Hero Xpulse 200 Enduro Footpeg Hangers by JCMoto: On The Bike

Gallery Introduction Installation Static Testing What's next?Product Details

Introduction

A quick recap. We weren’t pleased with the stand-up ergonomics of the Hero Xpulse 200. We found the transition from sitting down to standing up challenging and tedious. And it took quite some effort to hook up and stay hooked to the bike without banking on the handlebar for stability. JCMoto, a custom bike and parts builder, came up with the solution in the form of the enduro footrest hangers, which promised to solve this issue and more.

Installation

Since we have already detailed the construction and design of the hangers in our previous report, let us move straight to the installation.

The JCMoto footrest hangers come with an installation guide. It’s a comprehensive 10-page booklet. Now, if you like wrenching, you will love the work involved. It includes completely disassembling the existing footrest hangers, its cover, and the rider and pillion footrests. The kickstarter, the rear brake reservoir, and the brake pedal pivot bolt need to come off too. It’s not too difficult to do, but it’s anything but a quick job. According to the booklet, it takes 18 steps to complete the job.

We requested JCMoto to help us out.

Post-installation of the new hangers, a few parts don’t go back on. The plastic covers for the stock hangers, which also work as heel plates to help the rider hold the bike more securely, stay off. With the footpegs moved back, the rear brake line is a little too long for the new setup and has to be zip-tied to the swingarm. Crucially, the JCMoto footpeg hangers don’t provide extra mounting points for the pillion footrest like the stock set, and therefore, it renders the Xpulse a single seater.

We spoke to JCMoto about the inability to put the heel plates and the pillion footrest back on, and we were informed that a solution for the same is under work.

Static Testing

Now, to compare the new setup with the stock, we carried out a set of static tests. We invited four BikeWale members of varying heights and ran them through three exercises.

One. The team members had to make the sitting down to standing up transition without holding on to the handlebar. Later, they rated the JCMoto setup against the stock for ease and effort to make these transitions.

Two. The members had to get into the standing up ‘attack’ position – typical of riding fast trails – albeit without holding onto the handlebar. Again, they had to measure the new setup against the stock to gauge the easier of the two to hook onto the bike.

Three. The riders had to stand up on the pegs as if they were relaxing while standing up between two obstacles. They were asked which felt more natural and comfortable, given they weren’t supposed to hold onto anything on the bike via their hands or legs.

In all cases, the team members under six feet gave an unequivocal thumbs up to the JCMoto setup (me included) on all three tests. The new standing-up position is more relaxing, natural, and focused at the same time. It gives you a higher sense of control than the stock setup.

If we look at our measured figures, the difference in numbers of the stock versus the revised rider triangle isn’t big. The footpegs have now moved back by 75mm and down by 5mm. But, in terms of feel, the difference is stark.

What's next?

As for the six-foot-plus team members, they preferred the new ergos too. But they weren’t as convinced as the rest of us. They wanted to give it a go on the move, especially in the dirt. And that is what we plan to do next time around.