Multiple Hero Xpulse test mules have been spied on test over the past couple of years and this is the third engine that we have spotted within an Xpulse test mule. It is common knowledge that the company is working on two brand new Xpulse models, one of them with a 400cc+ engine, but this is the first time the bike has been seen with the Karizma XMR’s engine.
- New 210cc engine borrowed from Karizma XMR
- Xpulse 210 will likely replace current bike
- Will be pricier than current Xpulse 200 4V
Hero Xpulse 210: what can we see?
Moving from the current air/oil cooled engine to the Karizma’s liquid-cooled unit is unlikely to be a simple swap as they are to completely unrelated motors and there will probably be significant chassis changes happening under the skin as well to make this happen.
However, despite the marginal change in capacity, it is possible that the Xpulse 210 will serve as a replacement to the current Xpulse 200 rather than add to the lineup. Royal Enfield did something similar when they moved from the Himalayan 411 to the 450.
The Xpulse currently produces 19.1hp/17.35Nm while the Karizma’s motor puts out 25.5hp and 20.4Nm. That is a sizable jump and it will significantly increase the Xpulse’s appeal, but it will also mean a big change in character. The Karizma’s engine is very peaky and feels quite flat under 6,000rpm. Hero will surely work on the tuning and gearing, but the inherent rev happy nature of the engine will remain. It will be interesting to see how this feels in the Xpulse.
One area of differentiation between the two 210cc Heros will be the exhaust routing. As we can see in this image, the Xpulse 210 uses an upswept exhaust unlike the side-mounted end can on the Karizma XMR.
It has been five years since the Hero Xpulse came out and while the bike has received a few significant updates in that time, this will mark the first generation change. With that in mind, we also expect to see some changes to the Xpulse’s bodywork and style which has remained largely constant over the years. In fact, this spy image shows what appears to be a larger fuel tank than the current bike’s 13 litre unit.
The bike on test also has some accessories like a set of hard panniers so when the Xpulse 210 launches, the company could also offer various homologated accessories with it.
It is possible that the new Hero Xpulse 210 could go on sale in 2024, but not before the end of the year. Expect it to carry a higher price than the current model’s Rs 1.47 lakh - Rs 1.55 lakh asking price as well.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
