Entry-level ADV is a booming segment in developing countries like India. Motorcyclists are getting more and more inclined towards the adventurous side of motorcycles and entry-level ADVs serve as the perfect tool to start exploring the unknown. When we talk about the segment starters in India, the ‘OG’ has to be the Hero Impulse. It might not have been that successful in India but it garnered a cult status when Hero pulled the plug on it. The demand for Impulse’s successor was so high that the homegrown bikemaker had to cater to it and gave us the Xpulse 200.
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The Xpulse 200 has been pretty successful in its stint and now, the company has announced that the Xpulse has crossed the landmark 10,000 sales mark in Kerala, thus strongly establishing the company’s modern premium brand appeal.
Official statement
Commenting on the occasion, Naveen Chauhan, Head – Sales and Aftersales, Hero MotoCorp, said, “Xpulse has been resonating very well with biking enthusiasts across the country and it’s great to see immensely positive response from them. Kerala is the first state to have crossed the milestone of having it’s 10,000 happy customers. We are truly humbled to achieve this milestone and we want to express our gratitude to the strong community of XPulse owners in the state. XPulse 200 has stood for providing an unrivalled experience backed by its superior technology, modern design and differentiated appeal. In keeping with our vision to ‘Be the Future of Mobility’, Hero MotoCorp will be launching a host of new motorcycles & scooters over the next five years, in addition to expanding our global footprint.”
The BS6 Hero XPulse 200 makes 17.8 bhp at 8,500 rpm and has a peak torque output of 16.4 Nm at 4,500 rpm. In its previous BS4 avatar, it used to make 18 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 17.1 Nm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm. In the transition to BS6, it has gained a few kilos too as the Xpulse 200 now weighs 157 kg which is 3 kg heavier than the BS4 iteration.
Previously, one could either opt for fuel injection or carburetted version of the Xpulse 200 as they were both on offer but now Hero is offering the Xpulse 200 only with FI. Other changes include a new oil-cooler coupled with a rerouted exhaust system. Now technically, the rerouted exhaust system should have resulted in lesser ground clearance than before but as listed on their website, the ground clearance stands exactly the same as the BS4 Xpulse 200 which is 200 mm.