[ethanhunt123]

I am not denying the use cases you listed out - i am just afraid that the volume market for this isnt just there in India yet. And as Shumi points out in the PD review - Karizma Impulse would still be a better bike than this. So Hero spent a couple of years of R&D on this and still came up with a bike worse than a jugad done on their previous gen bike.

No wonder Hero is panned by enthusiasts for sitting on their commuter laurels and doing half baked things for other segments.

[Sarvodaya]

Finally a Bike with usable Pillion Seat. Looks Good with simple Design. No excessive cuts and creases. Only wish was a bigger fuel tank.

Hope they offer accessories like side panniers and top box. Why they cannot offer fuel injection in 200 T Model with BS 6 norms coming next.

Looking to replace my 2014 xtreme.

Does it have DC Electricals? Even the website does not mention

[sandx]

The Xpulse 200 looks like the perfect bike for the roads back home in Assam, where off-roading is a part of life and not a choice or a hobby as one would call it. I rode through numerous dirt roads this time around on a yamaha r15v3 while crossing over Majuli, when in the flashback I am already visualizing zipping through the same on the Xpulse. The size of the bike looks perfect and it looks the part as well. I liked the spokes on the Himalayan and I like it in this too.

I remember watching the bajaj enduro on the roads and the movies and as a kid used to think what a cool bike it was, this one rekindles the same type of emotions. If it survives a few years in the market, am sure to get one for my planned trips post my early retirement. Was thinking to get something on the lines of the interceptor but am willing to let go of that thought for this

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Thats about 40 kmpl. Bit low for this engine isnt it?

I haven't gotten anything over 38 with the impulse. And I'm able to extract 22-23 from the nano, 55 from the Gixxer, 23-24 from the beat diesel.

So 40 is pretty good I guess. But the Yamaha XTZ 125 is starting to look more exciting.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

But the Yamaha XTZ 125 is starting to look more exciting.

Are you going to import it from South Africa? Because its only available in carb guise and doesn't meet euro 5/bharat 6 and there is nil chance Yamaha will launch this bike in India.

Do you have any more information than the spy pictures snapped last year? The bike wasn't camo'ed either. I don't see yammie doing it, ever.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Are you going to import it from South Africa? Because its only available in carb guise and doesn't meet euro 5/bharat 6 and there is nil chance Yamaha will launch this bike in India.

Do you have any more information than the spy pictures snapped last year? The bike wasn't camo'ed either. I don't see yammie doing it, ever.

The success of xpulse will determine if there's room for something smaller. The Duke 125 turned out to be a success. The spy pic suggests that theyre considering it and definitely want to be ready to hit the iron when it's hot.

Similarly, the demand for the 200 series will determine if they do Nexa or not.

I wouldn't mind buying a non compliant model and leaving it at some off road destination. But importing is out of the equation. If I were importing, (which is not happening anytime soon) I'd get the CRF 250 really instead.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

I'd get the CRF 250 really instead.

Why not contemplate the CRF 230 instead?

You already got the chassis(Impulse), why not simply plonk in a ZMA motor into the mix, myself and a fellow enthusiast bought a shady ZMA motor for 6.5k a while ago(For a 223cc CBZ), simply punch the engine number on and you're good to go.

Edit: This is not 100% Legal as in any modification, caution advised.

For fueling you can get a P220 carburetor for 2.4k, if low end is what you crave then the P180 carburetor is available for around the same price or if nothing rejet the stock carburetor.

Cheers,
A.P.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Why not contemplate the CRF 230 instead?

No. I want to keep it stock. And legal. I think the Impulse has enough to keep me interested for at least a couple of years. The gearing with the Karizma would be street focussed. I like the wheelie-friendly first gear of the Impulse. (not that I do wheelies, but I have accidentally popped the front a couple of times when trying to take off in a hurry)

The Xpulse is in no man's land. It's 20kg heavier than my Impulse. So, I'd prefer Impulse for off-roading. Preferably, with 21-18 wheels.

On road, the Xpulse cruises at 90. (According to Zig review) My Impulse has done 85 for 24 hours straight without a problem. So, not a substantial win for me there either.

Besides, the Xpulse, reportedly, has a stiffer suspension. I'd miss the soft edge of my Impulse if I ever "upgraded." The Xpulse is not for me.

Originally Posted by nitro.1000bhp

This might be a god send for us impulse owners. My impulse has been in a dilapidated state due to a total lack of spares for a while now. The fork is bent, wheels are bent and the speedo is broken. Looking to swap parts from this onto mine. Hopefully they are a direct fit or at least fix with minimum modifications.

I recently got the left one replaced. I received it in about 3 weeks at Auto Needs Gurgaon. I was told that Hero has the policy to continue to support a model for 15 years after it's discontinued. I would like to continue with the same suspension with 21-18 wheels. But, I don't' think that will be possible without using a blow-torch and a hacksaw.

[neil.jericho]

Horses for courses, this doesnt have to appeal to every biker on this forum but it will appeal to a good number of Indian motorcyclists in the real world. Many riders want to be able to head off the road and learn off roading with the associated thrills and spills but without the heart breaking bills. And not to mention the heavy weights they have to contend with when it comes to the bigger capacity offroaders. From the time Hero have tied up with C S Santosh a few years ago, I had a strong suspicion that they were going to throw their weight behind the Xpulse platform as a game changer, at least in the perception game. How many people here would have walked into a Hero showroom for a test ride had it not been for the Xpulse? Well played by Hero so far, even if they took their own sweet time.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

All of the above are things that neither your multi enduro, nor my versys can ever hope to do in any lifetime. And atleast for me, neither do i have the skills or the bank balance to washboard an expensive CKD on stuff like this.

Very well articulated post, I couldnt have put it better myself .

It all comes down to how we look at these bikes and our individual experiences. But the truth is, just as these motorcycles might appear underpowered to someone who has say a 100 bhp motorcycle in his garage that costs 10 or more times the Xpulse 200, it is also a great upgrade for someone who has a 100cc commuter motorcycle and wants something better that can do it all. Surely the count of the latter is far greater than that of the former!

Sometimes it is easy for us to dismiss lower powered machines as incapable of doing a lot of things that more specialized motorcycles can do. But the truth is in almost all the cases, it is the rider that is incapable and not the motorcycle. That said, Schmi from PowerDrift threw in a couple of Easter eggs in his review yesterday. He mentions a more hardcore version of the Xpulse platform is coming and towards the end of his review he mentions a larger off roader is due at the end of the year. Could they be the same? Could he be talking about a proper proper offroader from Hero that may not be road legal and the KTM Adventure 390 instead? Interesting times indeed.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Horses for courses, this doesnt have to appeal to every biker on this forum but it will appeal to a good number of Indian motorcyclists in the real world. Many riders want to be able to head off the road and learn off roading with the associated thrills and spills but without the heart breaking bills. And not to mention the heavy weights they have to contend with when it comes to the bigger capacity offroaders. From the time Hero have tied up with C S Santosh a few years ago, I had a strong suspicion that they were going to throw their weight behind the Xpulse platform as a game changer, at least in the perception game. How many people here would have walked into a Hero showroom for a test ride had it not been for the Xpulse? Well played by Hero so far, even if they took their own sweet time.

It all comes down to how we look at these bikes and our individual experiences. But the truth is, just as these motorcycles might appear underpowered to someone who has say a 100 bhp motorcycle in his garage that costs 10 or more times the Xpulse 200, it is also a great upgrade for someone who has a 100cc commuter motorcycle and wants something better that can do it all. Surely the count of the latter is far greater than that of the former!

Brings back the memories of the big-vs-small-bike thread.

He mentions a more hardcore version of the Xpulse platform is coming and towards the end of his review he mentions a larger off roader is due at the end of the year. Could they be the same? Could he be talking about a proper proper offroader from Hero that may not be road legal and the KTM Adventure 390 instead? Interesting times indeed.

The off-road variant could very well be off-road-only variant. That one could go out to the places like Off-road adventure zone, Gurgaon, the CS Santosh's own riding school, and others. This is where Hero could build a reputation for itself even among big-bike owner. Who'd want something to thrash on the weekends. Potential buyers can sample the Xpulse on its own turf before making up their mind if they want a road-legal variant in the garage.

I remember something from a roundtable discussion with top Hero people in 2016. They said that they want to go up but in a stepped manner. At the time, they were losing ground to Honda in the 125cc segment. They wanted to regain it before moving up. Reading between the lines, I could tell that they definitely have something in the multi-cylinder category, at least on the drawing board. But they just can't skip a step. Starting with making a mark in the 200 class. These new launches are Xtreme-ly critical for Hero.

[rakesh_r]

First of all a well-rounded effort by Hero. This should be enough to set the ball rolling. Let's face it, not everyone can own a hardcore ADV which are available right now in India. Moreover, if anyone has observed, the Himalayan has managed to garner quite a few positive responses worldwide for a reason. People slowly are shifting to more affordable and lesser powered bikes for touring. If anyone is following Itchy Boots on Youtube would understand. A Dutch lady started her journey from Delhi to Myanmar-Thailand-Malaysia-Oman(by air)-UAE-Uzbek-Tazakistan and traveling to Europe on a BS4 Himalayan. For a budget conscious person, though the Impulse is a bit low on the power, should be just enough to fulfill the requirements. Further, the issue faced by Murtaza Junaid from art of motorcycles, Bangalore while traveling to Leh on his Triumph Tiger (a broken Gear Shaft), left him stranded for almost 3 days. I remember him saying-"If it was an RE he could have fixed it in a jiffy".
Wish Suzuki launched the DR650 or the Kawasaki KLR (Locally manufactured), would have been a different ballgame altogether.
PS- Wonder what stopped Hero from plonking in the CRF 230 engine from the ZMA onto the Impulse?

[nitro.1000bhp]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

No. I want to keep it stock. And legal. I think the Impulse has enough to keep me interested for at least a couple of years. The gearing with the Karizma would be street focussed. I like the wheelie-friendly first gear of the Impulse. (not that I do wheelies, but I have accidentally popped the front a couple of times when trying to take off in a hurry)

The Xpulse is in no man's land. It's 20kg heavier than my Impulse. So, I'd prefer Impulse for off-roading. Preferably, with 21-18 wheels.

On road, the Xpulse cruises at 90. (According to Zig review) My Impulse has done 85 for 24 hours straight without a problem. So, not a substantial win for me there either.

Besides, the Xpulse, reportedly, has a stiffer suspension. I'd miss the soft edge of my Impulse if I ever "upgraded." The Xpulse is not for me.



I recently got the left one replaced. I received it in about 3 weeks at Auto Needs Gurgaon. I was told that Hero has the policy to continue to support a model for 15 years after it's discontinued. I would like to continue with the same suspension with 21-18 wheels. But, I don't' think that will be possible without using a blow-torch and a hacksaw.

Errm..karizma more street focussed? You've got that wrong mate. Of course it has better driveability than impulse but it'll pull wheelies in both 1st and 2nd. But this isn't a wheelie contest. If you've ridden a impulse with zma engine it'll blow your mind off-road, trust me. Only negative with it is it vibrates a lot at highway speeds. But then when it's off-road it'll eat anything from Himalayan to gs1200s for breakfast.

[nasirkaka]

Hero has been working on Xpulse for a while now. They sure must have studies the cases where folks tried putting karizma engine on impulse as 'under-powered' was highlighted as one of the main shortfalls of impulse. So comes Xpulse positioned as the successor of impulse, but going by first ride reviews, seems like hero concentrated on all other features except the important 'power to weight' factor. 4bhp over impulse is more or less negated by 20kg higher weight. Most reviews equate the engine closer to a 160mill, and say its not the most refined one out there. I am guessing Hero would obviously have crunched all these and more date and would have their logic making what we have now. Firstly, an engine design is a complex exercise and this is Hero's first attempt after splitting from Honda. Secondly, they are champions of lower displacement bikes such as splendor, passion, glamour, etc and would have much deeper understanding of those demographics. Hope they do good numbers and more manufacturers consider products for this segment.

Coming back to this 200 platform, Xtreme 200S which is been in the market for a while now, is not really burning the sales chart. Seems that bike is also infamous for returning low mileage, an important factor in that segment. Xpulse 200T seems like a product of mistaken identity, and there are plenty of choices in that segment for a potential buyer. The fully fared version may sell a bit due to pricing. So the real Xpulse 200 seems to suit the purpose well but this entire platform would have benefited tremendously with a bit more eager and refine motor. Except that factor, seems like Hero is nailed the Xpulse with rest of the specs and features and pricing. I also feel that our auto journalists these days are used to much powerful bikes and raise their expectations much higher from these launches. Applause for Hero for attempting products in this segment which is been neglected by the rest. And wishing them luck for xpulse 200.

[ashwinprakas]

To add another view point;

It would be wrong for us to merely go by paper specs or the word of a social-media-influencer irrespective of who he/she is, because the aforementioned individual is riding the said machine in a mellowed down controlled environment.

And the fact remains, that when it comes to the gnarliest of off-road sections the 200~300cc's are the fastest, anything above that range would simply render the rider slower than otherwise, case remains same for the pro's as well as us.

Small Motorcycles - Does Size Matter?

Most people do not realize this because they spend a majority of their time on meticulously planned and constructed tarmac roads, where in all honesty all it takes is cycle-balance and TC to hit WOT in every gear even on a liter class motorcycle.

But when you go off-road, and I mean real off-road, not simply unpaved roads or slush, that's where rider skill is put to the test, if you feel like disagreeing since you own a 400~1000cc+ ADV motorcycle, then please share with us the last time you hit WOT while navigating such terrains.

It is in such terrains that the Xpulse would shine, granted as Mahesh pointed out, the motorcycle has put on some serious weight, as 20kg could definitely be what differentiates from a ligament tear to a fracture.

But comparing its only competitor the Himalayan the Xpulse is about 40kg lighter an has enough oomph being an over-bore of the CBZ-X(Honda CRF150F sans the counter-balancer) motor now with a counter-balancer, costs half to own, has a better spares and service network with affordable pricing and is easier to fix and run.

Hence if you ask me its a no-brainer why the Xpulse is a 'Win' for the enthusiast.

As for the fuel efficiency, the motorcycle is fueled by a 32mm carburetor and has similar bore*stroke properties as the RTR200 which returns FE in the lower 30's, hence all in all the Xpulse's FE is reasonable.

Cheers,
A.P.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Most people do not realize this because they spend a majority of their time on meticulously planned and constructed tarmac roads, where in all honesty all it takes is cycle-balance and TC to hit WOT in every gear even on a liter class motorcycle.

Without starting the big vs small debate - i would invite you to go Test ride a Liter class motorcycle and try WOT even on 1st gear leave alone 4th or 5th gear on public roads in India. If you come back alive or without a heart attack - we can take this conversation further. This comment just shows your experience with any big capacity bike.