[tripmeup]

Originally Posted by RenuKumar

Congratulations on the very potent motorcycle in its category. You could have waited for the Xpulse 400.

I wanted to compromise with the Adv390 but I felt waiting for few months is worth it.

I have been waiting for over a year and I'm literally losing my patience. After riding the xpulse 200 for a few days, I really loved the ride quality but the lack of power was too much, I weigh around a 100 kg. The bike topped at 116 km/h but the lack of power for over taking close to 100 is not something I'm comfortable with.

The lack of news about the 400 is kindof depressing.

[doomketu]

Since march my search for a bike had been put on back burner till today. I convinced myself that i will forever be watching from the sidelines if i don't do something today. I wanted to get a bike purely for commuting and occasional trips with 200km radius.

Went over to the Whitefield RE showroom (Jagadamba) and test drove a Classic Reborn followed by the Himalayan. No one told me how intimidating the Himalayan is, with its ride height and stance ( i am 6'1).
As i am riding after 6 years, i was wary and tried to take things slow. For Bangalore traffic and the crazy road condition i felt very comfortable on the classic. The Himalayan , while having a comfortable stance/posture, felt heavy/arduous for me when navigating between BMTC and tipper lorries. Took another extended test drive of the classic again and was happy with the feedback. I plan to go to another showroom and get test drive in a better maintained vehicle ( this one had seen better days).
If all goes well, this Diwali my Dzire will have to share space with a Classic 350.

Note : its strange how well the bike masks its weight once its moving, and the low end torque it provides.

[2StrokeJunkie]

An update on the seXpulse .

I have clocked around 800 km so far.

The first service was at around 550 km.



Also did my first proper ride out of the city of around 250 km today.

The service was done at Bhagat Motors Hormavu from where I picked up the motorcycle.

I was not thrilled with the quality of the first service.

The Hero sticker on the rear mudguard had been blasted off with their pressure washer.



My feedback to Hero was that there is too much:

Pressure in the pressure wash
Too much lube on the chain
Too much polish

I was pretty peeved about the sticker. I know it's a small thing but I expect the vehicle to be returned to me in a similar or better condition than when I drop it off for service. I don't expect to catch damage done during service albeit however small. If they did it, they should've fixed it before I noticed. Unfortunately for them, they don't have the sticker in stock.

The polish was sprayed on all plastic parts and left to dry. I reached an hour after they called me to pick it up but it still wasn't ready because they were still polishing it. Polish is sprayed liberally, even the disc rotors weren't spared and the polish was left to dry, I had to remind them to wipe and shine it off. The polish on the switchgear and plastic parts left them feeling old and used.

The chain was heavily lubed, and there was oil splattered on the chassis near the front sprocket.

Overall in terms of feel, I was not too happy since I felt they had ruined the new bike feel of the motorcycle. However, everything else feels fine. I couldn't monitor them servicing the motorcycle but the turnaround was pretty quick, I left the bike with 5 bars of fuel at the service center the previous day around 6 p.m. and road out of the showroom the next day at around 5 p.m. with the fuel intact.

In the first service, the clutch cover needs to be removed and the screen filter and centrifugal pump cleaned. I am glad to report there are no oil leaks. Also, they did change the oil, glad to report they did not forget to do this. I checked the level myself with the dipstick since there is no oil level window. I'm not sure about the grade of the oil but it is Hero fully synthetic. The damage to my wallet excluding labour (Free) was around 1.6k which is pretty reasonable.

They blasted the polish off the disc rotors with their trusty pressure washer and they are holding fine.

Bhagat Motors also organized a Breakfast Ride ride today to Kaiwara Hills - Kailasagiri Hils past Hoskote on the way to Chintamani. The staff organized the ride, sponsored our breakfast, and gave the 10 of us who turned up free Hero Xpulse 4V branded T-shirts. It was a pretty cool experience and I am glad the dealership is taking this initiative to help owners experience the capabilities of their machines and create a motorcycling community around the Xpulse.














The ride up Kailasa Giri was off-road, beginner to intermediate level. All my confidence ends when the tarmac ends but I was really impressed with the capability of the Xpulse Pro. The grip levels were good, with no scary moments, minimal wheel lock-ups, not too much of slip and slide, and the way it climbs rocks, ledges, etc what would otherwise seem impossible on most other motorcycles, is simply amazing. The ground clearance is an added boon, the suspension kept me comfortable through my rear shock is set on its softest setting, and it did not bottom out. The front abs worked well, I did not even change the ABS mode, the rear with no abs is perfect so it lets it slip, and slide while never making the rider feel overwhelmed. This motorcycle really comes into its element when the tarmac ends.







They will soon be organizing a ride to Big Rock and some more trail rides that I am eagerly looking forward to.

I used my ViaTerra tank bag that I usually use on the Interceptor but felt it was a little large for the Xpulse tank, doesn't really cause a problem but straddling leads to my stomach pushing the tank bag up. The bag also does not seem to hold onto the tank as the motorcycle flies over bumps.

The seat started making my butt go numb around 45 mins into the ride but after that, it didn't bother me too much.

I started feeling sleepy on the highway because the lead was riding too slow. On the way back I tried to maintain a steady 80 kmph to keep myself engaged. Hit a top speed of around 110 kmph on some downslopes. This bike is a little outgunned on the highway, obviously not as engaging as the Interceptor, the exhaust is inaudible through my earplugs and helmet. 80-90 kmph feels comfortable - anything above that and it starts to feel a little stressed. Another rider that I met and hung out with today told me that his 2V does around 130 kmph tops so I guess that's the top speed with the engine bouncing off the rev limiter.

Mileage is great, I haven't really measured but for around 4.5 liters of gas, I am able to cover around 180-200 kms.

Today is also probably the first time this motor has been revved to about 8k rpm in all 5 gears, so my running-in is complete, not gonna baby the motor anymore. The ride up was a little steep and I was worried the tiny motor would run out of breath but I was pleasantly surprised with how it went about its business with no complaints pulling up easily on most inclines in 2nd and 3rd gear.





Also kudos to Hero Bhagat Motors for this initiative, it is a great way to keep a customer loyal and connected despite the other hiccups.



I now have around 2600 km to go before my second service. The Xpulse's primary purpose is as a commuter and its secondary purpose is for weekend rides off the beaten path and it's performing both duties with aplomb.



I am playing with the idea of an aftermarket exhaust but it would take away the commuter capabilities of it. Been looking at Norifumi, Quickshift, and the Motowings exhaust. I think it will add some character to this very mind-mannered seXpulse. Also maybe the MotoTorque saddle stays, a smaller Rynox tank bag, a way2speed tubeless conversion, and maybe an air filter.

I've been watching videos of some heavily modified Xpulses on YouTube, if you've got a trick Xpulse, post up!

[maverick029]

Xpulse is a really nice machine, if not for small pillion seat and lack of power it could have been on my list when i got the adv 390.

I always feel vibes are something singles will always have and ktm engine vibes are judged very wrongly. Why do we term RE vibes as character but KTM vibes as a bad thing. It is the inherent character of all european bikes. Even the reviewers are quick to point out vibes but never have i heard anyone saying that its the character and it is what makes ktm a ktm.

[2StrokeJunkie]

It rained unexpected heavily all night yesterday and the roads were waterlogged on my way back home. Boy, was I glad that I had taken the seXpulse instead of the Interceptor The high ground clearance, high exhaust and high travel suspension got me home on a high through all the water logged roads with more confidence than I've ever had before. This motorcycle can take the worst riding conditions and turn it into fun - a real adventure bike.

[2StrokeJunkie]

Originally Posted by maverick029

I always feel vibes are something singles will always have and ktm engine vibes are judged very wrongly. Why do we term RE vibes as character but KTM vibes as a bad thing. It is the inherent character of all european bikes. Even the reviewers are quick to point out vibes but never have i heard anyone saying that its the character and it is what makes ktm a ktm.

I don't think of excessive vibrations and rattling as character wether it is RE or any other make. Yes cylinder motorcycles do tend to have more vibrations than multi cylinder motorcycles but only in the higher revs. The Xpulse is a single and has no vibes at idle or at lower revs. It only gets amplified towards its redline, infact it is exceptionally smooth at lower revs. Even my RX had minal vibes at low revs. Personally i do not like motorcycles that vibrate or rattle excessively at lower revs - i think most of us appreciate smooth, jerk-free machines with slick gearboxes and sweet sounding exhaust notes, they are exceptions too.

[maverick029]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

I don't think of excessive vibrations and rattling as character wether it is RE or any other make. Yes cylinder motorcycles do tend to have more vibrations than multi cylinder motorcycles but only in the higher revs. The Xpulse is a single and has no vibes at idle or at lower revs. It only gets amplified towards its redline, infact it is exceptionally smooth at lower revs. Even my RX had minal vibes at low revs. Personally i do not like motorcycles that vibrate or rattle excessively at lower revs - i think most of us appreciate smooth, jerk-free machines with slick gearboxes and sweet sounding exhaust notes, they are exceptions too.

The lust of a smooth engine is something i believe splendors are to blame as growing up we could only see these low compression 100cc mileage oriented machine which were smooth and that led to our need for smoothness. While in abroad people had access to variety of motorcycles we only had enfied or 100cc mileage monsters. This i believe is why we do not understand character of a motorcycle. The vibes, the occasional part break down, leaking oil some see it as bad manufacturing while some see it as bike being alive. This the famous quote “bullet marks its territory”. I used to be aligned with your thoughts 4 motorcycles earlier as well. I hated enfields for their vibes and all that but owning one i fell in love. Over the period i learned to appreciate a motorcycle for what it is. I have owned as200, fz25,re 350x and ktm 390 adv now, i loved each of them for what they offered and each was distinct in its own way and had its own character. When you look at performance a bike will always be vibey(exception RE as its long stroke) and a relaxed engine will obviously not vibe. Rx being a two stroke i will not compare that with current gen 4 strokes.

[Ketan]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

I am playing with the idea of an aftermarket exhaust but it would take away the commuter capabilities of it. Been looking at Norifumi, Quickshift, and the Motowings exhaust. I think it will add some character to this very mind-mannered seXpulse. Also maybe the MotoTorque saddle stays, a smaller Rynox tank bag, a way2speed tubeless conversion, and maybe an air filter.

I've been watching videos of some heavily modified Xpulses on YouTube, if you've got a trick Xpulse, post up!

Very useful observations out there on your report. Thanks for sharing. Provides a lot of insight for those getting this motorcycle. Have you been able to make any progress on way2speed tubeless conversion kit yet? I've recently got an XPluse 200 4v and looking for a few things. rally footpegs, better/adjustable clutch and throttle levers, better knuckle guards, just the metal rods would do in order to save the levers and better mirrors if I can get in that order of preference.
It's been 5 days and I've got some chance to ride the motorcycle last weekend, feels really good off the pavements, not expecting it to perform long tour or high speed rides on highways. I shall be using it for short rides, backcountry roads, some nearby trails and dirt tracks and whatever little to none commuting I do. I'm new to this so, I'd start with getting used to the motorcycle and learning some tricks/techniques that would help me on dirt roads.
Edit: What suspension adjustment you're using for the front forks in different conditions if you are okay to explain, I guess I remember one of your post in the past about adjusting the rear one to softer side owing to your back issue.
I found mine also something similar, I find the rear one slightly stiff, but would run it for a while (so far done just 350 kms, 60% backcountry roads, 30% highways) and understand the required settings. Wondering why did you go to ASC for rear suspension adjustment? From the manual, it looks like it can be done by user. Although I asked them to set the suspension at default/std at the time of delivery, I found the front forks were set to 15 click compression and 19 clicks rebound. I've moved to 14/14 (compression/rebound) for now, run them for a while and change it to slightly softer side, depending on what kind or roads I'm riding mostly. I can even adjust them right before entering certain section/terrain. However, may not be changing the rear one so frequently so trying to understand a perspective from someone who's got first hand experience. Thanks.

[2StrokeJunkie]

Originally Posted by Ketan

Have you been able to make any progress on way2speed tubeless conversion kit yet? I've recently got an XPluse 200 4v and looking for a few things. rally footpegs, better/adjustable clutch and throttle levers, better knuckle guards, just the metal rods would do in order to save the levers and better mirrors if I can get in that order of preference.

Hey Ketan. So since you're saying you have the adjustable suspension I guess you have the Xpulse Rally or Pro version and not the standard version right?

Wrt to the Way2Speed tubeless conversion I just checked and it wont work on the stock setup. Issues i see in a tubeless conversion are:

Stock CEAT tyres are not tubeless.
The stock rims probably dont have a lip for a tubeless tyre to seal on it.

So to convert to a Tubeless setup I figure one would have to get:
- Tubeless Tyres - maybe from a brand like Reise.
- Aluminium rims like on the Interceptor - DID or a better option would be to get tubeless rims like on the Tiger or the ones the Dismotech make though I'm not sure if they make them in 21 and 18 inch sizes.

Honestly, the motorcycle is pretty light so I don't think a puncture on the Xpulse will be as much of an issue as it is on a heavy bike like the Interceptor. So far I'm running slightly higher air pressure in the tyres so they don't get pierced as easily. The CEAT seem to be of a hard compound and I am sending the bike through potholes, the shoulders of the road, footpaths, everything and touch wood, all is well so far. But if I am going to go tubeless this seems like the way forward. Will double check if the rim change is required.

Originally Posted by Ketan

What suspension adjustment you're using for the front forks in different conditions if you are okay to explain, I guess I remember one of your post in the past about adjusting the rear one to softer side owing to your back issue.
I found mine also something similar, I find the rear one slightly stiff, but would run it for a while (so far done just 350 kms, 60% backcountry roads, 30% highways) and understand the required settings. Wondering why did you go to ASC for rear suspension adjustment? From the manual, it looks like it can be done by user. However, may not be changing the rear one so frequently so trying to understand a perspective from someone who's got first hand experience. Thanks.

I think I am using the front on 15 clicks at the moments on both rebound and damping and its pretty plush and sorted for my weight on the daily Rally De Bengaluru

On the rear I'm running it on 15 clicks of rebound and the preload is on its softest setting. I went to the ASC to do it because I'm lazy and its just opposite my house. Also the rebound setting is a little hard to reach so I preferred having a trained professional do it.

I havn't really felt the need to play around with the suspension settings to much at the moments and think i've have reached my sweet spot. The rear is soft enough to not transfer shocks to my back, the front is soft yet firm enough to hold its line through corners. This motorcycle turns your riding style into an aggressive one with its short gearing, wide handle bars, tall seat and supreme suspension. Commuting into peak traffic has turned into a lot of fun. Standing up on the footpegs when flying over potholes and speedbrakers allows you to dispose of them without the least amount of discomfort. That's just how this motorcycle is supposed to be ridden.

I have posted screenshots from the manual for the recommended suspension setting. You can check out the previous pages on this post for details.

if you are looking for footpegs go with the 390 adv stock footpegs. They are wider and of better quality than the stock ones.

Hand guards you could go with Barkbusters or the replica knock-offs. They look good. I plan on wearing out the stock ones first.

The mirrors are absolute crap and they come in the way of everything and get lose fairly easily - I've seen people using the KTM ones but they will also have the same issue of hitting obstacles since the handle bars are wide - On YouTube I have seen Xpulses with mirrors installed on the inside of the handle bar upside-down/downwards - they are round mirror and sit closer to the tank - they seem like they would suit the Xpulse better given how I ride it.

I've almost crossed 1k kms so far. Ideal mods would be:

-KTM footpegs
-Barkbusters
-Different mirrors
-BS4 sump guard
-Quickshift/ Devil's Evolution/ Norifumi Full System Exhaust ( I don't think these come with baffles so they would be too loud for the street)
-Motowings full system exhaust comes with a DB Killer
-Ngage Air filter
-Fuel X Pro
-Tubeless conversion
-Sprocketing for acceleration
-Custom seat

I'm keeping my seXpulse stock for now. But if do go down the mod route this is what I would do.

[Ketan]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

Hey Ketan. So since you're saying you have the adjustable suspension I guess you have the Xpulse Rally or Pro version and not the standard version right?

Yes, I have got the Pro edition.

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

I've almost crossed 1k kms so far. Ideal mods would be:

-KTM footpegs
-Barkbusters
-Different mirrors
-BS4 sump guard
-Quickshift/ Devil's Evolution/ Norifumi Full System Exhaust ( I don't think these come with baffles so they would be too loud for the street)
-Motowings full system exhaust comes with a DB Killer
-Ngage Air filter
-Fuel X Pro
-Tubeless conversion
-Sprocketing for acceleration
-Custom seat

I'm keeping my seXpulse stock for now. But if do go down the mod route this is what I would do.

That's quite some list. However, looks meaningful. I'm going to stick to some ergonomic related changes for now, footpegs, knuckel guards, mirrors etc. I shall look for other performance related changes at later point, I too would love to keep it in stock conditions without making much changes for now.

Thanks for the comments on suspension settings. I have got the most recent user manual which I'm referring to. Good to know first hand experience on those settings.
For footpegs, I'm looking at the following one. KTM 390 Adv stock footpegs would be a direct fit and much cheaper, but I see the size for the below one may be more useful when compared to 390 Adv stock footpegs.
https://www.motourenn.com/products/r...pr_seq=uniform

The one below is good too, but its bit expensive and also the adjustable part is something I'm not so much convinced yet.
https://www.motourenn.com/products/r...pr_seq=uniform

I've used a sealant for my RE Himalayan since I bought it, nver had any puncture incidents even after riding/touring extensively. I loved the freedom comes with spoke wheels gives that extra bit of confidence. However, I see certain spoke wheels have tubeless conversion so I was thinking in those lines. Since these tyres are not tubeless, need to use sealant and use them first. Later, we can use Reise (I'm using Timson and Reise on Himalayan) or similar tyres and see if we have to change the rims as well to get the tubeless setup. however, in the process, I don't want to bulk up the motorcycle and would like to keep the dynamics, geometry same as stock.

Half of things from your list are common on my list as well. Some I may change soon and for some I may let them wear before changing with newer ones/design.
Thanks for sharing and All the luck with your commuting and riding expeditions!

[2StrokeJunkie]

Originally Posted by Ketan

I have got the most recent user manual which I'm referring to.

The recommended suspension setting in the manuals for both the rally and the new pro are the same.

2022 - Rally Edition
https://www.heromotocorp.com/en-in/u...ly%202022).pdf

2023 - Std & Pro versions.
https://www.heromotocorp.com/en-in/u...ay%202023).pdf

If you are looking for adjustable footpeg position and some other trick parts for the Xpulse with no concern for price you should check out JCmoto.

https://www.jcmoto.in/motoparts

and a review on the footpegs.

https://www.bikewale.com/expert-revi...o-on-the-bike/

Attaching some pics in the next post.

[2StrokeJunkie]

Attaching some pictures, because I can't edit my previous post to include them.

Pics of Vikrant Singh's custom rally - supermoto style by JCMoto





Pics of the Quickshift exhaust by Dismotech



Pics of the Norifumi exhaust on a heavily modified Xpulse



Pics of the MotoWings exhaust with DBkiller

[Ketan]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

If you are looking for adjustable footpeg position and some other trick parts for the Xpulse with no concern for price you should check out JCmoto.

https://www.jcmoto.in/motoparts

and a review on the footpegs.

https://www.bikewale.com/expert-revi...o-on-the-bike/

Attaching some pics in the next post.

Thanks, I saw a video by Abhinav on YT a few days ago when he talks about exact same JCMoto footpeg hangers you mentioned. It changes the complete geometry out there. I can actuall feel it. I keep my REHimalayan and XPulse side by side, take a riding position, stand up on both of them one after the other and I can see the difference.
Since I took the motorcycle, I had done some light dirt trails around last week, I found I'm leaning more towards front, over to the handlebar, less space for me to maneuver between me and handlebar, this is straight comparison with REH where the footpegs are located right under the torso, I use AOM handlebar on that and its more comfortable to stand up, saddle.
With this Xpulse edition, I'm hanging onto handlebar most times and high chances of whiskey throttle since I'm using handlebar as lever to balance rather than use footpegs and hug the motorcycle tank in order to maintain the balance.

Any of you have ridden the Himalayan for long enough, over dirt/trails, would feel the difference immediately. I think its a good ergo mod which is what I'm looking at. Just the hangers come at 8K and on top of that, I'll have to get the rally footpegs, which is bit too much of cost but this would be required for better ergo for sure is what I feel.

[Ketan]

I've got the footpeg hangers discussed above. I'd continue to look for the better footpegs (either the KTM 390 Adv stock ones OR rally footpegs by Motourenn), brake/clutch levers, stronger side stand for better ergonomics while learning some basic skills.
The motorcycle is in 1st service for now. Waiting to get back so I can change the footpeg hangers and few more short rides around in the outskirts.
Link to some pictures from the recent ride below.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5636547 (Hero XPulse 200 4V launched in India at Rs. 1.28 lakh)

[2StrokeJunkie]

Shot a walk-around and a motovlog on the seXpulse for my YouTube channel, Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ17...thAlroyMenezes