Hero XPulse T
While the XPulse quickly became a cult favourite off-road motorcycle, among enthusiasts, the XPulse 200T remains in the shadows of its sibling’s popularity. In the interest of fairness, we decided to switch out our XPulse for the T, to really get a hands-on feel of what it has to offer. At first glance the T lacks the sheer drama and presence that comes with the standard XPulse, almost to the point of being bland. Take the XPulse out of the picture though, and the T’s unique design language does grow on you. The neo-retro styling paired with the convenience of a touring motorcycle brings out the confluence of form and function. Where the XPulse might be slightly intimidating for the first time off-roader, the 200T is friendlier with a 795mm seat height. Out on the highway, the 200T is surprisingly good. The 130mm radial rear tyre is stable and has great grip even when the road surface takes a nosedive The 17.1Nm of torque on tap, and strong mid-range makes for very comfortable cruising. The rear-mono-shock which is preload adjustable is another boon, although for the course of our ride the stock setting seemed more than adequate. Another boon to touring is the smartphone connectivity suite which gives you turn by turn navigation and some limited telephony tools, on the instrument panel itself. For it’s segment I would say it is a game-changer. Turns out, that a consideration is all the 200T really needed and over the next six months we intend to do exactly that!
FOR THE FIRST TIME OFF-ROADER, THE 200T IS FRIENDLIER