The big reveal at Hero MotoCorp’s stand was the Xpulse 450, which will eventually come to India, but there was also a smaller Xpulse 150, although that bike hasn’t been confirmed for our market. Simple, affordable and rugged 150-200cc dual-sport motorcycles are quite the rage in Latin American markets, and big names like Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki have offerings in this segment there. With the Xpulse 150, Hero is fielding its own contender in those markets, and the company is transitioning from being just a major player in India to having a more diverse international line-up.
- 50cc single-cylinder mill makes 12.2hp and 12.8Nm of torque
- 826mm seat height, 220mm of ground clearance and 141.5kg weight
- Xpulse Scrambler concept uses Xtreme 250R’s engine and frame
Everything we know about the Hero Xpulse 150
It is simpler and more accessible than the Xpulse 210 we have in India
Hero’s Impulse 150 was the first accessible dual-sport motorcycle from an Indian brand in the modern era, and the new Xpulse 150 can be termed a spiritual successor to that bike. In fact, with its angular LED headlight, sharp tank extensions, carburetted 150cc air-cooled engine and overall simple but rugged underpinnings, it has more in common with the Impulse than the Xpulse 210.
Speaking of the motor, the Xpulse 150 is powered by a 150cc single-cylinder air-cooled mill making 12.2hp at 8,500rpm and 12.8Nm of torque at 5,500rpm. A 5-speed gearbox is on duty here, unlike the 6-speeder on the 210 we get in India. These output figures are decidedly modest, but another pleasantly small number on the Xpulse 150’s spec sheet is its rather light 141.5kg kerb weight.
Its 10.6-litre fuel tank capacity may not sound like much, but given its small displacement, tank range shouldn’t really be a concern. Given its dual-sport orientation, its 19/17-inch spoked wheel setup makes perfect sense. Despite the smaller 19-inch front wheel, its 826mm seat height isn’t much shorter than the 835mm perch on the Xpulse 210, which uses a larger 21-inch front wheel. That tall seat height comes courtesy of long-travel suspension, and the Xpulse 150 also has a rather generous 220mm of ground clearance.
Being loaded to the gills with features isn’t something that is a priority for bikes like these, and to that end, it has single-channel ABS and a basic LCD unit (similar to the one on the lower variants of the Xtreme 160R we get in India).
Will the Xpulse Scrambler concept become a reality?
Based on the Xtreme 250R’s underpinnings
At the Hero stand, there was also an Xpulse Scrambler concept, and this wasn’t just a design study but had quite a few functional mechanical parts. For starters, the Xpulse Scrambler’s engine and frame appear to be borrowed from the Xtreme 250R, not the Xpulse 210. Given a scrambler’s dual-purpose nature, this might actually prove to be the better choice.
A new, stubby exhaust muffler is seen, and this has more in common with a road-legal unit than the free-flow ones usually seen on concept motorcycles – perhaps suggesting that Hero might put it into production. Typical of this sort of bike, the Xpulse Scrambler concept runs on 19/17-inch spoked wheels shod with mildly blocky dual-purpose tyres.
Design-wise, the Xpulse Scrambler concept is an amalgamation of various elements. The round headlight with the Hero ‘H’ logo and small flyscreen are similar to those of the Xpulse 210, while its single-piece seat and stubby tail section are new. Interestingly, its tail-lamp and TFT display are shared with the Mavrick 440 – a Hero motorcycle that has now been discontinued in India but is sold overseas under the Hunk 440 name.
Given the rising popularity of scrambler motorcycles and the fact that the Xpulse Scrambler concept uses many bits from the Hero parts bin – cutting down on development, testing and validation costs and timelines – we could see it transition to reality in due course.
Suraj Sreekumar
Stephen Raj Antony
Vishal Venugopal
