Hero XPulse 210 First Ride Review - Is It A Proper Adventure Bike Now?

Words: Priyadarshan Bawkar
Photography: Suraj Karale

People believe that the Hero XPulse 200 is an adventure bike. Unfortunately that's not really the case. It is a good dual-sport bike - and by that, we mean it handles road riding and off-road riding quite well. But it lacks the highway legs to be called a proper adventure motorcycle. So to address that Hero has launched the brand new XPulse 210 which has better performance both on and off the road. So is this finally the affordable adventure bike that we've been waiting for?

Just 10cc more?

The XPulse 210 has been built brand new from the ground up and shares almost nothing with the XPulse 200. But what it does share with another bike is that motor. It gets the same liquid-cooled 210cc motor that you get on the Karizma XMR 210, but it has been retuned. With an output of 24.6PS and 20.7Nm, it makes slightly less power, but slightly more torque than the Karizma. And to make that torque more usable the XPulse 210 gets a 4-teeth larger rear sprocket than the Karizma, and that makes this bike quite tractable when you're at slow speeds.

You can carry speeds of 25kmph in fourth gear without any juddering or even 30kmph in fifth gear is no problem at all. But if you’re used to bigger motors with a lot more mid-range grunt, that's where the XPulse 210 feels a bit lacking. It's okay at the bottom end and feels fine up to around 4,000rpm. But from 4,000rpm to 7,000rpm there's not much happening in terms of acceleration. Get it past 7,000rpm though, and the motor starts pulling pretty quickly, and is actually quite fun to ride beyond that point. But the best part is even at these higher revs the bike feels quite refined. There's a slight buzzy feel on the foot pegs, but it's quite minor

Can it travel?

While the goal of this slightly larger engine was to make the Xpluse a better highway touring bike, this is something, I feel, hasn’t worked out that well. It can cruise comfortably at 85-90kmph, and it can hold 100kmph quite easily as well.

This new XPulse does get a 6-speed gearbox, but 100kmph in 6th comes at a fairly noisy 7000+ rpm. While the motor doesn’t really feel stressed at this point, and has a bit of performance in reserve to make overtakes on the highway, it doesn’t sound too happy at these speeds. It is definitely a big improvement over the XPulse 200. But if it’s fast highway touring you’re after, you’d be better off with something with a larger engine.

Is this engine good for off-road use?

Where this engine really shines though, is in its extra bottom-end torque over the XPulse 200 and this really helps if you're riding off the road. Of course you're not going to fly on off terrain like on the Himalayan or the KTM Adventure but if you're climbing on some tricky trails, that extra torque is really appreciated, and it requires much less throttle and clutch input compared to the 200 when you're riding off the road. And that makes it a lot easier to ride and honestly for new riders I would recommend the XPulse 210 over the XPulse 200 any day.

Is it more comfortable?

Since the XPulse 210 is a brand new bike, the ergonomics have changed as well compared to the XPulse 200. Now the seat height is just 830mm, but the bike is quite slim which means getting your feet on the ground is very easy. Now I'm 5’9” and I can flat-foot the bike comfortably from the seat. The other thing that's also changed is the fuel tank is now 50mm shorter than before which means you sit further forward on the bike. And that means the footpeg position

also has changed in relation to where you're sitting. So if you're riding on the road and you come to an off-road trail, if you want to get into a stand up posture, all you do is just lift your butt off the seat and you immediately get a grip on the tank and the seat. so riding offroad is quite easy on this bike. It's a great posture for riding off-road, but the handlebar is a bit on the lower side which means you have to lean forward further to be in a slightly more attack posture when you're tackling offroad trails. And if you're taller you might find the handlebars a little bit too low, so handlebar risers might be a good option for you. But for pretty much everybody else they should be just fine.

How does it handle bad roads?

In terms of suspension the XPulse 210 does get a big upgrade over the XPulse 200. It's got a fatter 41mm front fork which can take a lot more abuse when riding off the road and it's got more travel as well - 210mm at the front. It still has a conventional telescopic fork, not an inverted one, which some people might think is a bit of a let down. But it keeps the cost of the bike down which is definitely a good thing in my book. And the same story at the rear as well.

The rear shock again has more travel (205mm) and this time it's a linked monoshock which offers you much finer control over damping. So if you're riding offroad or at slow speeds on bumps and bad roads, the ride quality is actually really good. It's not plush by any means but it still handles everything quite well. But start going faster and the rear starts to feel a little bit on the stiffer side. Especially if you go over speed breakers a little fast, the rear can give a jolt on your backside. But that can be easily fixed by carrying a pillion rider or playing with the rear preload. Overall the XPulse 210’s suspension really shines when riding off the road - that's where it performs the best.

And speaking of riding Offroad, it's got 220mm of ground clearance which is the same as that on the XPulse 200 and that's more than enough for most when riding on trails. And because of its dual cradle frame and a solid metal bash plate as standard, even if you do hit rocks on a trail ride, the chances of damaging your engine or oil sump are actually quite low.

How is it to ride off-road?

This XPulse 210 is great in the city and not the best on the highway. But come to an off-road trail, and that’s where it really comes alive. Although at 170kg, it is slightly heavier than the XPulse 200, the 210 still feels light and easy to manage when crawling up tricky trails. Plus the engine’s improved bottom-end torque, and the bike’s better suspension makes it one of the easiest bikes to ride off-road. It’s like a proper little mountain goat, able to get over rocks, broken paths and difficult trails with the utmost of ease. If you’ve never been a fan of off-road riding before, then just take this XPulse 210 to a nearby trail. I guarantee you, it will change your mind, and make you fall in love with not just it, but also off-road riding in general.

Any new features?

To aid in off-road riding, the new XPulse 210 comes with three ABS modes - Road, Trail and Off-road. In road mode, you have full dual-channel ABS. In Trail, the rear ABS is turned off while the front ABS intervention is reduced. And finally in Off-road mode, both front and rear ABS is completely turned off.

Apart from the multiple ABS modes on the Top variant, it also gets a 4.5-inch colour TFT screen with smartphone connectivity for call & message alerts, music control and turn-by-turn navigation. This screen does look fairly clean and easy to read, and the matte finish ensures you don’t get too much glare in bright sunlight. But get the sun above and a little behind you at around mid-afternoon, and this screen becomes completely unreadable.

The Base variant of the XPulse 210 though, gets the 4.5-inch monochrome LCD screen from the Karizma XMR 210, which we think already looks dated. Also, it only gets single-channel ABS.

Is the Hero XPulse 210 right for you?

So is the XPulse finally a proper adventure bike? No not really! That said it's still a better dual-sport bike than it ever was and the bigger engine does help on the highway a bit if you plan to go touring on it. If you're a current XPulse 200 owner, upgrading to the XPulse 210 might not make too much sense for you. But if you're looking for your first off-road or dual sport bike I would recommend the XPulse 210 over XPulse 200 any day of the week.

Although, at Rs 1.76 to Rs 1.86 lakh (ex-showroom), it's a bit more expensive, it is offering a lot more kit, making it better value for money as well. But if you want a proper hardcore off-road bike then the XPulse 200 Pro might be your go-to, since the XPulse 210 Pro is still a little ways away. And if you want a proper XPulse adventure, I guess you will have to wait till the 400 comes out.