[TusharK]

Big shoutout to khan_sultan for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Out of all 2-wheeler brands attending the 2018 Auto Expo, Hero MotoCorp has one of the largest pavilions. Let's take a closer look at the exhibits:


There are separate sections for motorcycles and scooters:



The Hero Splendor, Passion and Glamour have their own separate stalls:



A Hero Passion Pro riding the wall:


The new Hero Xtreme 200R takes centrestage:


Seen here in a shade of Panther Black with Red:



Another Xtreme 200R finished in Techno Blue is on display:


The bike is powered by a new 199.6 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that makes 18 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and a torque of 17.1 Nm @ 6,500 rpm:


Conventional headlight with eyebrow-shaped LED DRLs:



Digital instrument cluster with an analogue tachometer:


Familiar switchgear with pass button and choke:


130/70 section rear tyre looks meaty. The drive chain sits mostly exposed:


The XPulse 200 is Hero's latest 200 cc adventure bike:


The bike is based around a high tensile steel diamond frame. It comes with an off-road spec mud guard, circular LED headlamp and a digital instrument panel with turn-by-turn navigation. Besides, it has a clear windshield, hand guards and an up-swept exhaust muffler:


The telescopic front suspension has 190 mm of travel while the adjustable rear monoshock has 170 mm of travel. The bike rides on 21-inch and 18-inch wheels shod with dual purpose tyres in the front and rear respectively. The overall ground clearance is 220 mm:


The 200 cc, single-cylinder engine has fuel-injection and delivers 18 BHP and 17.1 Nm of torque:


It has petal type disc brakes at both ends and ABS tuned for on/off road use.


The Hero RR 450 rally bike ridden by India's CS Santosh in the 2018 Dakar Rally has also been put on display:


CS Santosh rode alongside Joaquim Rodrigues and Oriol Mena:


In 2018, Mena finished 7th overall while CS Santosh finished the rally in 34th place:

[TusharK]

Karizma ZMR in a new yellow shade and revised graphics:


Grey decals on the front cowl:


Stacked twin-pod headlamp flanked by turn signals - a familiar setup:


Twin-shock absorbers at the rear and LED tail light mounted on the mudguard:



All-black exhaust muffler:


Telescopic front suspension, 5-spoke alloy wheels and front disc brake. Under the fairing is a 223 cc, single-cylinder, oil-cooled, fuel-injected engine that makes 20 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and 19.7 Nm of torque @ 6,500 rpm:


Box-type rear swingarm and partially exposed drive chain:


Hero Splendor iSmart 110 Connected Concept:




Digital instrument panel in colour:


Hero Splendor iSmart 110:


Cutaway of the 110 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine:


Hero Glamour with its engine components on display:



Pleasure and Maestro Edge:



Hero Duet 125 to be launched in Q2 of FY2019. It will be offered in four colour options - Noble Red (seen here), Chestnut Bronze, Panther Black and Pearl Silver:


Maestro Edge 125 will also be introduced in Q2 of FY2019. Both the Duet 125 and the Maestro Edge 125 are powered by a new 125 cc, single-cylinder engine that delivers 8.7 BHP @ 6,750 rpm and 10.2 Nm of torque @ 5,000 rpm. Both models have an idle-stop-start system and an integrated braking system:


Colour options will include Matt Techno Blue, Matt Red, Matt Brown and Matt Vernier Grey. The scooter on display is finished in deep red with carbon fiber pattern. It has chrome trim on the front cowl and on the side:



More chrome around the tail lamp:


And some more on the wing mirrors:


Finally, the merchandise section:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Auto Expo Section. Thanks for sharing!

[meetgds]

So Karizma is back? Any idea if it's in production?

[jetsetgo08]

No offence, but it seems Hero poured a significant amount of investor money into the drain by showcasing the same old Splendor, Glamour, Passion, Maestro and Karizma. I could visit the 2-wheeler parking lot of Auto Expo to see these vehicles in different colors.

I do agree that they can afford to splurge, but they could have opted for a much smaller pavilion with just the niche/unreleased vehicles in the stall.

[jpcoolguy]

Originally Posted by meetgds

So Karizma is back? Any idea if it's in production?

Have the same doubt, thought Karizma was dead. Or may be they just showcasing it for the Auto Expo, as they don't have any exciting vechicles to be displayed.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Just when I was about to type that Hero has redeemed themselves from the usual jokes heaped on them, with the XPulse 200 -

This was pointed out in a whatsapp message by a fellow Versys owner Rahul.



Such a jugaad on what they claim its a production version. .

Otherwise, this is the only real exciting product in their lineup. Looks like a good product to take over from the old Impulse and help achieve dreams the Himalayan couldn't.

[praviin05]

Can't agree more.
I think it is good enough to say that this is the downfall of the once crown jewel of Indian two wheeler industry. The effects of divorce with Honda immediately showed up at their service centers with termination of two shifts into just one, reduction of operating hours, dissolution of standard protocols of how to handle a service vehicle from initial inspection to final delivery of the serviced vehicle. Poor design evolution, no focus on overall R&D or even attention to product issues or shortcomings as per Indian riding conditions and/or customer feedback on riding and ownership.
All gone with separation from Honda, poof.

The only strong challenger that now remains is TVS, with their aggressive vision, focused R&D, investments and research into EVs and strategic partnerships like BMW, I believe they are the future. Bajaj is still in the picture with their partial ownership of Austrian brand: KTM. Domestic research is limited. No signs of their EVs as far as I can remember.

[navpreet318]

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...o-impulse.html

If you notice carefully. That is the Xpulse 200 which has taken part in the Raid De Himalaya 2017. It also has the cut in the chassis. The cut has been made keeping in mind so as to not affect any structural integrity of the frame.
It has been proven when the bike has finished successfully at the Raid.
Moreover the same cut is present in the Xtreme 200 as well.
Manufacturers have time and again made such changes. This is nothing new.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by navpreet318

That is the Xpulse 200 which has taken part in the Raid De Himalaya 2017. It also has the cut in the chassis.

It has been proven when the bike has finished successfully at the Raid.

Noted. Thanks.

However, I clearly remember news reports that this bike did not finish the raid.

Edit -

https://www.rushlane.com/hero-250cc-...-12254446.html

Originally Posted by navpreet318

Moreover the same cut is present in the Xtreme 200 as well.

Sad, but you are right. So this is indeed going to be the case in the production version.

Personally - I'm not convinced at all - that introducing such a weakness in the chassis (even if it's within tolerance limits, tested in the Raid etc) was the only solution to route that silencer out of the engine.

Not that my conviction on this matters!

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by meetgds

So Karizma is back? Any idea if it's in production?

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

Have the same doubt, thought Karizma was dead. Or may be they just showcasing it for the Auto Expo, as they don't have any exciting vechicles to be displayed.

It was tucked away in a corner -- maybe HERO didn't want anyone to notice it.

While all other 2 wheeler manufacturers had some exciting products to look forward to, the HERO stall was bereft of any exciting product -- a bit disappointing.

[ringoism]

Largest pavilion and absolutely most boring, underwhelming products... What is wrong with this company, and how long are they going to be able to continue like this??? I mean, you look at Bajaj and what they've been able to develop / intro over the past several years...

As far as the XPulse frame cut goes, it's possible to make it plenty strong IF done properly (a GOOD weld joint is stronger than the base metal), but it really seems there should be a better solution than this, and it does look like serious jugaad. And the welds on my Impulse are pathetic.

-Eric

[SJM1214]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The Hero RR 450 rally bike ridden by India's CS Santosh in the 2018 Dakar Rally has also been put on display:

Except, the display of RR 450 The Rally bike used at Dakar 2018, nothing exciting at Hero MotoCrop stall. Same Old Splendor, Passion, Glamour, Maestro and pleasure at an Auto Expo? Whats the story of Karizma, Is it coming back?


Very much agree with this.

I could visit the 2-wheeler parking lot of Auto Expo to see these vehicles in different colors.