It has almost been a year since Hero Motocorp took the covers off the very exciting Hero Xpulse. Since then, the motorcycle has been showcased at the Auto Expo which went by, and then, the bike maker kept everyone guessing with a launch date that nobody at Hero can still decide upon. A company representative we spoke to at the Expo confirmed that the bike will be launched before September 2018. Hero even teased an image with a caption on social media which read,” Gear Up! Another adventure awaits you.” But that was in the month of July 2018, and since then, many moons have come and gone. But there’s still no concrete news about the Xpulse’s launch.
As confirmed by a Hero Motocorp official during the Expo, the Xpulse 200 is to become India’s most affordable adventure motorcycle upon launch, with an ex-showroom price of under INR 1 Lakh! That information alone was enough to make many salivate about the prospect of owning one. Because without spending too much, one could just set out on an adventurous ride at will. And that dream holds water too, for anyone who has ever ridden an Impulse, knows how much fun that bike was and what Hero as a company could do.
Also Read: Hero MotoCorp XPulse 200 India Launch Reportedly Delayed To December 2018
The Xpulse 200 as we all know, shares its motor with the Xtreme 200 which has been launched already. Under the Xpulse’s fuel tank, that 200cc fuel injected, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine is to deliver 18.4 PS of power and 17.1 Nm of torque. Which is enough power to enjoy a lightweight motorcycle off the black top. And then, you have bits like long-travel front forks, high-set bars and an up swept exhaust, along with premium rubber wrapped around spoked wheels. For Hero’s reputation as a bike maker, the Xpulse will be pretty well-engineered and reliable too. A great recipe for the outdoors then!
Unfortunately, the cooking time just doesn’t seem to end and we wonder what’s causing the delay in the launch. But if you’ve noticed, except for the Himalayan, every other affordable adventure bike out there has been delayed. Even when the demand is there! How do we know? We talk to a lot of bikers and we can only hope they aren’t lying, and their excitement about owning and riding an affordable adventure bike isn’t fake.
Will there still be any excitement left by the time an Xpulse reaches Hero’s dealerships? There should be. But if it takes another year, we doubt if the Himalayan will be the only croc in those waters and then the Xpulse will then have to fight it out with rivals from another league. But the biggest fight it might have to fight by that time will be against the perception people have begun to harbour about Hero Motocorp as a premium bike maker. The bike maker commanded a lot of respect when it dished out things like the CBZ and the Karizma. Post that, they still might be the biggest name when it comes to numbers and figures, but as a bike maker among enthusiasts, Hero needs to display some Heroism. Or may we add, not just display.