Hero Xpulse 210 Review — Racing Pedigree Infused

With the new Xpulse 210, Hero MotoCorp are offering customers a piece of their racing pedigree from the Dakar.

Story: Joshua Varghese
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

During the press briefing, Hero MotoCorp told us that they raced prototypes of the Xpulse 210 in national championships. Their Dakar riders were also instrumental in the development of this motorcycle. That immediately raised our expectations because Hero MotoSports are successful both on the regional and international stage. Furthermore, a motor sport influence always adds positively to motorcycle development.

The following morning, before sunrise, we were heading out of Udaipur in Rajasthan on a top-end Hero Xpulse 210. As someone who owns an Xpulse 200 4V, the improvement in comfort offered by the 210 was immediately evident. Hero were able to build this motorcycle from the ground up and a new double-cradle frame was among the first upgrades. That has allowed them to re-position the seat, handlebar, and foot-pegs, thereby offering a more relaxed and undemanding riding position. While the ground clearance remains the same, the seat height has increased to 830 millimetres which may reduce accessibility for some. On the bright side, tall riders will not be as cramped when riding standing up. Furthermore, we were told that the height of the handlebar can be adjusted using optional accessories. A useful piece of kit to have.

Next, I must draw your attention to the engine because this is the first time an Xpulse is getting a liquid-cooled unit. It is the same 210-cc, DOHC, four-valve mill from the Karizma XMR and the addition of a sixth gear has improved the Xpulse’s touring capability. In sixth gear, 100 km/h comes up at 7,000 rpm and we were able to cruise comfortably up to 110 km/h. When pushed beyond that, the motorcycle is capable of going up to 140 km/h but the engine is clearly out of its comfort zone at that speed. This was one among the many times when we felt that the Xtreme’s 250-cc engine would have been a more appropriate upgrade for the Xpulse.

So far as power delivery is concerned, the engine does not have the low-end grunt that off-road bikes need but Hero have worked around the problem by shortening the final drive ratio. While the Karizma XMR uses a 14/42 final drive gearing, the Xpulse uses 14/46. This allows the latter to take full mechanical advantage of the powerband that begins close to the mid-range and extends all the way to the red-line. At low speeds, this allows the Xpulse to carry higher gears which is particularly handy on tight, technical trails where momentum is crucial. In town also the ability to pull away from as low as 35 km/h has its advantages.

When ridden flat-out, the Xpulse sings through the gears quickly while treating the rider to a lovely exhaust note. This engine is as refined as it is exciting and easily a benchmark for the same in its segment. Around this time in 2024, I rode the Xpulse 200 4V from Pune to Thiruvananthapuram and I could not help but feel that the trip would have been easier and less demanding if I had the 210 then. It also helps that this one has a taller windscreen but Hero should improve the unit’s optical clarity.

Hero have decided to stick to the versatile and functional 21- and 18-inch wheel set-up but the suspension componentry is all new. At the front, we have a thicker fork while the monoshock at the rear has a linkage now. There is an increase in the wheelbase as well.

On the road, this Xpulse is more stable than its predecessor. It is able to cruise in comfort and there is a marked improvement in composure while cornering fast. We were also able to read the front end better, so although it does need a bit more steering input to tip into a corner, its stability at the edge of the tyres is impressive. It is a set-up that is difficult to unsettle and even when we went over bumps/potholes on the road at lean, the motorcycle recovered and stayed on the line without drama. It is also able to extract impressive levels of mechanical grip from the Eurogrip tyres.

To fully understand the extent of the Xpulse’s chassis development, one has to ride it off road. Following an experienced athlete on a trail with surfaces including hard-packed mud, sand, loose gravel, and a dry riverbed, the Xpulse felt in its element as long as we kept the momentum going. This motorcycle is less demanding to ride fast in the dirt because its inherent stability gets the rear wheel back in line quickly without much effort on the part of the rider. I was able to appreciate the full extent of the controlled compression offered by the linkage of the monoshock when landing jumps. Impacts that may have bottomed out the previous set-up were absorbed easily by the monoshock and we rode off as if nothing happened.

The handling can be easily summarised as the best yet for an Xpulse. It is neutral and allows one to ride the motorcycle at speed without exerting a lot of energy and that is great news for beginners and veterans alike. At 170 kilograms, the new Xpulse is 11 kilos heavier and that is not desirable for riding in the dirt. Despite the additional weight, the 210 has a better power-to-weight ratio as compared to the 200 but given the capability of the chassis, the 250 would have been the better choice.

Braking power and feedback are largely the same but the 210 offers dual-channel ABS in the top-end model along with three ABS modes. “Road” has ABS at both wheels, “Trail” has it only at the front, while “Off-road” switches it off entirely. It is simple to toggle through them and the modes do not reset on killing the ignition. Thank God!

Comprehensive revisions have been made to the Xpulse’s styling and they are not just limited to the form factor. Hero have also improved functionality by addressing problems that riders may face on the trails or while touring. For example, there are grab-rails at the front and rear to allow riders to pull the bike free if they get stuck. The one at the rear doubles as a luggage mounting point too. It is worth noting that the console is the best unit Hero have ever made. Information is displayed in a crisp manner and navigating through the menus is easy.

At Rs 1.86 lakh (ex-showroom), the Xpulse 210 is Rs 34,000 more expensive than the 200 4V. Even so, for anyone looking to step into the world of dual-purpose motorcycles, the 210 is the one I would recommend. It does not make sense to buy the 200 any longer, especially because the 210 Pro is on its way and should be available later this year. However, it is difficult to recommend the 210 to an experienced 200 owner because they are better off upgrading to a larger, more powerful motorcycle. When we placed this dilemma before Hero, they were unfazed because they have an ace up their sleeve. Although we do not have launch dates confirmed, the big Xpulse 421 is certainly closer than ever and that could be the upgrade the current lot of Xpulse loyalists need.