HERO XPULSE 200 RALLY
Fully adjustable suspension, Maxxis tyres and much more! The Rally kit for Xpulse 200 is here
HERO XPULSE 200 WON THE 2020 Indian Motorcycle of The Year award and to add another feather to its cap, Hero MotoCorp has launched a homologated Rally kit which is not only road-legal but FMSCI-certified too for rally purpose. Should you be going ahead and spending `38,000 cash for the kit or not is the question. We managed to spend roughly 15min on the tall saddle of the rally-ready machine and here’s what we think.
What’s new?
You get fully-adjustable suspension at the front (60mm extra travel) and rear (50mm extra travel), tall bench seat with a height of 935mm, handlebar risers and gear shifter. The revised suspension has lent it an additional wheelbase of 10mm while the ground clearance has gone up by a massive 50mm. What you’re not getting is the Akrapovic exhaust and new sprockets.
How does it ride?
The tall saddle is almost perfect for pushing it down round corners but if you’re not taller than 5ft 8in, it’ll be a deterrent. At least in your head. It feels almost like an MX-er with the Maxxis knobbies digging their claws in slush, gravel or loose sand. The grip is unreal and we couldn’t really push the bike to its limits owing to the limited saddle time. Travel of 250mm plus means getting it to bottom out would require you to jump off a building!
The Rally bikes that we rode had a 12/40T final drive which meant the Xpulse was quicker off the line and livelier too. Again, we were stuck to the first two cogs and I can tell you that the second cog is what you’ll require to get a move on. Even after it is stationary.
Obviously, the exhaust is what adds to the whole experience but Hero suggests that it’ll be very expensive and thus; is not a viable option. But aftermarket, third party kits are already available, if you’re keen on getting one.
Buy it?
Absolutely! If you’re serious about off-roading as a hobby or if you want to start working on your Dakar dream, the Xpulse 200 Rally makes for a serious starter kit. And Hero is letting you pick items from the kit if you don’t want to spend the full amount which is a nice move. But a sticker price of just `38,000 makes it great value for money anyway.