Hero Xpulse 200 is a lightweight and affordable adventure motorcycle that features plenty of dedicated off-road spec equipment
The wait is finally over as Hero Motocorp has launched their most affordable 200cc adventure motorcycle the Xpulse 200 in India recently. The prices for the Xpulse 200 starts at around Rs 94,000 (ex-showroom) while the fuel injected variant, on the other hand, is priced at around Rs 1.05 lakh (ex-showroom).
The newest member of the Hero Motocorp family is also the successor of the Impulse 150 that was launched back in the year 2011 and promises to pack a lot more punch from its bigger and more powerful engine. That said, for those of you who are still not aware, the Xpulse 200 is available in two variants: The adventure spec and off-road biased Xpulse 200 and the touring-ready road-spec Xpulse 200T.
Simple and dedicated styling
The Xpulse 200 gets a simple design that looks practical from every angle. The body panels are minimal on this motorcycle in order to prevent any sort of damage when the motorcycle takes a fall. Moreover, Hero wanted to make the motorcycle as lightweight as they can so that it handles well on any sort of terrain.
The Xpulse 200 weighs just 154 kilograms that make it almost 37 kilograms lighter than its closest rival the RE Himalayan. The rest of the motorcycle too gets some useful features including an engine kill switch, rear grab rail with provision for adding a top box, etc.
Plenty of modern features
The good news is that the Xpulse200 is definitely one of the most featured packed motorcycles that Hero has launched in recent times. The Xpulse 200 gets plenty of modern element that includes a full LED headlamp and taillamp, an advanced instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity. The instrument cluster offers turn by turn navigation, call alert, SMS readout and more besides displaying some other relevant information like gear indicator, trip meter, service reminder, etc.
Off-road ready
The Xpulse 200 gets a long list of dedicated offroad equipment that will help it overcome any terrain. The Xpulse 200 is underpinned by a high tensile steel frame. The front profile gets dedicated 21-inch front wheel while the rear profile gets an 18-inch wheel. The wheels get wrapped with dual purpose tyres from Ceat. For your information, these are the same sized wheels that you also find in Hero’s Dakar spec motorcycle.
To protect the engine from getting damaged the motorcycle also gets an aluminium bash plate, knuckle guards to protect the gear and clutch levers, a high-mounted mudguard. The upswept exhaust also ensures that the motorcycle has a better water wading capability. Lastly, it also gets an impressive 220 mm ground clearance but the seat height has been kept low for easy access.
Fuel injected engine option
The Hero Xpulse 200 is powered by a 199.6cc single-cylinder, 2-valve engine. This engine has been tuned to produce around 18.1 bhp of peak power and 17.1 Nm of peak torque. The unit is paired with a 5-speed gearbox. The Xpulse 200 is available with both the carburetted and fuel-injected engine option.
Dedicated suspension and braking setup
The Xpulse 200 gets a completely different and dedicated suspension setup. The motorcycle uses 37 mm telescopic forks at the front with 190 mm travel and a 10-step adjustable gas-charged monoshock unit at the rear with 170 mm travel. This suspension setup has been tuned to soak up some serious amount of bump while travelling off the tarmac. To bring the motorcycle to halt Hero has equipped the Xpulse 200 with a 276 mm petal front disc brake at the front and a 220 mm petal disc brake at the rear. A single channel ABS is also offered as standard.
Closest rival
The Xpulse 200 is one of a kind motorcycle that promises to offer a better rideability and handling than any other motorcycle in its segment. The long suspension setup and lightweight chassis definitely adds to its advantage, however, we do feel that it is slightly underpowered compared to its closest rival the Royal Enfield Himalayan. The Himalayan gets a more powerful 411cc engine that produces more power and torque than the Xpulse 200. Still, the Hero Xpulse 200 can create a fan base of its own because it brings a lot to the table at an affordable price point.