800 km with my Xpluse 200: First bike service & trail ride experience

The Xpulse's primary purpose is as a commuter and its secondary purpose is for weekend rides off the beaten path and it's performing both duties with aplomb.

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An update on the Xpulse.

I have clocked around 800 km so far.

The first service was at around 550 km.

Also did my first proper ride out of the city of around 250 km today.

The service was done at Bhagat Motors Hormavu from where I picked up the motorcycle.

I was not thrilled with the quality of the first service.

The Hero sticker on the rear mudguard had been blasted off with their pressure washer.

My feedback to Hero was that there is too much:

• Pressure in the pressure wash
• Too much lube on the chain
• Too much polish

I was pretty peeved about the sticker. I know it's a small thing but I expect the vehicle to be returned to me in a similar or better condition than when I drop it off for service. I don't expect to catch damage done during service albeit however small. If they did it, they should've fixed it before I noticed. Unfortunately for them, they don't have the sticker in stock.

The polish was sprayed on all plastic parts and left to dry. I reached an hour after they called me to pick it up but it still wasn't ready because they were still polishing it. Polish is sprayed liberally, even the disc rotors weren't spared and the polish was left to dry, I had to remind them to wipe and shine it off. The polish on the switchgear and plastic parts left them feeling old and used.

The chain was heavily lubed, and there was oil splattered on the chassis near the front sprocket.

Overall in terms of feel, I was not too happy since I felt they had ruined the new bike feel of the motorcycle. However, everything else feels fine. I couldn't monitor them servicing the motorcycle but the turnaround was pretty quick, I left the bike with 5 bars of fuel at the service centre the previous day around 6 p.m. and road out of the showroom the next day at around 5 p.m. with the fuel intact.

In the first service, the clutch cover needs to be removed and the screen filter and centrifugal pump cleaned. I am glad to report there are no oil leaks. Also, they did change the oil, glad to report they did not forget to do this. I checked the level myself with the dipstick since there is no oil level window. I'm not sure about the grade of the oil but it is Hero fully synthetic. The damage to my wallet excluding labour (Free) was around 1.6k which is pretty reasonable.

They blasted the polish off the disc rotors with their trusty pressure washer and they are holding fine.

Bhagat Motors also organized a Breakfast Ride ride today to Kaiwara Hills - Kailasagiri Hils past Hoskote on the way to Chintamani. The staff organized the ride, sponsored our breakfast, and gave the 10 of us who turned up free Hero Xpulse 4V branded T-shirts. It was a pretty cool experience and I am glad the dealership is taking this initiative to help owners experience the capabilities of their machines and create a motorcycling community around the Xpulse.

The ride up Kailasa Giri was off-road, beginner to intermediate level. All my confidence ends when the tarmac ends but I was really impressed with the capability of the Xpulse Pro. The grip levels were good, with no scary moments, minimal wheel lock-ups, and not too much slip and slide, and the way it climbs rocks, ledges, etc. what would otherwise seem impossible on most other motorcycles, is simply amazing. The ground clearance is an added boon, the suspension kept me comfortable through my rear shock is set on its softest setting, and it did not bottom out. The front abs worked well, I did not even change the ABS mode, the rear with no abs is perfect so it lets it slip, and slide while never making the rider feel overwhelmed. This motorcycle really comes into its element when the tarmac ends.

They will soon be organizing a ride to Big Rock and some more trail rides that I am eagerly looking forward to.

I used my ViaTerra tank bag that I usually use on the Interceptor but felt it was a little large for the Xpulse tank, doesn't really cause a problem but straddling leads to my stomach pushing the tank bag up. The bag also does not seem to hold onto the tank as the motorcycle flies over bumps.

The seat started making my butt go numb around 45 mins into the ride but after that, it didn't bother me too much.

I started feeling sleepy on the highway because the lead was riding too slowly. On the way back I tried to maintain a steady 80 kmph to keep myself engaged. Hit a top speed of around 110 km/h on some downslopes. This bike is a little outgunned on the highway, obviously not as engaging as the Interceptor, the exhaust is inaudible through my earplugs and helmet. 80-90 km/h feels comfortable - anything above that and it starts to feel a little stressed. Another rider that I met and hung out with today told me that his 2V does around 130 km/h tops so I guess that's the top speed with the engine bouncing off the rev limiter.

Mileage is great, I haven't really measured but for around 4.5 litres of gas, I am able to cover around 180-200 km.

Today is also probably the first time this motor has been revved to about 8k rpm in all 5 gears, so my running-in is complete, not gonna baby the motor anymore. The ride up was a little steep and I was worried the tiny motor would run out of breath but I was pleasantly surprised with how it went about its business with no complaints pulling up easily on most inclines in 2nd and 3rd gear.

I now have around 2600 km to go before my second service. The Xpulse's primary purpose is as a commuter and its secondary purpose is for weekend rides off the beaten path and it's performing both duties with aplomb.

I am playing with the idea of an aftermarket exhaust but it would take away the commuter capabilities of it. Been looking at Norifumi, Quickshift, and the Motowings exhaust. I think it will add some character to this very mind-mannered Xpulse. Also maybe the MotoTorque saddle stays, a smaller Rynox tank bag, a way2speed tubeless conversion, and maybe an air filter.

I've been watching videos of some heavily modified Xpulses on YouTube, if you've got a trick Xpulse, post up!

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