Hero Xpulse 200T 4V review, road test

The new 4-valve engine has been carried over unchanged from the Xpulse, save for taller final drive gearing (courtesy of a 3-tooth smaller rear sprocket), and its sheer tractability has made it a breeze to ride in the city. Its strong mid-range performance is also impressive and making quick overtakes doesn’t necessitate a downshift. The 200T also has an Eco mode on the dash although, in our time with it, we couldn’t feel any discernible difference in the bike’s performance.

New 4-valve engine is a tractable, frugal and peppy little mill.

The gearbox is precise for the most part, but there were a couple of times when I struggled to find neutral. Another oddity that came to my attention was that the engine threw off a noticeable amount of heat on my right leg. This might be down to the fact that we were testing a brand-new bike that was still being run-in, and the unusually hot weather we had in Mumbai.

One of the very few modern 200cc motorbikes to feature a kick-starter.

While the engine is quite refined up to 85/90kph (about 6,500rpm in top gear), beyond that it sounds quite strained and vibrations start creeping in through the foot pegs, tank and handlebar. This engine is geared quite short and you won’t see much above 120kph on the speedo. Despite its short gearing, the 200T 4V returned a respectable 44.9kpl (city and highway combined).