Refined Offerings
Last month we tested two new bikes by Hero MotoCorp: the liquid-cooled Xpulse and the 250-cc Xtreme. Both these bikes were unveiled at the Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) in November last year. The first ride was organised in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and I got an opportunity to swing a leg over both the bikes for a short ride.
The Xpulse is an all-new bike as compared to the air-cooled four-valve one. It has an all-new chassis with linked rear monoshock suspension and a thicker front fork. Its 210-cc liquid-cooled engine comes from the Karizma XMR. This engine delivers very good power and torque through the rev-range and is a refined unit: no engine clatter and hardly any vibrations. The chassis is well sorted and the bike handles really well on and off the road. In fact, the handling is so good that it makes the 210-cc engine feel inadequate.
The Xtreme 250 is also an all-new bike wherein the 210-cc engine has a longer stroke to increase the capacity. This bike also offers very good handling and its suspension has been set up on the firm side, which is needed for good handling. The 250-cc liquid-cooled engine delivers good power and torque with excellent refinement. It would have been great if they had put this engine in the Xpulse as well.
It looks like MotoGP is being run as Formula 1 was during the Michael Schumacher era when Michael was running F1. What Marc Márquez did before the start of the US MotoGP was nothing short of shocking and no action was taken against him. At the very least, the riders who went into the pits should have been made to start from the pit-lane and those who had taken a big risk by venturing out on slicks should have been allowed to start from the starting grid.
Aspi Bhathena
Editor
