[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Himalayan specsheet claims 199 kg with 90% fuel and oil.

Riding it offroad back to back with an impulse, impulse feels like a total toy, and so good and free, while you need to wrestle with the himalayan to the point that it feels like the bike is riding you rather than you riding it.

If you think 175 kg is not bad, it sounds like you probably haven't ridden a 160cc or below bike in a long time.

200 with fuel is just insane. What a pig.

Actually, I never have!

The only under 160cc I have ridden and owned is a Honda Dio. It was the immediately preceding two wheeler before I got the Versys.

My other bikes were a Yezdi CL2 250, a Jawa twin 350, and a Versys 650.

Compared to the versys, the KTM feels like a total toy. Relativity at its best.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

200 with fuel is just insane. What a pig.
Compared to the versys, the KTM feels like a total toy. Relativity at its best.

Lol, that's an enviable garage, and it looks like you've had your share of lighter-weight bikes too.

Again, if you feel a baby elephant adv390 is a total toy compared to a versys 650, I'd be interested in your reaction when you hop off your versys and onto the 130ish kg Yezdi.

[nitro.1000bhp]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Happened to meet a very senior Hero official (who also is an avid biker) recently, who confirmed that an Xpulse 300 is definitely in the works. Some details from that discussion:

- 300 CC engine (Duh!)
- Less than, but close to 40 BHP
- Will have the Rally kit as standard suspension
- Will use the Xpulse chassis
- Weight around 170 - 180 Kilos
- Expected to arrive Mid 2021
- Priced under 2 lac ex showroom. Around 1.8

The pic here seems to be from a stripped down Hero Dakar bike, not the 300 in the works

Mate, the bike shown is indeed the new prototype 300..not the Dakar bike. I am attaching another photo I got from a friend. You can see the swing arm is different and the front travel on the Dakar is way more than the bike in the background. The frame is also slightly different as you can see above the swing arm pivot point. I' don't think your source has the right info or he's deliberately feeding misinformation. The frame is not from the xpulse as you can see in the pic it's a trellis configuration. And I am pretty sure those claimed weight numbers are also wrong. This can't possibly breach the 160kg mark unless they fill up the frame with lead and give it a 40 liter fuel tank! ( Oops sorry. Poor quality uploads.. can't fathom anything, but I can see it clearly on my phone)

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by nitro.1000bhp

Mate, the bike shown is indeed the new prototype 300..not the Dakar...

can't possibly breach the 160kg mark unless they fill up the frame with lead and ...

Hey. The above pic being that of a Dakar Bike was something I speculated and wasn’t something that the Sr. Hero official said or insinuated

About weight, power etc; I’ve written what was said as is. No speculation here

Given that the xpulse is already 154, why is a 180 weight So unbelievable? He could have simply blown smoke up my ass by saying 160 kg or whatever. But even as he mentioned 170-180, it looked as if he wanted to quote an even higher number and he was holding himself back LOL

But good times ahead. The affordable and “true blue” adv bikes are making their way into the market. To me this is a very refreshing development; especially after the damp squib 390 GT... oops... adv

And it’s hero leading the charge! Who knew

[Red Liner]

I wouldn’t jump too much right now urban, you jumped in bed before the 390 adv came in and see what happened lol.

What 300 engine is Hero putting into the bike? If it’s a full Hero designed and developed engine with no technical input from Honda, might be prudent to wait for the beta testers to test away.

Anyway all of this is 2022 at the earliest. I just don’t see this arriving before that by Hero’s timelines.

So who cares?

But that pricing though. The Himalayan is just finished.

[Urban_Nomad]

O ya! Hence most probably gonna get the Xpulse and slap on a rally kit (suspension and side stand only. Rest everything is available for much cheaper), call it a day... for the next couple of years minimum.

The gent I spoke to was very confident about the timelines but you never know. Anyhow, this might just be geared more towards adventure riding with off road inclination as opposed to an outright off roader. Our very own KLR, but lighter in weight and on our pockets

[Red Liner]

Actually sounds like a good idea. Maybe even get a used xpulse cheap and throw in that rally kit.

Why didn't you take any pictures of yourself seated on the xpulse rally kit? Would have liked to see how much the suspension compresses. Really loved even the stock suspension.

Would the rear fit a 390 adventure, i wonder. Any chance you can send detailed close up shots of it? How do i get my hands on its dimensions etc.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

But that pricing though. The Himalayan is just finished.

Himalayan will live on I think. We all probably know a few people who love REs because they're big, heavy and made of metal (or something like that), regardless of the downsides to all that. I mean, we Indians tend to be an idiosyncratic, and many times over-compensating bunch. In a meme country like ours, its no wonder REs sell so much.

And honestly, as much as I hate the elephantine weight of the thing, I love the sitting and standing ergonomics on it, as well as how relaxed a ride you can have on it. I'd say this is one of the best bikes in India to address a midlife crisis.

And Xpulse sorely lacks those qualities no matter how big an engine it would get.

[rvd8732]

Does anyone see the rake angle on the proposed 300 and dakar bike?

[zaks]

I am not sure if Hero will make money in this venture because the market for such Adv bikes is so less. They already have the Xpulse 200 which is exactly what we needed but it sorely lacks in power, if only it has another 4-5hp it would have been perfect. They needn't have made is as cheap as it is now because the sales wouldn't have dramatically changed if they could have given us a better bike at 1.5L at even better quality.


I have the Xpulse but I can't compare it to Himalayan, except for its weight and lesser power for its 400 cc engine it got everything right, the capability, comfort for touring and the price.

[Axe77]

Can't wait for this product. This will be a killer offering and I hope they also launch their special rally kit like they did for the X Pulse.

I think a lot of ADV lovers who have large ADVs and like offroading may definitely consider this as a second bike in the garage for hitting hard core trails. Some of them have gone for the KTM / BMW / Himalayan but each of them have distinct shortcomings. If Hero can address those and launch with a super VFM price tag, I can definitely see this flying off the shelves.

What is missing currently is a bike that is light enough to hit trails with confidence, has the right low end torque and is also fun enough to tour long when it comes to getting to the rough terrain you want to hit. Be it trails 100 - 120 kms away from your home cities or extended tours through places like Spiti and Ladakh.

A 300 - 400 cc bike that is setup with an offroading bias is just what the doctor ordered.

Fingers crossed.

[Red Liner]

I expect this bike to be around 175 kgs, and then at 30hp, it suddenly doesn’t sound very interesting. The 200 is 155 kgs. The 390 adventure is around 170 kgs with 44 hp on tap.

And looking at hero’s timelines, this bike won’t be here until 2023/24. With options already in the market tried and tested, I wouldn’t hold my breath for this one.

The only redeeming factor will be that Rally kit which will be available for this bike as well. Let’s see when the bike is out.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I expect this bike to be around 175 kgs, and then at 30hp, it suddenly doesn’t sound very interesting. The 200 is 155 kgs. The 390 adventure is around 170 kgs with 44 hp on tap.

And looking at hero’s timelines, this bike won’t be here until 2023/24.

Special thanks to Covid19 sponsored recession.

30ish hp is still sounds like a good deal to me considering the 2 - 2.5 L price it would probably come at. And considering it's a hero, reliability would be a priority.

Then again, we're inching closer towards the electric future. By 2023-24, would petrol engines still have the same appeal? I know I'd definitely move to electric if given a choice.

I hope they stay on track for a mid '21 or atleast late year release.

[Mafia]

I am put off with these 'teases' from companies that showcase the product too early.
The spec sheet seem on-par with the market NOW! In 2-3 years time things would have changed and it may just not cut it in the market.

Bring and show products that will hit market in 6 months or less.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I expect this bike to be around 175 kgs, and then at 30hp.

From a very reliable source:

Current pre production model makes 38 bhp. Pp2 will be around 45. Weight is 180 or maybe slightly more

2 variants - road going version that kinda looked like a hypermotard (the pic I saw had 17 inch spoked wheels). The other will be the adv with more suspension travel (don’t know numbers) and 21/18 wheels

Expected Price - 2.5 lac ex

Possible launch in the festive season this year with actual deliveries commencing by mid 2021