[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Any updates on the bike?

No updates yet. Hero (even company) doesn't have parts in stock and are sleeping on it. 7 days are over today and I have now raised a complaint to company. I guess due to design change in BS6, engine related parts will be a problem with BS4 bikes in future.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

No updates yet. Hero (even company) doesn't have parts in stock and are sleeping on it. 7 days are over today and I have now raised a complaint to company. I guess due to design change in BS6, engine related parts will be a problem with BS4 bikes in future.

But have they at least opened the engine to find out what's gone wrong?

Which parts are they waiting for if they haven't opened the engine and seen for themselves which are really needed?

Cheers, Doc

[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by ebonho

But have they at least opened the engine to find out what's gone wrong?

Which parts are they waiting for if they haven't opened the engine and seen for themselves which are really needed?

Their excuse is that since spares are not available, they will not open the bike. If they open up, there is no space to keep the disassembled parts. Service center is too much crowded (and actually it is). They have placed order for entire cylinder kit as a blanket replacement.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Their excuse is that since spares are not available, they will not open the bike. If they open up, there is no space to keep the disassembled parts. Service center is too much crowded (and actually it is). They have placed order for entire cylinder kit as a blanket replacement.

I hope things work out for you and you get your bike back soon.

Cheers, Doc

[ast.ggn]

20000 kms update



Got the bike earlier this month after it had spent 2 weeks at the service center waiting for cylinder kit. It took multiple phone calls, twitter escalations to get Hero working. I am still not sure whether my escalations worked or they moved on their own timeline.

While the cylinder kit was available in 10 days, it took 3 weeks (in parallel) for dealership to arrange a simple part like side stand. Official Hero spare parts distributor couldn't make it available even after 3 weeks. It was only when I refused to collect the bike and made some noise, the dealership woke up from their sleep and got it from some other dealership.

It has been quite an eventful ownership experience. Little recap of the events till now:

• Total period of ownership - 1.5 years
• 20k kms clocked. It would have been more if not for pandemic.
• Even after BS6 price hike it is still a value for money bike, Aprillia/Vespa scooters cost more than Xpulse on road.
• Excellent city commuter, potholes and bad roads are dismissed without a second thought. I would recommend it over any other commuter if you are looking for a comfortable bike.
• There are no rattles whatsoever. Bike is holding good.
• Good enough for short tours eg. - 800-1000 kms spread over multiple days. 300-400 kms in a day should be easily manageable. I have done upto 600 kms a day. Highway runs to the Himalayan foothills can be boring eg:- Delhi to Chandigarh. Carb variant struggles over 3000 mtr elevation and high passes in Himalayas.
• Comfortable speed on highways is 80-85 kmph max.
• Fuel economy - 40 kmpl. 500 kms+ tank range on full tank.
• Hero service is meant for commuter bikes only. Nothing much to write about. Washing and cleaning are a joke. A single mechanic is trained to work on Xpulse at Gurgaon dealership.
• Rally Kit was on my to-do list but dropped the idea as stock suspension is good enough for my usage.
• Varying cost of spare parts. Some of the parts are cheap while others are priced on a higher side (relative to the category of bike). Overall it is still cheap to maintain.
• Running second set of tyres. Switched to knobbies at 15k kms and stock Ceats had quite some life left. Ralco knobbies are adequate for trails but Maxxis are at another level. So is the price difference between the two.
• Paid service cost is 700-800 including labour.
• Front Brake Pads replaced at 18k kms.
• Chain is making a slapping sound and might need a replacement soon. There is still room left for adjustment, hence I am pushing it to maximum.
• Stone hit during trail ride left me stranded once. Stock PVC protection cover on carb variant is useless.
• Knocking sound from engine was diagnosed due to play in connecting rod bearing. Dealership changed the entire kit assembly. Cost for the same was Rs. 3600 (covered under warranty). Damn cheap in my opinion.
• ABS unit replaced under warranty. Lever locking problem has been solved since then. Still no official recall on the biggest problem in the bike.

Bike has got a new company in parking lot, will update on that in next few days.

A shot from Sach Pass ride to sign off for this post: