Hero dipped its toes into the off-road segment way back in 2011 with the Impulse, and now it’s taking a second shot with the brand-new XPulse 200. The difference is that, while the Impulse was heavily based on the Brazil-spec Honda NXR 150, the XPulse is a completely homegrown effort — right from the frame to the powertrain. So, while we’ll have to wait for the sales numbers to confirm how much our market has evolved, the good news is that we know what the bike is like.

There are no big surprises in the visual department because very little has changed from the concept bike seen at the 2018 Auto Expo. The design is simple, straightforward and not very exciting. Of course, a quick glance at the MX-style front fender, big spoked wheels and upswept exhaust will tell you this bike is designed for life off the beaten path, but I find myself missing some of the sharper lines from the Impulse. This holds true especially at the rear three quarters, which looks almost commuter-like in its execution. I do, however, like the LED headlights and brake lights, and that small windscreen helps at highway speeds too, especially if you’ve got a motocross style helmet on.

Getting the seat height to be as low as possible without sacrificing capability played a big role in designing this motorcycle. And that’s why you’ll see a stepped seat instead of a flat one, which has resulted in a reasonable 825mm seat height. Get on the bike and you’re welcomed by a very comfortable and upright riding position that’s commanded by a wide handlebar. You’ll also find yourself facing a brand-new, Bluetooth-capable LCD instrument cluster.

We didn’t find some horrendous roads, but it’s almost like there’s no pothole too big for the XPulse and seemingly nothing that can really rattle this bike. Credit for this goes to the suspension setup. The wide handlebar gives you great leverage, which is a good thing because the big 21-inch front wheel and relaxed steering geometry result in slow steering action. On the narrow country roads we found ourselves on, the XPulse offered predictable and safe handling, while braking was handled decently by a pair of petal discs, with single channel ABS keeping a watch.

The destination for the day was the massive Big Rock Dirtpark at Kolar (around 68 kilometres from Bengaluru), and the XPulse felt so much more at home in this setting. Hero has been getting the dynamic setup of its recent motorcycles spot on and the XPulse fares well in this regard. Its single down-tube diamond frame might look similar to the one on the Xtreme 200R, but Hero says that this one is all new, and also a little larger.

Off-road credentials

To give the bike serious off-road credentials, Hero went with a 21-inch front/18-inch rear wheel combo wrapped in Ceat Gripp tyres. These wheel sizes are identical to those of hardcore off-road machines. The front fork spans 37mm in diameter and it has 190mm of travel, while the rear gets a new 10-step preload adjustable monoshock with 170mm of stroke.

If you use up the 220mm of ground clearance, there’s a proper metal bash guard underneath to protect the engine.

The stability generated by the big wheels and the ability of the suspension to absorb hard impacts make this bike quite a treat off road. It handles big jumps well and I never really got the suspension to bottom out. Obviously, this is no dirtbike, and it’s built more for casual trail riding, but the XPulse took in its stride whatever we threw at it.

Drawbacks

Most of all, it always remained a friendly and encouraging machine, which means even an average rider like myself quickly starts upping the pace. And that’s where you run into one of this bike’s few but significant drawbacks — its performance.

The XPulse runs the very same 199.6cc, air-cooled, two-valve engine that débuted in the Xtreme 200R.Sadly, the power and torque figures are the same at 18.4hp and 17.1Nm. This comes as a disappointment because the Xtreme proved this engine actually generates 160cc levels of performance.

The big question on your mind probably is if you need to have this bike in your life, especially if you’re already an Impulse owner. Well, the XPulse is a sizeable step up, especially in terms of capability and dynamics, but I find myself wishing the bike had more oomph. Then again, there’s just no arguing with what’s on offer when you consider the pricing — ₹1.05 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the FI version and ₹97,000 for the carbed model, which like most Hero bikes is excellent value for money.