[drt_rdr]

Yes, stock comes with 190 and 170, front and rear. Additional 60 and 50 take it upto 250 and 220.

[//M]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Something wrong with the suspension travel numbers. Or is that additional travel over stock?

Yes I meant +60/+50 mm travel.

[MPBNKA]

but I don't see a rally kit advertised on the Hero Motorcorp website. anyone who can point me where if I can see this is available officially

[Neo18]

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Urban_Nomad has done just that on his duke 390, which he posted a pic of in the off-road thread. So, I suppose the adv390 R is just 38000 more rupees away. :

Can you please point me to this thread. I wanted to try the same on the Duke 390 and wanted some pointers towards it.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by MPBNKA

but I don't see a rally kit advertised on the Hero Motorcorp website. anyone who can point me where if I can see this is available officially

Only at select dealerships. Here are the relevant parts from the press release -

Providing even more excitement for enthusiast and building on the cult of XPulse 200, Hero MotoCorp also launched the Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit. Available as a complete kit for aspiring racers at Rs 38,000, the Rally Kit will be retailed at selected dealership from March onward. The Rally Kit adds to the XPulse 200’s supreme off-road capability and makes it the ideal motorcycle for amateurs and enthusiast to take-up off-roading.

...

Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit

Hero MotoCorp’s experience at the world’s top rally races, including the Dakar Rally has been used to develop the XPulse 200 Rally Kit. The Rally Kit transforms the XPulse 200 into an accessible and competitive purpose-built machine, enabling enthusiasts to improve their off-roading skills and test their limits. It also encourages young riders to build a career in motorsports.

The Rally Kit comprises of Front fully-adjustable telescopic fork with 250mm stroke and fully adjustable 10 step rear Mono shock with 220 mm stroke. Upping the comfort quotient and riding stance are a host of features --the Flat ‘bench’ seat, handle bar risers, increased ground clearance of 275mm, rally tyres by Maxxis, longer side stand and an extended gear lever to accommodate off-road style boots.

There is no mention of "road-legal" anywhere! I highly doubt it is - as any such modifications, even if done at the dealer, is considered illegal by the RTO.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by Neo18

Can you please point me to this thread. I wanted to try the same on the Duke 390 and wanted some pointers towards it.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post4753460 (Offroad Riding - Tips & Advice)

Here you go.

[Radiator]

An excellent move by hero but, the increase of 110mm in seat height will make these mods redundant for anyone below 6ft. Correct me if i am wrong but the seat height would be 933mm with these mods.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Radiator

seat height will make these mods redundant for anyone below 6ft

Cant have your cake and eat it too

If we want these brilliant off road machines, we have to contend with stratospheric seat heights. We have to get comfortable with getting one foot down instead of two. Even 6 footers will struggle

So get these mods only if off roading is your primary focus, else stick to the stock Xpulse

[petrolhead_neel]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

There is no mention of "road-legal" anywhere! I highly doubt it is - as any such modifications, even if done at the dealer, is considered illegal by the RTO.

The Rally Kit has been homologated by Hero and it's road-legal.

Neel

[JithinR]

Seems Hero had added oil cooling to the xpulse as part of BS6 update. The oil cooler thing is mounted quite differently than what I have on my rtr200 though:

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Seems Hero had added oil cooling to the xpulse as part of BS6 update. The oil cooler thing is mounted quite differently than what I have on my rtr200 though:

I'm curious why Hero felt it necessary to add an oil cooler, can't imagine the 200 facing overheating issues? Perhaps it helps with the emissions somehow. Lowers the ruggedness factor slightly though.

[VR/46_Chet]

Not that Hero is known to do a lot of great things so while on one hand they launched the rally kit, on the other they launched this.

[Urban_Nomad]

Got to sample the Xpulse with the rally kit recently. What an amazing package it is! Kudos to hero for taking the lead in this much ignored space

I was particularly surprised that I was able to flat foot (almost) with relative ease. My heels were like a couple mm off the ground with a slight bend in the knee, but it seemed absolutely fine to me

For reference, I am a little over 6 feet in my boots. If you are 5 foot 8 inches or more, you should be comfortable with this kit installed IMO

[petrolhead_neel]

Hi all, sorry that I took so long to reply. Exams! I hope I can make up just a little bit with a few photos of the XPulse.

Originally Posted by sandx

Let me first congratulate you on getting your hands on one of the most versatile bikes in this category / price range. The white shade looks very nice indeed.

Will be watching out for the upcoming posts related to your ownership of the Xpulse. Ride safe and hope you have already invested in a good set of riding gear.

Thanks a lot! The white does look lovely, she grabs eyes wherever she goes. I agree that the XPulse is very versatile indeed, but for me, it was not like I had a lot of choices. I kind of decided that it would be some kind of a dual sport when I realised that I had fallen in love with dirt-riding and a road bike can only go so far!

I am doing my best to get all geared up. Got a Leatt 4.5 Pro (chest, back, shoulders) last year during the festive season on sale. Looking to get boots and an off-road helmet next.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Good choice of bike. Congrats!

The white colour does look amazing. The practical side of it is it absorbs much less heat than other shades. For what it's worth, you won't have a scorching hot fuel tank when you're out riding in the sun.

Enjoy and ride safe.

Thank you so much! I was a bit skeptical about the colour initially, to be honest. But she's lovely, and has a lot of presence (even without the Rally Kit).

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Amazing stuff Neel. Please start your own thread for Paula, and make sure you document all your dirt rides in there! I am IN!

All the best for your boards as well. Am sure you will do well!

Thank you so much! Can't wait to get done with the boards so I can actually spend some time with the new bike. I will start a thread sometime soon, she deserves one!

Originally Posted by VR/46_Chet

Hearty congratulations on acquiring the bike, Neel! The seat looks really good the way it is but the first thing to do would be getting a seat cover as if you wash the bike otherwise, the seat takes quite a lot of time to dry.

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind and figure something out. Thankfully, haven't had to wash her just yet.

I don't realise why people complain so much about the XPulse's seat. I have spent quite a bit of time on the bike on a dirt trail, it seems really comfortable to me. (Just like Urban_Nomad has mentioned in this video). I feel like the seat has been scooped down to make it more accessible, and that's why the excessive lack of padding. But really, hard core dirt bikes and even dual sports have seats which are much more uncomfortable.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Congratulations! This certainly makes for a wonderful first motorcycle. I look forward to your ownership thread. Your perspective will certainly be different from many of the usual ownership threads here and I am sure it will be a must read.

There are still a few bikes in the dealership here, I remember seeing some the last time I passed by. Let me see if I can check on availability of the BS4 and incoming BS6 bikes.

I love the white, it certainly is a lovely colour for the Xpulse. I see a lot of Red Xpulses here, whites are rare.

Thank you! Most of my experience has been dirt riding till now, can't wait to really get out there and explore once I have my license. I hope I can keep up with your expectations when I start the thread.

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Got to sample the Xpulse with the rally kit recently. What an amazing package it is! Kudos to hero for taking the lead in this much ignored space

Awesome! I can't wait to at least get the risers and the longer gear lever, and then save up for the suspension and other things and develop my skills over that period of time. Hero has really, really messed up with the gear lever. It is really uncomfortable to shift with trekking boots on, I can only imagine what's going to happen when I finally upgrade to MX boots.

I am tired of every auto journo reviewing off road bikes and making irrelevant observations. Can't wait for your review. Do write about your SJOBA experience as well on the off-road thread.

Neel

[petrolhead_neel]

People need to stop calling the XPulse an ADV tourer, because it's not. So many enthusiasts are calling it a budget ADV, and this makes me realise that our market still isn't ready for proper off road bikes.

It's a dual sport, a dirt-oriented bike that can be ridden on the street. It's an entry level dual sport for sure, but it's a very capable one at that. The only bike that you can compare this to from the Indian market is the Impulse. Maybe that's why people are comparing it to the Himalayan and even the 390 Adventure, and coming back disappointed. I have heard so many people say things like "it's an ADV tourer, it should've had a better seat" and "Why is the exhaust pipe mounted so high? Pillion comfort and luggage mounting should come first."

Compared to international dual-sports (just specs, not experience), the bike has a few things that are different. The larger fuel tank, for example, is quite a boon and not something that you'd find on a bike like this. It's actually really well-designed. It feels a bit weird when saddling, but if you're riding in proper dirt bike stance, it's easy to grip the tank. But what really sets it apart IMO is how well you can slide forward and grip the tank when you're sitting. This means a lot more fun when tackling sandy corners and not having to stand up for the lighter trails.

The engine is opening up really nicely, and the next post will be about that. Till then, ciao.

Neel