The launch of Hero’s long overdue update to the Impulse, the Xpulse, is near. The Xpulse will be available in two variants – an off-road-focused Xpulse 200 and a more road-biased Xpulse 200T (T for touring). Both bikes were spotted testing on separate occasions in India, and now, images of fully-undisguised, production-ready bikes have surfaced online.
Both bikes are powered by the same 199.6cc, single-cylinder air-cooled engine from the Xtreme 200R on which it makes 18.4hp and 17.1Nm of torque and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Hero will likely tune the engine differently on the Xpulse variants. The bikes seen in the images are sporting a fuel-injected sticker, and it’s likely the bike will also be available in a carburetted variant.
The Xpulse 200 and Xpulse 200T will also feature single-channel ABS, LED lighting, a digital instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. Both motorcycles are also seen with steel bash plates. But that’s where the similarities end.
In tune with its off-road design, the Xpulse 200 gets a much higher-set exhaust and is seen equipped with a 90/90-21 (front) and 120/80-18 (rear) wheels with Ceat Gripp tyres. When the XPulse 200 concept was revealed, suspension on the bike was taken care of by a telescopic fork, with 190mm of travel, and a monoshock, with 170mm of wheel travel. It also had a 825mm seat height, which may be a bit too tall for shorter riders but the narrow seat should make it slightly easier to get both feet flat on the ground. The Xpulse 200 seen in the picture is also equipped with knuckle guards and a smoked windscreen.
The Xpulse 200T features a similar smoked windscreen and an identical handlebar that is lower and flatter than the Xpulse 200’s. The 200T has earlier been spotted in two shades – wine red and matte black. During the motorcycle’s unveiling, Hero revealed that the Xpulse 200T has a ground clearance that’s 30mm lower than that of the Xpulse 200. The 200T is equipped with alloy wheels, with MRF Nylogrip Zapper 100/80-17 tyre at the front and MRF REVZ-S 130/70-R17 tyre at the rear.
The Xpulse and Xpulse 200T have been highly anticipated and are expected to launch in the coming weeks.
Azaman Chothia
