Hero Xpulse India Launch By Mid-2018

We got a glimpse of the concept version of the Hero Xpulse at 2017 EICMA. Now, it looks like Hero is ready to launch the off-roader in our market sooner than we expected. As per reports, the bike is set to be launched by mid-2018. We expect it to arrive at Hero dealerships across the country by June or July, 2018.

Heavily inspired by the Impulse, the Xpulse is expected to take a bigger step than the latter, which was powered by a 150cc motor. Hence, we expect the Xpulse to be powered by a single-cylinder, air-cooled, 200cc engine that was first seen on the Hero Xtreme 200S concept which was showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo.

Although critics were in favour of the Impulse, which was launched six years ago, it soon lost out as the Indian two-wheeler market had not yet warmed up to the idea of an adventure tourer. The tall saddle height was a deterrent too. However, Hero seems to be optimistic this time around and has spent a considerable amount of time and effort in making an entry-level adventure tourer to better suit the demands of Indian riders.

The Xpulse certainly stands out from the crowd. It looks modern while retaining a classic charm with its long and sharp mudguard, round headlamp, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank and the long, single piece saddle. Unlike the Impulse, the Xpulse will get a digital screen for instrumentation. It will also get telescopic front forks and a monoshock at the rear. To make it an out-and-out off-roader, the Xpulse will feature spoked wheels as well. The Xpulse shown at 2017 EICMA featured a tall windscreen, huge panniers on either side and a luggage rack at the rear. We expect these accessories to be offered as an option here.

As mentioned earlier, the Xpulse will be powered by a 200cc engine that is expected to produce around 20PS of power. With a kerb weight of just 140kg, the Xpulse promises to be light, fun and easy to ride on the rough stuff. Hero is likely to price the Xpulse competitively and we expect it to cost anywhere between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh.

Hero is a very popular name in the motorcycling market with three out of the five top-selling two-wheelers in India coming out of the homegrown manufacturers plants. It enjoys sales figures like no other rival in the market. While suggestions from within the company was to make the Xpulse a powerful off-roader, Hero has decided to give it a relatively small powerplant that would cater to the masses.

Despite a major difference in terms of engine and power output, the Xpulse will compete against the Royal Enfield Himalayan, which is powered by a 411cc engine. The Himalayan is the only other entry-level adventure tourer out there. The launch of the Xpulse will certainly be a boost to young motorcycling enthusiasts looking to explore the wild on a mean machines.