The Hero Xpulse 421 was first showcased at EICMA 2024 as just some design sketches but, now, the patent application has a 3D render.
After being teased at EICMA 2024, the Hero Xpulse 421 has been revealed in a design patent filed by Hero MotoCorp. The initial sketches shown at EICMA are consistent with the final design which, unlike the Xpulse 200, is not neo-retro but more contemporary. The angular fairing is in line with mid-capacity adventure motorcycles from other manufacturers and the Xpulse 421 will have an USD fork and a rear monoshock, though it remains to be seen if the fork is adjustable or not.
The Hero Xpulse 421 will have Hero’s most powerful road-going engine till date, which should be a 421-cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve, single-cylinder power plant. We estimate more than 40 hp and more than 35 Nm. It is highly unlikely that this engine will have anything less than a six-speed gearbox. We expect a slip-and-assist clutch and ride-by-wire to be present as well.
The front brake disc on the Xpulse 421 is a petal unit, while the rear one is a conventional rotor. It will most certainly have switchable ABS as it is clearly a motorcycle with a much heavier off-road focus than most. Based on that assumption, we think the wheel set-up will be 21/18-inch wire-spoke rims at the front and rear, respectively. It would be amazing if Hero manage to offer tubeless wire-spoke rims on the Xpulse 421.
The more aware readers may recall that a larger-capacity Xpulse was caught testing multiple times in the last two years in the Himalayas, which many assumed to be an adventure motorcycle based on the Hero/Harley-Davidson 440-cc platform. While that platform itself should spawn a mini Pan-America, say a Pan-India, it seems like the Xpulse 421 that was caught during testing.
We definitely hope to see this new engine in more bikes in the future, but for now we are glad that it is debuting on an adventure motorcycle such as the Xpulse 421.
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