The Hero Xpulse 200 was, and still is, one of the best bang-for-buck off-roaders. With its forgiving nature, it made sure we thoroughly enjoyed some fantastic trails
Story: Charan Karthik
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Going uphill at 60 km/h on a gravel road, jumping over rocks and sliding the rear wheel through corners, smiling all the while inside my helmet like a school kid on a summer holiday. These were not among the things I had in mind when I took the key out to ride the Xpulse Pro. It definitely was not in my mind when I had to tiptoe, literally, as I balanced and moved the bike out of its parking. ‘Great start,’ I said to myself.
At first glance, the bike looked intimidating with its jacked up suspension, freakishly tall 891-millimetre seat, mud-bogging Maxxis tyres, and a side-stand that can for sure be used as a golf club. But you can’t judge a book by its cover.
After winning a few stages at the Dakar Rally this year and becoming the first-ever Indian manufacturer to sit on the podium of the two-week-long event, it only made sense that Hero should offer something to us buyers that has their rally pedigree. And the Xpulse Pro is the closest you will get to Hero’s Dakar bike (sadly, one that is not for sale).
After I got out of the parking lot, I rode through the city to reach the off-road trail, filtering through endless traffic, turning some heads along the way and making some of the old folk wonder why I was riding this giraffe of a bike early in the morning. Honestly, I didn’t feel that good on the road either, for the bike creates a droning noise from its knobby tyres and handles poorly with inadequate feedback. Nevertheless, I convinced myself the heads turned because the Xpulse Pro, in this Pearl Fadeless White colour, looks absolutely mouth-watering.
A friend of mine said he doesn’t just look at the face; he also looks at the character, er… in women. Well, in that case, the bike now comes with a three-way switchable anti-lock braking system (ABS)—Road, Off-road, and Rally—as standard. I spent most of my time on Off-road and Rally and it locked and slid every time I wanted it to. The feature was useful when I hit the dirt as it gave proper feedback and obeyed my commands.
As a dedicated off-roader, the handlebar of this bike is now even taller with risers included as standard and it gives you good control over the bike. Since it is wide, it also makes for a no-nonsense magic-carpet sort of ride through the undulations. While red-lining the bike in one of the flat dirt sections I accidentally hit a huge out-of-place bump and the thought flashed through my mind that I would be going down, eating sand for breakfast. None of that happened, though; what did happen was that the Xpulse sailed across after a slight dip in speed and the front wheel landed a bit to the side. That spoke volumes about its forgiving nature, one that will suit a beginner or a short rider like me at five-feet eight-inch. The bike is truly a platform for budding off-roaders to begin their journey.
I would’ve liked the bike to have a smaller turning radius and a little more refinement when talking about the engine. Those were the only things for me that weren’t up to the level of the rest. Hero have now equipped the Xpulse Pro with LED headlamps, a taller windscreen, newly designed knuckle-guards, and new switchgear. I found the new headlamps beneficial, their throw being wide and the intensity commendable.
While thrashing bikes off road, one needs to have a lot of grip, slipping and sliding is a no-go. The new Xpulse makes that statement very clearly with a proper jagged rear brake pedal. There’s no way you’ll miss it. The extended gear-lever also made sure I could stand and ride the bike comfortably without my toes hitting it accidentally. The slim 13-litre fuel-tank also ensured my inner thighs could grab it and ride while standing up.
There is no direct rival for the Xpulse Pro, but the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, KTM 250 Adventure, and Honda CB200X can all be considered for that role. For me, the Himalayan is heavy, the KTM is Rs 93,000 costlier, and the CB200X lacks pedigree.
At Rs 1.55 lakh (ex-showroom), the Hero Xpulse 200 4V Pro is a steal deal. Even though it is nowhere close to being the best on road, it is one of the best off road. Add the much-needed updates it has received now and the price sounds justified. Ladakh, here I come.
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