Hero might not be particularly well known on the British Isles but, largely by virtue of massive sales in their native India, they claim to have been the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters over the past 25 years – with a base of over 125 million customers.
We’ve already reviewed the Hero Hunk 440, their debut UK offering that’s sold as a Harley-Davidson in some markets, and now they’re following it up with a pair of flyweight adventure bikes clocking in at less than £3000.
The XPulse 200 and XPulse 200 Pro are typically Indian ‘go anywhere, fix easily’ types of motorcycle – like the original Royal Enfield Himalayan, which proved a smash hit with British riders.
With just under 19bhp on tap, they offer a little more performance than a learner legal 125 and require an A2 licence to ride. The motor is a simple 200cc single cylinder four-valve engine with oil cooling and a five speed gearbox, and Hero says it’s been tuned to deliver strong bottom and mid-range performance. It’s a well-proven unit, being based around the technology found at the heart of many of Hero’s domestic models, and it should be ideal for DIY mechanics to work on.
Performance
Although fitted with a small engine, the XPulse ticks most of the other adventure bike boxes. The standard XPulse 200 4V, which costs £2699 on the road, has a 825mm seat height and is positioned as a versatile all-rounder ideal for commuting and light off-roading, while the XPulse 200 Pro (which costs £200 more) has better suspension, which is taller and adjustable.
With 270mm ground clearance and ergonomics designed for standing up on the footpegs, the Pro version has improved off-road capability, albeit with a 891mm seat height – which may put some shorter riders off. Despite being pretty tall, the XPulse is narrow, light (159kg) and there’s a fair amount of suspension travel too, meaning it’s fairly manageable.
Top speed is claimed to be just 71mph, which is in part down to the short gearing for off-road responsiveness. Cruising at a steady 60mph is realistically the XPulse’s lot, although we’re sure some riders will drop a tooth or two on the rear sprocket in an attempt to make high speed riding a bit more relaxing.
Despite the low prices, there’s some decent tech going on under the skin of these Heros. Three ABS settings allow the rider to modify the anti-lock intervention levels for on and off-road riding, namely fully on, fully off or front wheel only, while the neat rally inspired dashboard offers Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation. Both variants come with engine bash plates, handguards and a rear rack as standard. We can really see the appeal in today’s motorcycling landscape, where simple and inexpensive models are attracting sales from a wide variety of riders.
Whether as a day-to-day commuter, a weekend green laner or a genuine solo ‘round the world contender, the XPulse will make a lot of sense to a lot of people. The name might not be too familiar but, as we’ve mentioned already, Hero’s a huge company with a global presence. They’re already making headway in Italy and Spain, two of Europe’s most demanding markets, and they’re present in 52 countries around the world… should you wish to make the XPulse your companion on a globetrotting adventure. In the UK, they’re distributed by MotoGB and currently have 36 dealers throughout the country.
Harshavardhan Chitale, Hero’s CEO, explained the positioning of the XPulse. He said: “The launch of the XPulse 200 series marks an important step in strengthening Hero MotoCorp’s global adventure motorcycling portfolio in the UK. The XPulse has created a strong identity globally as an accessible yet highly capable adventure motorcycle that appeals to both - everyday riders and off-road enthusiasts.
With its proven performance, versatility and adventure-focused DNA, we are confident that the XPulse range will strongly resonate with the riders. As we continue to expand across international markets, our focus remains on bringing globally benchmarked products and building deeper customer engagement worldwide.”
