Hero MotoCorp has taken the wraps off the XPulse adventure bike at the EICMA Show in Italy. Hold your horses though, as the XPulse is still a concept bike and the company has refused to provide a timeline as to when the bike will hit the production lines.
The XPulse is a dual-sport motorcycle rather than a hardcore off-roader. The idea behind the motorcycle was to have a product which can take care of the owner’s daily commute, while doubling up as a touring motorcycle on weekends. Looking at the bike, it seems like Hero has a clear idea of what an Indian touring enthusiast has to deal with.
The XPulse rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoke wheels with Metzler dual-sport tyres. The seat is long and narrow, and the sculpted fuel tank should allow the rider to stand up and ride. It gets disc brakes for both wheels with single-channel ABS. The hand guards, leg guard and sprocket guard should make the XPulse capable of protecting critical components in case of a fall. It even gets a tail rack to accommodate your luggage and fog lamps. The instrument console consists of an LCD display.
The minimalistic styling hints at a no-frills approach, which is something we witnessed with the Royal Enfield Himalayan. An early prototype of this bike was also put through the Raid de Himalaya earlier this year, as a part of its trials. While the Impulse struck the right chord with enthusiast audience, the 150cc engine left us wanting for more. Hero refused to get into details, although they did mention that the XPulse gets a new 200cc engine. As for now, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope that Hero puts this bike into production soon.
