Hero XPulse 200 and 200T launched in India
If you have been waiting for the Hero XPulse 200 to get launched, it sure has been a long wait. The bike is finally on sale now â€" Hero MotoCorp has just launched the XPulse 200 priced at Rs 97,000 for the carburetted version and Rs 1.05 lakh for the fuel injected version, both prices being ex-showroom New Delhi. Its road-biased sibling, the XPulse 200T, has been priced at Rs 94,000 ex-showroom. At its price, the XPulse 200 is thus the most affordable adventure touring motorcycle in the country and in that sense it is a Hero MotoCorp product that thousands of enthusiasts across the country have been waiting for.
The XPulse twins are powered by the same, 200cc, air-cooled single cylinder engine as the Hero Xtreme 200R and outputs are the same at 18.4PS and 17.1Nm. The engine is mated to the same five-speed gearbox as well but the gearing on the XPulse 200, the more hardcore version, is different as it uses a larger rear sprocket to improve the bike's initial grunt considering that it is meant to be ridden off-road. Of course, the XPulse 200 also gets equipment in accordance with that, like longer travel suspension (190mm travel at the front and 170mm at the rear), a 21 inch front wheel, 220mm ground clearance and wire-spoked wheels shod with on and off-road tyres from Ceat.
On the other hand the XPulse 200T is the road going version and gets a few differences. It loses the front flyscreen and rubber gaiters on the forks, runs on 17 inch wheels shod with MRF Zapper tyres at both ends and has a different seat to suit its purpose as tarmac-focused tourer or everyday motorcycle. It's gearing is slightly different from the XPulse 200 too for the purpose. The 200T's suspension hardware is the same as the XPulse 200 but is in a different state of tune and suspension travel is the same as the Xtreme 200R in fact (130mm upfront and 110mm at the rear).
Another distinct highlight about the XPulse twins is that they are the first made in India motorcycles to come equipped with Bluetooth connectivity for smartphones. In fact, the XPulse is the first motorcycle in the country to offer turn by turn navigation on its fully-digital instrument cluster. You pair your phone to the motorcycle using Bluetooth and then choose navigation on Hero MotoCorp's dedicated Hero Ride Guide app, which when relays turn by turn instructions onto the bike's instrument cluster.
In terms of pricing the XPulse 200 and 200T competes with motorcycles like the Yamaha FZ25, TVS Apache RTR 200 and Bajaj Pulsar NS200 to name a few, but none of these are direct rivals to the XPulse. Our first ride review of the bike will be up at 1PM on May 02, 2019. Stay tuned!
Also see: Hero XPulse 200 First Ride Review Video
Also see: Hero X-Pulse 200 walkaround Video