- It was spied several times before
- Was first unveiled at the 2018 Auto Expo in India
- Shares its underpinnings with the Xtreme 200R
The long wait for the Hero Xpulse 200 will be over now as the company is all set to launch this much-anticipated 200cc adventure motorcycle on 1 May 2019 in India.
The Hero Xpulse 200 was first unveiled in its concept form at the 2017 EICMA show in Milan. The company had also showcased the bike at the 2019 Auto Expo in India. This was followed by the motorcycle being spied on multiple occasions in India, either in its adventure form or in its road-biased avatar which is the Xpulse 200T. The XPulse 200 will act as the successor to Hero’s now-discontinued 150cc adventure bike, the Impulse, and carries a similar styling.
The Xpulse 200 shares its underpinnings with the Xtreme 200R, albeit in a tweaked form in order to suit its adventure purpose. Powering the bike is a 200cc, air-cooled, cylinder motor which sends power to the rear wheel via a five-speed gearbox. This unit produces 18.4bhp and 17.4Nm on the Xtreme 200R. However, Hero is likely to retune the Xpulse's engine and gearbox depending on the character it intends to lend to the motorcycle.
The Xpulse 200 is equipped with adventure-oriented components. For instance, it gets spoke wheels; 18-inch at the rear and a larger 21-inch up front. Suspension duties are carried out by telescopic units on the front with 190mm of travel and 10-step adjustable monoshock at the rear with 170mm of travel. Braking duties are handled by disc brakes on both ends, likely to be assisted by a single-channel ABS. On the feature front, the Hero Xpulse 200 incorporates full-LED headlamps and a digital instrument cluster along with Bluetooth connectivity.
We expect Hero to price the Xpulse 200 in the bracket of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.3 lakh (ex-showroom). Although the bike doesn’t have direct competition in its segment yet, in terms of purpose, it will go up against the Royal Enfield Himalayan which is currently the most affordable adventure bike. We will be riding the Hero Xpulse 200 during its launch. Stay tuned to BikeWale to read the launch ride review.