XPULSE 200...A "Hero" or a Villain ???

When Hero launched impulse back in 2011 it was the first Indian purpose build off-roader, but none was ready for an off-road bike as we never found it appealing compared to our beloved commuters. It was not accepted by the mass and was a terrible failure in sales even though it was an absolutely incredible machine. 

Years passed by and the Indian automotive enthusiasts realised the value of the gem by Hero Motocorp. Everyone started to appreciate the bike after it was discontinued and that lead to limited availability of bike, that too just on second hand market. This made literally everyone to wish for another standout decision by Hero motocorp to relaunch the Impulse 150...

It was not a long ago when hero teased the X-pulse 200, It looked similar yet different to the older sibling, The concept did made quite a buzz and many waited it to get launched. But, to be frank I was pretty skeptical about the X-pulse, Hero after the breakup with Honda actually went through a very tough time, Their products starts to lose the reliability factor it used to represent and fill it shut it forget it tagline too started fading as fuel efficiency of later hero motorcycles too starts to decrease. They tried to date Eric Buel Racing and teased the HX250R and Hastur 600 which blown everyones mind.... but only came to know Hero was literally "teasing" the Indian motorcycle enthusiasts.  Then came the Karizma ZMR which turns out to be a disaster and killed the concept of the iconic Karizma R which defined an era.

Being a contender in the Dakar rally and performing pretty decently, I actually had some expectations from Hero Motocorp, but since Hero screwed up every great idea they had and was concentrating on 100cc commuters, I was skeptical about Xpulse 200.

Then it launched.. The XPulse 200. and it took the market by storm, Priced pretty accessible it started to sell like crackers during Diwali. Not a day goes by in my life without sighting an Xpulse on the road. So is the Xpulse 200 that incredible bike??? Is it worth buy?? Did Hero nailed it this time??

Yes the bike looks like how it should be, ready to take all kinds of surface you want it to go. The stance is tall and the spoked rims means business. The seats look proper motocross style and the high mounted exhaust double-cross the box which says its a off-road bike. Still personally I loved the looks of Impulse, Looks may be subjective but I do think majority of the crowd shares the same, still its not a bad looking motorcycle. 

ON-ROAD? OFF-ROAD? YOU DECIDE...

The bike comes with all digital instrument cluster with more than just speedo and odometer, bluetooth connectivity, turn by turn navigation and led headlamps proving its from 21st century. It has great fit and finish and quality showing Hero is here to mark its territory. A close inspection will surprise you, Its actually really well put together. The Hero Xpulse was expected to have a fight but it is here for a war. 

LED HEADLAMPS

ALL DIGITAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TECH GIZMOS

I was longing to ride one, as day passed by my curiosity to know how is it to ride grew.

The ride

The Xpulse is an off-roader so the first time I got it I took it out to its natural habitat. Boy its light, and the lightness makes it soooo much easy off-road. It climbs up hills which never have seen rubber in its entire life like a wild goat, The lightness makes it nimble and agile. The long travel front forks, 10 step adjustable rear mono shock and the bash plate makes it off-road ready.

LONG TRAVEL SUSPENSION

UPSWEPT EXHAUSTS FOR WATER WADING

The chassis communicates to you in your mother tongue and the handling is just fine. Thank god its has only single channel ABS, You can have fun locking the rear wheels whenever you want.

I expected Xpulse to be close to impulse, But its actually better than impulse. The ride quality and the suspension is much better and Xpulse do inspire more confidence too. The bike just moves forward, no matter what the terrain is. You might feel like you are Robbie Madisson in one of his videos every time you take it for an adventure. You might wish for more punch as it struggles in high gears, even the second if no momentum is carried to a hill climb, Why to use any other gear than the first when going off-road???  Well the engine has to be ringed continuously to tackle a hill and engine feels uncomfortable at high engine speeds. But for a beginner the power is just right as its not intimidating.

So its a pretty good off-roader for a rookie but a bit experienced might ask for more oomph, Which is still fine for the way it is priced.

I am impressed by the offroad ability of Xpulse, I was a hooligan and it feel so robust that you feel incredibly confident to try out some new skills and ride hard as it doesn't feel like the bike will break something. In short in brings out the crazy adventurous kid in you who wants to explore new stuffs.

Then comes the next challenge, Road challenge, and Xpulse surprised me again. The bike rides like heaven on the road. The suspension setup is perfect to soak every canyon it has to go through and offers you a plush comfortable ride. It is very agile in corners too, Not like a sports bike but does go through corners and twisties better than conventional commuters. it also feel stable while leaning. City ride is where it excels, The short first 3 gears makes sure that it moves fast through tight slow moving traffic. Then the brakes, Boy was it great, feedback was felt okay but the bite was stupendous. Hard on the brakes and the bike stops in no time, the nose dive was scary for me(I am a sports bike person), but its a ATV, so that was not a issue

OFFROAD TYRES AND INCREDIBLE BRAKES

But ride it on the highway and you will find its archiles heel. Highway is the only place where you can find out the biggest downside of the bike, and that is its engine. The 200 cc engine doesn't have the oomph, 18.4bhp to be exact, and you wish for more. The bike struggles to ride even at 80kmph at 5th gear and that is a terrible disappointment for a 200cc bike. The engine feels decently punch at first few gears but then 4th and 5th gear is where it feels useless. Twist the throttle at low RPM at 3rd or higher gear and you can feel the uneven fueling and lack of punch in offer. The engine just doesn't like to be revved and that is a terrible disappointment according to me. Some people might say you can live with that, But even 150 cc bikes doesn't feel this stressed or uncomfortable to be revved. 

200CC ENGINE DISAPOINTS

After spending a whole day with the machine it is actually gave me a heartbreak. It could have been the perfect off-roader we were always were waiting, but fell short at just one place. I still would like to have one in my garage. Its a really fun bike with everything you wanted from a off-roader but lacks the punch. What It felt like was failing just one subject that too in the final semester which caused you a BE/B-tech certificate. If the engine was good, the bike would have been something killing the big bike named after mountains.

Still the Xpulse is an incredible bike, the sales tells you the same. It is s the best bike to start lessons on off-roading and to make mistake riding through road less travelled. 

What Hero did was incredible. They actually started a new segment and scored high there, a segment which was open to many but none took the risk to gamble. So now since it is a high selling market and certain manufacturers with impeccable history in Indian Motorcycle Racing, who knows a thing or two about off-roader motorcycles already exists, I do expect more action and better bikes to be launched rivaling X-pulse the bold risk taker who stepped out the comfort zone, A Super Hero Indeed

By Ambady Anil