[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Both Himalayan and 390adv are way above a simple replacement.

If you're going to keep this motorcycle as long as your Honda, you definitely want something above that "simple" replacement. If you can spend the money, I'd go Himalayan all the way. You're getting way more motorcycle. You need to remember that for every off road trail you head off to, you need to travel some distance on a highway. The Xpulse may fall short here. Its after all a 200cc air cooled motorcycle.

I'm not a big fan of Hero Motors based on how they treated their Impulse customers. (I would not say the same thing if this was a Splendor) I know two colleagues who were left in the dust for spare parts. That too in a big city like Bangalore. Both ended up buying (and eventually selling) a couple of scrap yard motorcycles for spares. That was in short supply too as the Impulse was not exactly a chart buster for sales.

It should be easy to sort out your Honda. They are simple motorcycles. A weak cdi unit, dirty carburetor, worn spark plug cable can be the only problem areas. I am sure you can fix them all for Rs. 10,000 or less, if you head down the road by replacing everything to new parts. A skilled mechanic could fix it at a fraction of that.

Save money and get a Himalayan or whatever else you fancy at a later date. You will not regret it. (I did read what you intent or purpose is going to be with this new motorcycle and there is not a mention of touring anywhere. A good motorcycle can introduce you to that)

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

A good motorcycle can introduce you to that)

The Benelli 300i had already done that back in 2016
And CBR 250 is the responsible for the same since 2018, and its pretty good.

Back in 2018, I had the chance to take up the Himalayan, However, I choose the CBR over it due to smother engine and better highway cruising speeds.
Trust me, when I go touring with the Himalayan/RE peeps, I return with a heavier pocket and more time to spare(that's my experience).

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

If you're going to keep this motorcycle as long as your Honda, you definitely want something above that "simple" replacement. If you can spend the money, I'd go Himalayan all the way. You're getting way more motorcycle. You need to remember that for every off road trail you head off to, you need to travel some distance on a highway. The Xpulse may fall short here. Its after all a 200cc air cooled motorcycle.

I agree with you on the touring part, the Xpulse is not for touring, max lonavala/pune at the farthest.
Also, the offroad part is an add-on, I am more onto "roads" than "no roads".

And suppose the off-road bug bites, then I yet to replace the CBR.

[jalex77]

Mod Note : Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Basically, please help me decide.
Should I go ahead and take the 2v or book the 4V!?

Wait a bit and go for the 4V, you won't regret it.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Back in 2018, I had the chance to take up the Himalayan, However, I choose the CBR over it due to smother engine and better highway cruising speeds... I agree with you on the touring part, the Xpulse is not for touring, max lonavala/pune at the farthest.
Also, the offroad part is an add-on, I am more onto "roads" than "no roads".

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

If you can spend the money, I'd go Himalayan all the way. You're getting way more motorcycle. You need to remember that for every off road trail you head off to, you need to travel some distance on a highway. The Xpulse may fall short here. Its after all a 200cc air cooled motorcycle.

I'm not a big fan of Hero Motors based on how they treated their Impulse customers. (I w road by replacing everything to new parts....

Save money and get a Himalayan or whatever else you fancy at a later date. You will not regret it. (I did read what you intent or purpose is going to be with this new motorcycle and there is not a mention of touring anywhere. A good motorcycle can introduce you to that)

To respond to all those suggesting just repairing and retaining the Unicorn: i love the Unicorn, but the XPulse is definitely an upgrade - punchier and more torquey - have ridden both under extreme mountain conditions. And you do get better GC and more modern lighting, emissions control, and engine management systems. Plus the added safety of ABS and the more multipurpose tyres.

Also, sometimes poor starting is not due to fuel or spark, but low compression - worn rings or a bad valve or both (that's where I'm at with my Impulse right now, after a longterm loanee gave it to a hack mechanic, who at some unknown point in time thought it would be a good idea to cut slots through my special foam air filter!!!!).

Just sayin', repairs may or may not be so simple.

Re: its overall usefulness & flexibility, firstly will say that I just met a guy out in Lahaul Valley a couple weeks ago who had ridden an X-Pulse 2V from Assam to H.P. Said the bike was absolutely fine on the highways, that the journey could be done in four days. At a pretty good clip, then.

Secondly, Hero's Impulse blunders aside, am pretty sure that parts supply will be fine for a long time forward with the XPulse - they are simply selling a lot more of them - partly because it's better sorted and partly because it's an idea whose time has *finally* come. They will not go the way of the Impulse in terms of sales or support - and vs. that earlier bike, they are simply much more substantial bikes besides - stronger forks, bigger brakes and ABS, broader seat, more torque, etc, etc (I've had an Impulse since 2014, thread's around here somewhere).

As for the Himalayan, there's plenty to dislike about RE's disregard for customers and the debacle re: early failures of multiple components... if we're going to base recommendations on grudges.

And Himalayan itself is not really a stellar tourer (as he noted), nor pleasingly refined, and I strongly dislike its limited ground clearance (once it squats down under rider weight especially) vs. the Impulse/X-Pulse or any respectable true ADV bike/ dual-sport - leave aside offroading, that GC helps even with curb-hopping or the nastier speedbreakers / other obstacles in the city. In urban setups you want something light, nimble, maneuverable, responsive, easy to park, and thrifty. XPulse a big advantage over the Himalayan on all those fronts.

The man said he wanted a commuter / errand-runner and upgrade for a great but aged 150cc bike. I'd say an X-Pulse would likely fit the bill. As he had also concluded.

So back to the actual question:

If the smoothness of the 2V seems sufficient to the prospective buyer, I'm not sure the 4V will be very advantageous. Numbers are mainly just numbers, and from talking with the showroom tech guy here who was out testing the 4v for a few days with the company people recently, I'd doubt whether the power increases are going to be noticeable to most people. It's not like 4V technology is revolutionary or necessarily transformational in itself (RE themselves had it in the 1930's, I believe, went back to 2V later on and stuck with it for a very long time). Seat-of-the-pants assessment says power might be up just a bit... A bit underwhelming.

Fifteen grand doesn't go nearly as far as it used to obviously, but indeed you can find worthy stuff of value to put it towards, given the freedom and opportunity to do so.

-Eric

[iamahunter]

Update

Sorry for the late post!

So the things have gone drastically different than what I had planned.

The unicorn was sold, but wasn't replaced with Xpulse or Activa or Himilayan! It is kind-of replaced by a Versys 650!

Also, I had a chance to keep my mother's Activa with me for a week and I realized the immense practicality of the scooter!
So the plan now is to get an Activa for the regular errands, Versys would be used for the longer rides and Ecosport for the drive with family above the range of 10-15 kms.

And for the CBR, I don't know!

Wife suggests to sell it, but I do have some emotional bonding with that bike, apart from it being a sensational motorcycle!

Head says - sell it, Heart says - keep it!