Find out whether the affordable and feature-packed Hero Xpulse 200 is a better replacement for the now discontinued Impulse 150 or not
We have informed you a couple of times already that Hero has launched their affordable adventure motorcycle the Xpulse 200 in India recently. The Xpulse 200 is the successor of the Impulse 150 that was launched back in 2011 but Hero decided to discontinue it in the year 2017 due to its poor sales numbers. Now in this spec comparison review, we try to find out whether the newly launched Xpulse is a worthy successor to the Impulse or not.
We will be comparing both the Hero Xpulse 200 and Impulse 150, on the basis of their styling, engine, brakes, suspension, and prices. So without wasting any more time let us get straight into the details.
Hero Xpulse 200 Vs Hero Impulse 150 Styling
If we compare both the motorcycles on the basis of their design then both the Xpulse 200 and the Impulse 150 look almost identical. Both the adventure motorcycles feature a beak shaped raised mudguard towards the front and a long suspension travel. The newly launched Xpulse 200 gets plenty of modern features which include a new all-LED headlamp, fully digital instrument cluster with Smartphone integration via Bluetooth, etc.
The Xpulse 200 also gets a small windscreen towards the front which by the way is missing on the Impulse 150. The Xpulse is also equipped with slightly bigger 21-inch wheels towards the front and smaller 18-inch wheels at the rear shod with Ceat Gripp dual purpose tyres and an engine bash plate to protect it from any external damage.
The Impulse 150 on the other hand too gets a long suspension travel towards the front and an upswept exhaust that allows more water wading capability. If you take a closer look the Xpulse 200 looks slightly bigger in dimension than the Impulse 150 which adds more road presence. To conclude things both the Impulse and recently launched Xpulse looks like a proper adventure motorcycle however, the Xpulse 200 is obviously a much more modern and updated motorcycle than its predecessor.
Hero Xpulse 200 Vs Hero Impulse 150 Powertrain
The recently launched Xpulse 200 is powered by a 199.6cc, single cylinder, air-cooled BS-IV compliant engine. This unit is capable of producing about 18.4 Ps of peak power at 8,000 rpm and 17.1 Nm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm. The engine is paired with a 5-speed gearbox. This is the same engine which also powers the Xpulse 200T, Xtreme 200R, and the Xtreme 200S.
The good news is that the Xpulse 200 is available with both Carburetor and fuel injection as well. The Impulse 150, on the other hand, used to be powered by a 149.5cc, air-cooled engine. The engine produced about 13 bhp of peak power 7,500 rpm and 13.4 Nm of peak torque at 5,000 rpm. The unit was paired with a 5-speed gearbox. The Impulse 150 was lighter than the Impulse and weighed only about 134 kilograms.
| Specs | Hero Xpulse 200 | Hero Impulse 150 |
| Engine | 200cc air-cooled | 149.5cc air-cooled |
| Power | 18 BHP | 13 BHP |
| Torque | 17 Nm | 13.4 Nm |
| Transmission | 6-speed | 5-speed |
Suspension and brakes
The Xpulse 200 relies on a 37 mm telescopic forks at the front with 190 mm travel and 10 step adjustable monoshock unit at the rear with 170mm travel. The motorcycle uses a 276mm disc brake at the front and a 220 mm disc at the rear.A single channel ABS is also offered as standard for the safety of the rider.
The Impulse 150 relied on a telescopic Hydraulic Shock Absorbers at the front and mono suspension with Nitrox at the rear. The motorcycle depended on a 240 mm disc brake towards the front and a drum brake at the rear. There was no option of an ABS available with the motorcycle.
Price
The Hero Xpulse 200 is priced at Rs 97,000 (ex-showroom) for the carburetted version and Rs. 1.05 lakh for the fuel-injected model. The Hero Impulse on the other hand, was priced at around Rs 71,400 (ex-showroom) but we have already informed you earlier that Hero has discontinued the motorcycle in 2017.
Verdict
The recently launched Xpulse 200 surely is a no-nonsense adventure motorcycle from Hero which has the capability to create a fanbase of its own. The Xpulse 200 is obviously powerful than the Impulse 150 that it replaced recently. The Xpulse 200 also gets a bigger 21-inch wheel at the front that will help the rider overcome any obstacle and provide better control of the motorcycle on any terrain.
It also gets plenty of modern features including a full LED headlamp and taillamp, full digital instrument cluster and ABS for the safety of the rider. All these features and a more powerful engine helps keeps the Xpulse 200 ahead of the Impulse 150 by a fair margin.