The Hero XPulse 200 dual-purpose adventure motorcycle will be an affordable alternative to the Royal Enfield Himalayan and upcoming KTM 390 Adventure
Hero MotoCorp unveiled the XPulse amidst huge expectations at last year’s EICMA show in Italy and a few months later it did show its face to the Indian public at the 2018 Auto Expo. It is the spiritual successor of the Impulse that entered way ahead of its time and was discontinued from production in 2016 due to lack of demand and stricter BSIV emission regulations.
Having strategically positioned the Xtreme 200R against 200 cc competitors and in the middle of some of the 160 cc sporty motorcycles, Hero has now turned its attention towards launching the XPulse 200. Its market debut is expected before the end of this financial year as March 2019 is tipped to be the month of arrival.
Hero could fast track its debut a few months but we do not have a clear confirmation over it yet. What we do know is that it has all the signs to become the most affordable adventure bike in India and inject a new breed of enthusiasm into young customers for dual sport riding.
Likely to be priced at around 1-1.2 lakh (ex-showroom), the XPulse 200 creates a niche of its own and will be trying to overshadow the underwhelming response received for its agile 150 cc Impulse sibling. In comparison, it is believed to cost at least Rs. 70,000 cheaper than Royal Enfield’s Himalayan, the current highly accessible adv in the market.
Just as the Xtreme 200R, Hero could target volume sales with the XPulse and it uses the same powertrain as its naked street brother. The 199.6 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke engine develops 18.4 PS of maximum power and 17.1 Nm of peak torque, mated to a five-speed transmission.
Tipping the weighing scale at just 140 kg, it has a better power-to-weight ratio than the Himalayan and adorns a sleek profile with clean body panels. The main highlights of the XPulse 200 are LED lighting units up front and rear, long travel suspension system with telescopic front forks and rear monoshock, tall wind protector, high mounted exhaust, compact rear end, etc.
Running on 21-inch and 18-inch front and rear wired wheels respectively, it has ABS, 220 mm ground clearance and turn by turn navigation. It will act as an affordable alternative to the Kawasaki Versys X-300, BMW G310 GS and upcoming KTM 390 Adventure.
Hero XPulse 200 Images
