Hero Xpulse is the most affordable adventure tourer in the Indian market and a very underrated motorcycle. In its full glory, it is astonishingly capable off the turf. The only downside to the Xpulse is its powertrain which isn’t the most powerful when it comes to highway touring.
The company tried to address this issue when it upgraded the Xpulse from a 2-valve setup to a 4-valve setup which improved the output slightly. However, the performance from the 199cc air/oil-cooled unit didn’t make any significant difference out in the real world. Now, the company is making another set of upgrades for the Xpulse to make it a more competent offering.
Hero Xpulse 210: What to expect?
Test mules of the Xpulse have been spied testing on numerous occasions in the recent past which had given rise to theories. The most plausible one is an upgrade to the 210cc liquid-cooled engine which made its debut in the Karizma XMR last year. This unit kicks out 25.15 bhp and 20.4 Nm of peak torque while being paired with a six-speed gearbox. This is way more than the 19 bhp and 17.35 Nm of torque offered in the Xpulse 200 4V.
Previous spy images suggest that Hero will most likely retain a similar set of hardware components which include gaitered telescopic front forks, and a rear mono-shock. Hero may offer adjustable suspension and a rally kit separately. Braking duties will be carried out by single disc brakes at both ends aided by dual-channel ABS. The new Xpulse may also benefit from off-road/switchable rear ABS given the nature of the bike.
The upcoming iteration of the Xpulse is also expected to gain a few features. This includes the fully-digital instrument panel from the Karizma XMR which packs Bluetooth connectivity along with app-based turn-by-turn navigation. It is also likely to get different ride modes.
There also have been rumours of Hero upgrading the Xpulse to 440cc platform as the Mavrick and Harley-Davidson X440. However, that seems a bit unlikely since developing this version will involve high costs. More details regarding the upcoming Xpulse will be revealed at the EICMA in the next couple of weeks when it makes its first public appearance.
