nitssqueaky-cleanavatartheXpulseradiatesanairofa thrifty
explorer’sfavouriteweaponoffun.lookat thestanceofferedbythe21-inchfrontand18-inchrear
wheelcombination.Withitsready-to-take-on-anythingattitude,thestylingis bestdescribedas“retro
classicmeetsoff-roadpracticality”.aretro,round,full-ledheadlampsitsatopthelong,spindly,
gaiter-cladfork.Whileilluminationis justaboutaverage,it doescontributetotheXpulse’s
personality.thefuel-tankholds 13 litres;thatis twomorethantheimpulse.at about three-quarters of
thetank’slength,theseatbeginsandextendsallthewaytothe
tailsection.thesideandsub-framepanelshavea simple
designthatis morepracticalthanpleasingtotheeye.hero
havealsodonea commendablejobbyequippingthe
motorcyclewitha bash-plateanda sturdyluggagerack.
unlikeitspredecessor,theXpulsefeaturesa digitalconsole
which,inadditiontodisplayingusualtell-talelightsand
instruments,is alsoBluetooth-enabled.yes,it supportsincoming
callalertsandturn-by-turnnavigationaswell.oh,andyoucan
chargeyourphoneviaanunder-seatusB charger.
theridertriangleis niceandupright,a welcomecombination
offeredbythewidehandlebar,well-positionedfoot-pegs,and
saddleheight;which,at 823mm,makestheXpulsemore
accessiblefora widerspectrumofriders.afterspendinga
considerablebitoftimeoff-road,ifoundmyselfwishingthe
foot-pegsweresetfurtherbackbyaninchorsobecauseit wasa
bitofa taskformetofeelat easewhileridingstandingup.
however,thatis a minornigglethatmayonlybothertallriders.
thediamondframehousesthe200-cc,air-cooled,two-valve,
sohcmillthatdoesdutyinhero’snewXtremerange.the
enginefeaturesthesamestateoftuneandproduces18.4hpat
8,000rpmanda peaktorqueof17.1nmat 6,500rpm.ameaty
chunkoftorquemanifestsintheuppermid-rangeandtrailsaway
astherevsedgeclosertothered-line.thelarger18-inchrear
wheelandhigher-profiletyreoftheXpulsemeanthatit hasa
largerrollingcircumferenceascomparedtotheXtreme 200 r.to
makeupforit,herohaveaddedonemoretoothtotherear
sprocketoftheXpulse 200 ascomparedtotheXtreme 200 r.
thisgearingletsyoumakebetteruseof the engine’s power and
torquecharacteristicsfromlowrevsonwards and allows the
motorcycletopulllongerineachgear.keepit inthatsweetspotintheuppermid-range
andtheXpulse 200 is a joytoride.Wewereabletoachievethirdgearroll-on(30-70
km/h)in6.99seconds.thefirsthintofvibrationscreepsinupwardsof7,000rpmand
theybecomeprogressivelynoticeableclosetothered-line.forlong-distancetouring,you
mayexpecttocruiseat about 90 km/h(indicated)withoutbeingtoouncomfortable.
thesuspensionset-upis undoubtedlytheXpulse’strumpcard.a37-mmtelescopic
forkwith190-mmtravelhandlesthefrontwhiletherearis managedbya 10-steppreload-
adjustablemonoshockwith 170 mmoftravel.theset-upis onthesoftersideandsoaksin
thediversityofthetrailseffortlesslybutit is notsosoftastobottomoutwhenyoulanda
jump.Brakingis managedbydiscsat eitherendwitha single-channelaBs.therear
discis bittenbyanissincaliperand,intherighthands,it is a preciseinstrumentoffroad.
in comparison,thebiteat thefrontis softer;whichis perfectforthetrails,ofcourse.on
theroad,thesofterbitealongwiththegenerousforkdivewilldiscourageyoufrom
puttingtoomuchtrustinthefrontbrake.fretnot,though,theaBswillhaveyourbackif
youneedtodropanchorina jiffy.during our test we managed to come to a standstill
from 80 km/hin2.70secondsovera remarkable28.54metres.
Myroutetothebestpartofthistestranthroughhighways,cityroads,andsome
twisties.in thecity,theXpulseshoneintermsofmanoeuvrabilitybutit impressedus
mostwithhowit tamedpoorroads.potholesthatusuallysplittrafficlikeMosessplitthe
redseaweretreatedtoa royalslapinthefaceastheXpulseroderightoverthemwithout
breakingintoa sweat.on thehighway,theXpulsewasnotasexceptional.it wasfairly
well-behavedandranalongcomfortablywhenkeptinitssweetspot;whichis a fairly
decent 90 km/hintopgear.on thetwisties,thebikecertainlydeliveredwhatwas
expectedofit.duetoitssoftsuspension,largefrontwheel,andoff-road-biasedsteering
geometry,theXpulseis notquicktoturnintoa corner;it requiresfirmandsmoothrider
input.thegoodnewsis thatonceturnedin,it holdsthelinewellwithoutfuss,ably
supportedbytheceatGrippXltyres.
until now, the Xpulse has behaved like a jack of all trades but this motorcycle’sGearCheCk
Rider: Joshua Varghese
Helmet: HJC CL-17
Jacket: Leiidor Grandstand
Gloves: Richa Nasa
Boots: Forma Terrain Evoright:
Bluetooth-
enabled
instrument
cluster
Below:
Retro-styled
headlamp
74 BikeIndia August 2019 http://www.bikeindia.in
Hero XpulSe 200 Fi