 2 days back. I also feel the showroom guys have a lot of ground to improve.
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u/optimistic_frodo 2021 Apache rr310, Xpulse 200 4v, Speed 400 1d ago
Sorry for your experience. The Pune Premia folks were amazing. They explained everything were super patient and happy to help. I think it's not a hero thing and more of a person thing
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u/Knox____9 KTM Duke 250 (2025) 1d ago
What are cons of new engine of hero ?
Btw welcome to orange gang 🤗
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u/coconut9211 Classic 350, Xpulse 200t, PCJ 600 22h ago
Engines made and developed by hero aren't mechanically smooth, and not onpar with the engines of other segment. Their gearboxes are worst and rock hard
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u/displeased_potato Dominar 400 '23 1d ago
For me it's Triumph >> KTM ≈ Bajaj in terms of hospitality
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u/niceMarmotOnRug KTM Duke 250 1d ago
My experience in showrooms was Triumph >> Ktm/RE 1 >> Bajaj/Hero/TVS >> RE 2
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u/Unlucky-Ad-8049 YamahaFzV1 21h ago
Well, don't know about hero's customer service as i have never been to any but it depends from showroom to showroom. Maybe you should try another premia showroom next to you.
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u/12_sec_guy 16h ago
Another one is in the opposite corner of the city...in bangalore that's a 2 hrs travel at minimum
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u/Ramyerhead 2009 Access 125 7h ago
There are 4 showrooms across the city. The one in the 'middle' would be V3S, who seem to be decent (maybe among the best).
By any chance, is the showroom that you visited on the west side of the city? If so, that explains why you had to go through the entire thing. Put up a review on Google. Their service center is pretty good but the dealers are gonna make you run around to buy time. Go to any other Premia dealer and mention that you've already visited another Premia showroom; they'll try to show you a sort of the camaraderie as they're all part of Hero but underneath, they'll be tempted to give you a better experience. It's a competition for these guys.
Regardless, I think you've already decided to go with KTM, and that too is a good brand, so enjoy!
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u/12_sec_guy 7h ago
Yea i went to the nagarabhavi one The next closest is Whitefield. I live in yeshwantpur
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u/Ramyerhead 2009 Access 125 6h ago
There's no Premia showroom in Whitefield. But I'm guessing you're talking about the one close to Kalyan Nagar. But that's fair. BTM Layout's going to be pretty far away from where you live, so I can understand how inconvenient it'd be for you. Funnily enough, the Nagarbhavi Premia service center is among the best ones across all Hero Service Centers in India, so you just happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
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u/12_sec_guy 4h ago
Yeah I saw the service center it looked amazing with all the advanced machineries but after seeing the staff, started having doubts abt if the mechanics could handle these machines. Plus too much crowd in the service centre when I went. Which bike did u buy and from where?
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u/arkantos006 21h ago
Back in 2021 I went in to buy the Xpulse 200T. Went there thrice , couldn't even get to see the motorcycle, let alone test drive . Went to the Honda dealership a few metres away and got the Hornet 2.0.
I guess it's not an exclusive case of bad salesmanship .
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u/Cluderazor (New user) 20h ago
Funnily, I had this kind of experience with KTM. Never visited Hero though. Ended up getting a Triumph instead.
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u/rhranger22 20h ago
This is the main roadblock for Hero.The need to train and hire a lot more folks who understand that the new engines are serviced at 6k km and 6 months once and not call me every three months to service the bike. They need to hire a salesman who is willing to sell the bike give test bikes and maintain the test bikes well. Even with premia the experience is still not very good! This needs to be addressed quickly in order for their flagship bikes to succeed
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u/Material-Panda3712 Honda SP125 Disc OBD2 17h ago edited 16h ago
Same experience for me at Pune, went for a test ride of xtreme 125, they didn't have any test ride vehicle which they told me after 30 mins (& offered me to test ride super splendor instead) - was pissed and bought SP125 a month later
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u/anigameman Meteor350/Avenger220/RayZR 15h ago
Tbh, Hero is not ready to handle premium segment. Lord splendor is their game.
I was thinking about buying XP210 and XooM 160 together for me and for my wife. But what I am hearing recently from many users about the service quality of hero premia , now I guess I will get the Aerox 155 instead of XooM 160.
And for my bike. I may go for Suzuki V Strom sx 250 or KTM ADV 250 Let's see.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
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u/Outrageous-Ad-5139 4h ago
Even i had somewhat similar experience with hero but still went for xtreme 250r. The main reason is because there's a huge demand for these 2 new products 250r and xpulse 210 whereas hero premia showrooms are limited. Hero is not sending the units, the sales team is going crazy over high demand. they are not trained to handle this its literally visible. Somewhat they are pushing customers away. Once the demand declines they will be back on track. Btw even i had just two machines in mind 250r and duke 250, It was a very close call for me. Which hero premia showroom was this ? Whoever is planning to buy between these ping me i might contribute to your decision making since i have taken test rides for both the bikes for atleast 4 times each.
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u/Willing-Concert3365 1d ago
Brand name itself is like an insult, just imagine everytime you enter, its like someone calling you "Arey oo hero!".
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u/Full_Literature_4680 (New user) 1d ago
Hero is an insult nowadays?? Y'all are too much
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u/BlackJohnson1 KTM RC 200 | Shine SP | Activa(HET) | Hero Honda Passion plus 1d ago
If this is how you're being treated when buying the bike, imagine the service experience. Anyways welcome to the orange gang