All this took about 15 hours for me. It was also worth it to me, now that I have familiarised myself with the bike a little further.

BHPian BullettuPaandi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

In all honesty, a more befitting title would be: "Making up for my negligence towards my XPulse".

Prologue:

Just after buying an XPulse 200 4V two years ago, I remember clocking over 3500km within the first two and a half months & checking in for third service in the third month- I took the advice of a mechanic in the showroom to bring the bike in for second service at 1500km, instead of the factory-recommended '3000km or 6 months'. Back then I used to commute 60km/weekday and simply ride around visiting places, exploring new trails and roads once in a weekend or two. All this changed soon enough and since, I haven't had to commute and have been out-of-station more often. So, I only managed to ride for about 1500km in the rest of one and three quarters years! In both circumstances, the bike has never caused any issues- only required chain lubrication for maintenance & has always started without any drama even after months of leaving unattended. I now feel like this has slightly spoiled me and that I'd long been taking it for granted.

While there's never been an issue with me leaving the bike unattended, I obliviously triggered one: Little over a month ago, monkeys managed to break a part of security grill in my house. While getting this fixed by a local welder, I decided to add some more protection to avoid snakes and squirrels getting inside. After a week, I noticed a squirrel under a scorching sun trying and failing to crawl into its regular shelter-spot. I couldn't help but enjoy watching this with a smirk- but as it'd turn out, that little devil had been eating my bike from the inside out all along! Shortly after, when I tried to start the bike after a wash, I noticed that I didn't hear the fuel pump 'whirr'. I thought maybe a fuse got rusted out in the rains; and when they turned out to be fine, I started looking for if there's a relay only to find a hay-nest hiding this:

After a good while of hitting my head against every wall in the house, I decided to do the repair myself; just to put myself through it and learn. I called the Hero Showroom that I bought the bike from, to order a new harness. The mechanic asked me to send a picture of the damage, to see if it's fixable with just some new wires. Although I had no hopes for it, I obliged just to appreciate that gesture. After confirming that fixing is not viable, he advised me to bring the bike to the showroom and told me that they can only order parts to the showroom's address, not to mine. But, as I was fixated on replacing the harness myself, I neglected his advice this time and asked him if a soft copy of the service manual was available. To my surprise, he told me that they only receive training from Hero and are not provided service manuals. This was a bit of a let down, but I still proceeded with my decision and ordered a Wiring Harness from TheSparesCompany, that had COD as an option, and received a genuine part a while after. I tried my best to look around the stock bike and managed to label almost all connectors of the harness:

Disclaimer: This is just from me figuring out what each connector could be for. This may not be accurate (or) The connectors may have other functions than what they are labelled as.

Note 1: I have no idea what 'ABZ' is. There's a sealed rubber housing on the bike next to relays, the connector end of which has 'ABZ' printed on it. So I've just labelled here as that for identification. I also have no idea, what the two 'connected' connectors are for; I have no way of knowing, as in the factory harness these were just connected to each other. Perhaps these have some function in a different model that shares this same part.

Note 2: As this is my first time posting, I kept forgetting that I had to take pictures for this post while I was working on the bike. So, I've added pictures I took post the job- pictures from re-installing panels added to removing panels section, for instance- for the sake of continuity. Because of this, you may notice some inconsistencies- such as, the bike being dirty, then cleaner, then dirty back again. Consider this a rookie mistake and kindly bear with it.

Note 3: I've decidedly omitted details that can be found on the user manual. So, in case you are reading this to do a similar job on your bike and find any detail missing, check the user manual.

Harness Replacement:

Removal of Old Harness:

Firstly, I had already removed the battery after noticing the damage, just in case Mr.Menace Mouth makes a visit again and somehow manages to short himself to Squirrel 65. Now, to remove the existing harness, the fuel tank and some other parts need to be removed first. I started with draining the fuel on the tank. With a fuel pump sealing the fuel line to the injector, this shouldn't be necessary. But I had a full tank of 13L; so felt it's rather safe to drain the tank and then figure out how to remove it.

I have only watched mechanics siphon (suck fuel out of a tank with a tube); I was a bit reluctant to do so myself and bought this mechanical siphon- basically a bladder with directional flaps that only fold on one side. When pressure is applied air/fluid is pulled from where the flap opens inwards to where the flap opens outwards (w.r.t. the bladder). After about 4-5 presses on the bladder, it managed to drain the fuel fairly quickly- 13L in about two minutes. I also bought a HDPE container to store the fuel. There was some fuel left in the tank- must've been within a litre- but as it wasn't leaking after removing the undermentioned lines, I just let it be. After draining the fuel, I proceeded with removing the tank.

A tank bolt, Evaporative Emission Control (EEC) line, Drain line, Fuel Pump Connector & Injector line need to removed first in order to remove the tank. Just one single bolt on the rear of the tank is what is holding it in place, while the front of the tank rests on and is pushed tight against some rubber cushions/dampers. After the removing side panels, battery and the tank:

A close up of the crime scene and the remains of the criminal's nice little condo. Must've been nice for Mr.Jaws Mini between just about enough warmth from the engine and faint fragrance of fuel intoxicating him after a long day of gnawing on copper, rubber and metal! Fortunately, just a near miss on the ECU. Only the rubber housing is damaged and not the actual component.

After cursing him for a while, I decided to work on the front first, as it was fairly simple. Two front-facing bolts of the four on the headlamps bracket needs to come off- one holding the headlamps and the other holding the LCD. The connector for the LCD is underneath it, which can be removed after pulling the red tab downwards. I also, took off the wind-shield bolts to give myself some extra room to work with.

Stock front routing. After removing the front sock connections, the white push-lock zip-tie needs to be detached from the frame to remove the harness from the front of the motorcycle. Also, the rubber cushions/dampers visible just above that are what the tank rests on and pushed against.

After removing the harness from the front, I ran into a bit of a problem. A bolt holding a connection on the Rectifier & Regulator (RR), was so tight that I've only managed to strip it while using the ring end of a proper-sized Stanley spanner. Looks like the assembler drove it the hell into the nut with a power tool. I tried all I could with increasing the arm length, using a hammer, etc.; all ended in vain. So, I just decided to cut the connection on the old harness & cut and tape the connection on the new harness when installing. It was indeed a bit unnerving to cut a brand new harness, but with the bolt this stripped, only other choice was to order a bolt extractor, wait for about a week and then do it right with a new bolt. I wasn't that patient; so, chose the scissors.

At this point, I had spent way too much time on that bolt than I should've. It was starting to get dark; so I decided to remove connections from the rear. Though the connections themselves are fairly simply, getting to the connections on the rear is a bit tricky. So, I wanted to be done with that, when there still was enough light.

The factory routing on the rear passes through this narrow section. The harness can be removed from the rear only after the rear fenders under the harness are dropped. I had until this point dismissed buying a T-spanner, as I thought the spanner set I already own was enough & as they don't fit inside a regular tool kit. I failed to realise that some bolts are just not accessible with a regular spanner, like in the rear fender cover below. So, I went to the nearest hardware store- about a km away- to buy some cheap tubular spanners for now, which I can use with a screwdriver.

Soon enough I learnt what I get for cheaping-out: the tube spanner broke after removing a grand total of one bolt.

So, I went back to the hardware store and bought an actual T-spanner and continued the job. In all this drama, I'd completely forgotten to take pictures and it was already dark before I realised that. But, I managed to remove the harness entirely by this day.

Continue reading BHPian BullettuPaandi's post for more insights and information.

I also got my hands on the TVS RR310 and felt that it was more comfortable. I have fallen in love with its looks.

BHPian HarshGtr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have Pulsar NS160 (2017 model) and I think it is time to get my self a new motorcycle. I live in Pune and my daily commute to office (Home - office - home) is around 40 kms. The road has few potholes but I have to ride over 130(Yes, I actually counted!) speed breakers daily which at one point, makes me tired. Please suggest a bike.

I already took a test ride of Suzuki SF250 and I liked it a lot. However, it does not have any 'wow' factor and I am not sure if the riding position will be suitable for me in the long run.

I also got my hands on the TVS RR310 and felt that it was more comfortable. I have fallen in love with its looks. But given its bulky looks and sporty nature, I am not sure if that will be a good city bike.

I always appreciate the commuter bikes from distance but never really thought of owning one.

Here's what BHPian aargee had to say on the matter:

From my humble experience: If you've to ride over 130 speed barriers in 40 Km {breaker for every 300 meters or every 600 meters if its 40 Km one way}, then its time to change the route than the motorcycle - this is the easiest solution

If the above is not possible, then you'll have to take some moderate training in motocross & buy a motorcycle supporting motocross {currently Kawasaki has offering in their KX & KLX series that way too expensive but will have eyes turned on to you}. Alternatively settling with SF-250 also is ok at the cost of your "wow factor" Or more expensive option to opt for used/new Adv tourer {like Versys or VStorm or Adv 390 etc} - these are a little more difficult than the above option as it comes with long term health issues of speed barriers

If this is also not possible, then you'll have to fight it out with corporation authorities in bringing down the speed barriers to acceptable level (say like one for every 1 Km or so} - this is the most difficult of all options {and worth fighting if you've large heart & love fighting for greater goodness in life}

However, if you're looking an excuse to buy a new motorcycle esp SF-250, then please go-ahead by all means as it befits the purpose of handling bad roads very well.

Here's what BHPian tarmacnaut had to say on the matter:

Try the VStrom SX, if seat height is not an issue. The bike has good presence, unlike the SF250 which you found bland.

For the last 3 months, My daily commute is more than 70 kms, a mix of broken residential roads, few city road signals and 20kms (up and down) in bannerghatta-jigani highway. And half of this distance is with my pillion.

VStrom SX is just handling this without breaking a sweat and has the best in class comfort for both rider and pillion. With supple suspension, powerful, tractable, smooth engine and sporty handling, the bike has been a delight to ride every day so far. The high Ground Clearance will be a blessing, trust me, even with a pillion you will never even think twice about crossing any unscientific speedbreaker.

It's been almost a year now and I have done 7500kms. The bike is due for its 3rd service and I will also be writing a ownership review soon. The mileage is around 35-38 kmpl for this mixed riding.

And the sub frame is incredibly engineered, I carry my office bag with the handle looped through my back rest, when riding solo. There was never any movement of the bag, no matter how bad the roads were. Such is the comfort.

Here's what BHPian raptor_diwan had to say on the matter:

130 speed breakers a day, wow! Have you ever considered driving a car through that area? If your budget allows, do think about getting a budget car. In the long run, this constant exposure to so many speed breakers could lead to back problems. Even half-road motorcycles might not alleviate the impact significantly. I'd recommend considering a used budget car in the range of 2 - 3 lakhs.

Here's what BHPian davelok had to say on the matter:

Nobody has mentioned the Xpulse 200T, because it hasn't caught much attention. You should give it a try as it is more accessible for us 5'8" folks and still has good ground clearance and suspension travel.

I ride a Triumph Speed 400, and I can vouch for its front suspension, and the rear suspension is good too. When I'm riding solo, I lift my backside off the seat when going over speed breakers, so there is no jarring bump traveling up the spine.

If you decide to go for the Speed 400, you can also consider installing handlebar risers to improve reach and let you straighten your back.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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.

BHPian 2StrokeJunkie recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Xpulse 200 4V comes with single-channel ABS with 3 settings: Road, Off-Road and Rally.

Hero MotoCorp has launched the 2023 Xpulse 200 4V at a starting price of Rs 1.43 lakh (ex-showroom).

The 2023 Xpulse 200 4V comes with several upgrades. The bike now gest switchable ABS modes with three settings: Road, Off-Road and Rally. It also gets a redesigned LED headlamp, a taller visor, new handguards and a luggage rack.

The footpegs on the Xpulse 200 4V have been set lower. This is said to improve control while riding the motorcycle when standing on the footpegs. The USB charging port has also been repositioned for better access. It is now located beside the instrument console.

The Xpulse 200 4V is powered by a 200cc, oil-cooled engine that makes 18.83 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and 17.335 Nm @ 6,500 rpm. The engine is paired with a 5-speed gearbox.

The Xpulse 200 4V will get three riding modes: Road, Off-road and Rally.

Hero MotoCorp has released a teaser of the upcoming Xpulse 200 4V. The bike is set to get several updates and is expected to be launched soon.

The teaser reveals the Xpulse 200 4V's digital instrument console with the riding menu highlighted. There are three settings: Road, Off-road and Rally. The bike is also expected to get dual-channel ABS and a redesigned LED headlamp.

The updated Xpulse is expected to be mechanically similar to the outgoing version. It is likely to be powered by the same 199.6cc, single-cylinder engine producing 19 BHP and 17.35 Nm. It will be paired with a 5-speed gearbox.

Given the expected number of riders, we would only get 2 laps each. The group would have one lead instructor and another instructor at the tail.

BHPian neil.jericho recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A week ago, my friend sent me the link to the webpage of the Hero XTracks program, which included all the details of the event to be conducted in Cochin on the 5th of February. The Wolftrails track is well known in the local offroading community. Since I have no real experience with offroading, I was keen to give it a go. Also, my past brushes with the Xpulse 200 had been less than impressive.

Would I enjoy motorcycling in offroad conditions? Was it possible that the Xpulse 200 would redeem itself in its natural habitat?

Registration

There is a straightforward online registration process to be followed on the Hero website. I have to appreciate Hero for providing elbow armours and knee guards free of cost, for riders to wear, during the XTracks event. This way, anyone with a helmet, can participate and experience the Xpulse 200, as well as offroading.

The event was scheduled to start at 8:00 AM. My friend suggested that we get there at least 20 to 30 minutes earlier than that, to avoid the crowd. It was a good thing that we did. By the time we got there, we found that we weren't the only riders with the same idea!

There were several Hero officials and dealership staff who were tying up any loose ends, before the registrations began. Meanwhile, classic rock songs were being played on the speaker system, to keep us entertained. This is a company driven event and Hero is obviously spending a fair amount of money, to run this program across India.

Around 8:00 AM, we were invited to the registration desk. The riders were asked to fill out a form and submit it at the well manned counters. We were then given a large sequentially numbered sticker, to paste on the back of our shirts / jackets. This would be our rider identifier.

Next, we attended the track briefing, from one of the organizers. Sidewalls, a ditch, a jump, a whoops section and a tabletop, were all part of the track. Looking at the layout of the Wolftrails track, I wondered if I had bitten off, more than what I could chew! The instructor patiently explained how to tackle each of these sections, what gear to be in, what riding posture to adopt and so on. Those who had prior experience with the Xpulse 200 and offroading were asked to give the Rally Kit-ted Xpulse 200, a go. Newcomers were asked to stick to the base Xpulse 200.

Given the expected number of riders, we would only get 2 laps each. The group would have one lead instructor and another instructor at the tail. As with any group ride, we had strict instructions to not overtake them, under any circumstances.

After the briefing, those who didn't have riding gear, borrowed the elbow guards and knee guards from the respective counter.

The organizing team took some time to sort out a portion of the track, that wasn't set to their complete satisfaction. This took up around 10 minutes or so.

Entry to the event

Registration and feedback counter to the right. Food and helmet counters to the left.

A couple of bikes on display for a photo opportunity.

The bikes that we would get to ride.

Guess who was rider # 1!

The track layout.

The colour scheme of the bike does match that of my helmet. Just saying ....

Continue reading BHPian neil.jericho's thread for more insights and information.

The Xpulse 200 2V was priced under the new 4-valve model.

Hero MotoCorp has pulled the plug on the Xpulse 200 2V in India. It has been replaced with the recently launched Xpulse 200 4V.

The Xpulse 200 2V was priced under the new 4-valve model. It was powered by a 199cc, single-cylinder 2-valve engine that made 17.8 BHP and 16.45 Nm. In comparison, the new 4-valve engine develops 18.8 BHP and 17.35 Nm.

With the Xpulse 200 2V now discontinued, the bike is only available in the newer 4V guise. That being said, Hero MotoCorp also plans to introduce an Xpulse 400 with an engine that’s double the capacity of the current motor. It will compete with the likes of the KTM 390 Adventure and the upcoming Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.

It is the cheapest off-road focused machine in the market, so a lot of beginners would buy it to get better at off-roading. However, it is not a great beginner bike to learn off-roading on, and to make good use of its abilities you already need to be reasonably good at off-roading.

BHPian RiderZone recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Sometimes when I’m tired and frustrated after work, or with life in general, I play video games for fun and distraction. Video games have helped create some of the most memorable moments in my life, and it would be a sad existence without them. A few months ago, during a particularly stressful time in my life, I started playing another game for fun and distraction. That game is called Dark Souls III. I was frustrated before I started playing this game, I was raging and crying when the first boss killed me 20 times in a row.

Most of the time when I’m tired and frustrated after work, or with life in general, I ride motorcycles for fun and distraction. Motorcycles have helped create most of the memorable moments in my life, and I can’t imagine an existence without them. About a year ago, during a particularly stressful time in my life, I bought a new motorcycle for fun and distraction. That motorcycle is called the Xpulse. I was frustrated before I started riding this motorcycle, I was raging and crying when I kept falling off of it every 20 minutes or so.

Yes, Xpulse is the Dark Souls of motorcycles.

The Dream

I ride motorcycles exclusively for entertainment, I’m lucky to not have to use them for commuting, and even luckier that I don’t ride them for a job. Part of this entertainment is being able to ride to places that a car can’t reach, and normal people wouldn’t even wanna walk to. I did that quite a lot with my Pulsar 150, and then again with my Duke 390, and then again with my Interceptor, and even with my Activa, with some hilariously catastrophic consequences. My primary motivation behind buying the Xpulse was that it will make this exploration even easier and more fun.

The Reality

I ended up buying an Xpulse with the Rally Kit already installed, because there was no stock bike available anywhere near me, and the bike looks absolutely smashing with the Rally Kit. I have no experience riding a stock Xpulse, and that experience may be entirely different, but with my Xpulse, the trouble started right at the dealership, when I tried to majestically ride away on my new steed, only to be unable to reach down to the side-stand to kick it up, and having to request an amused mechanic to help a brother out. Things only went downhill from there as the new bike excitement quickly died away.

As I was approaching home I tried to stop and park the bike in front of the gate, only to find myself in a false neutral, the bike already leaned at an angle expecting some power, and down it went. The neighbours and my dad looked at me, their faces clearly saying “What a jackass”.

Pretty quickly after this I developed a fear of leaning the bike, which is not a good fear to have, motorcycles kinda need to lean for basically everything except going in a straight line. This fear was reinforced when each time I tried taking a slow U turn, the bike would lean a bit, I would immediately panic, and just walk away from it, like Ajay Devgun from an exploding car.

I did not let these falls discourage me too much, still kept exploring, but I had lost confidence in my riding abilities. Trails where I’d happily take the puny Pulsar 150, I was scared of taking the Xpulse. What if I get stuck and need to make a U turn? What if I drop it and get stuck under it? These thoughts are unhelpful, and I never had them with other bikes, but once they’re there, you’re done. Motorcycles are risky business, but you never really think about the risk, until you think about the risk, and then there’s nothing but the risk.

About a year after getting the Xpulse, I bought an Interceptor. In the year I had the Xpulse, I had done about 2000 kms on it. I did about 5000 kms on the Interceptor within half that time. When I went to Spiti, I took the Interceptor. That’s like having a spaceship ready to take you to the Moon, but deciding that shooting yourself out of a cannon is a more desirable option.

This created even more doubt in my mind about the Xpulse, why would I even want to keep this thing when I don’t really enjoy riding it? Every time the weekend came along, and I had to decide where to go and what to ride, I nearly always chose the Inty. Riding the Xpulse felt like a math exam, riding the Interceptor felt like watching a movie with friends.

The Problems

The fundamental paradox of the Xpulse is this: It is the cheapest off-road focused machine in the market, so a lot of beginners would buy it to get better at off-roading. However, it is not a great beginner bike to learn off-roading on, and to make good use of its abilities you already need to be reasonably good at off-roading.

What this translates to is a very steep learning curve, and a lot of pain and agony. This bike makes nothing easy for you, it’s taller than anything you’ve ever have ridden, so simple moves like U turns are the stuff of nightmares, even after removing the handlebar risers and dropping the bike an inch on the front suspension.

Throttle control is non-existent, the accelerator is basically an on/off switch, and it is extremely difficult to be smooth at slow speeds. 1st gear is too short, 2nd gear is too long, and the redline comes too early. Seating position is weird, handlebars are too high when you sit, and too low when you stand.

The overall build quality is cheap, each bump loudly rattles the front brake pads, the throttle side switch housing likes to rotate without reason, and the whole package creates a rather unsatisfying ownership experience. The suspension is adjustable, but as a beginner both the highest and lowest settings feel exactly the same to you, so the adjustability is entirely pointless.

Finally, and most importantly, this thing has no power, so you really have to rely on your undeveloped skills to get you out of a jam. You have to plan an uphill section in advance, maintain momentum, and really commit, because unlike other bikes just twisting the throttle won’t do you any good, especially when you can’t even put your feet down.

I’m 5 foot 7, 5 foot 8 on a heavy breakfast. With the Rally Kit, I can just about put the tip of my left foot on the ground. This is with the stock seat, if I put on the rally seat, the bike is basically a horse.

Everything I’ve said above can be disregarded if you’re willing to put in the effort to learn to ride this machine. It is a terrible bike to learn on, but if you manage to do it somehow, your fundamentals will be pretty ironclad. Which brings to me to my second set of complaints.

The Xpulse is Xtremely off-road focused, which means to really enjoy it, and learn on it, you need to take it off-road, surprise surprise. I live near Himachal, hills and rivers are literally 10 minutes away from my home, but even then it takes so much effort to find the special places where this machine is in its element. Sand is fun, but stony river beds are not, and any uphill sections that are too steep aren’t great either. Your preference may be different, but how easy would it be for you to find a jungle nearby? If you're really serious about learning, you'd want to ride this thing in a dirt-riding training facility of some kind, but I don't have one nearby, how far is one from you?

If you’re thinking “Well there’s a trail just an hour or so away by road”, prepare yourself for the torture of taking this thing on the highway. The Maxxis tires sound like a truck at any speeds above 80 kph, but that doesn’t really matter since you can’t go beyond 100 anyway or the entire thing threatens to shake itself to bits like an old Royal Enfield. Overtaking anyone on the highway requires a 5 year plan, and the engine constantly sounds like it wants to commit suicide.

The tires have tubes, so a puncture is the end of the world. You can’t really ride at night because the headlight is a joke. Because of the very nature of its existence, after every ride this thing gets super filthy and must be washed, especially the chain, mine is already destroyed at less than 3000 kms. You can't really keep the Xpulse as your only bike, because the handlebars are too wide for lane-splitting, and getting on the pillion seat is an Olympic sport.

On the bright side though, you sit so high up that striking conversations with truck drivers is easy.

The Realization

A good question can be asked at this point, why don’t I just sell this devil spawn and be done with it? The answer is simple, I was, and am, too proud to admit that I can’t really ride this thing properly. I will make jokes about myself falling off the seat for sure, but deep down it hurts me to know just how much I suck off-road. I will not sell this machine, I'll keep struggling, but it is a struggle. I’m a self-proclaimed “biker”, I have even done some proper off-road training, I ran a whole website about motorcycles for crying out loud, I’m supposed to be good with 2 wheelers. What the hell has gone wrong?

After months of frustration, I finally spoke to a friend who is really into off-roading, to get her help and opinion. I told her about the problems I was facing with the Xpulse, and she told me about things I could do to improve. There were body strengthening exercises, exercises for balance, on-bike training, foot positioning and a bunch of other ideas. That all made sense when she said it, but exercise was not something I had ever associated with riding motorcycles. I was unsure and confused, and then she said something profound.

“Maybe off-roading is not for you”.

It is kinda funny that I had never thought of this possibility. I love motorcycles, and I thought I enjoyed all kinds of riding, I MUST enjoy all kinds of riding, touring, track riding, and off-roading of course. I had failed to appreciate that there are levels within each of these activities, track riding can be around a go-kart track on an Aprilia SR150, or it can be around Mugello on an Aprilia RSV4.

"Off-roading" can mean many different things.

The Acceptance

I do like off-roading, and I am good at off-roading, but only the non-hardcore kind, the kind where you go on a trail and go “Whoa dude that’s so gnarly did you see how my rear fishtailed over that rock”, only to see a local uncle on a Splendor doing the same route with 15 kg of milk cans at the back.

Xpulse is not a toy, it is a professional tool with a very specific purpose. To make use of that tool, you have to train yourself physically and mentally, you have to gain competence in using that tool, you have to understand and respect the tool. I ride motorcycles to go “vroom” and occasionally see mountains as a side-effect, I'm entirely too comfortable being a mediocre off-roader. The Xpulse is wasted on someone like me, but sadly for it, stuck with me it is.

Most of us can imagine that having a dog would be fun. They are cute and cuddly, they do silly stuff, and they make life a bit more interesting. You have booped a couple of dogs in your life, have seen a lot of dog memes, why not just go out and get one? Buying an Xpulse is like having this idea, and buying a trained Army sniffer dog.

You like dogs, so why not get a hardcore variety right? Right? Then you get the dog, and it needs 6 hours of exercise each day, and more mental stimulation in a day than you provide for yourself in a year. You, who wakes up at 11 after snoozing 6 alarms, is now woken up by the dog at 5 or he is going to poop on the couch, after he has ripped the said couch to bits because he has too much unspent energy.

To justify the Xpulse, to make use of the Xpulse and the wonderful abilities it has, you need to work hard, exercise and train regularly, push your limits, and find out there’s so much you don’t know about motorcycles. It is not fun, it is tiring, it is frustrating, and most of the time it hurts. It is a serious piece of kit that demands your attention and respect, and it is a beautifully rewarding experience when you finally start taming the beast and getting in control. I mean I’ve heard it is beautifully rewarding from other people, I’m too lazy to find out.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I am 6 feet tall and with the stock seat, I feel that I am sitting too low with my legs bent more than required.

BHPian V12 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally got the much needed modification on the Xpulse yesterday - the rally seat. So I am 6 feet tall and with the stock seat, I feel that I am sitting too low with my legs bent more than required. With this setup, it required a considerable effort to stand on the foot pegs when you have to go over a bad patch or when you have to just stand to give your bum some rest. Yes, it's a considerable effort since I am on the heavier side too at almost 100 kilos.

I was thinking of getting some re-foaming done to the seat to increase its height and the width to some extent. But the only worry was that the seat frame is narrow so any additional foam to widen the seat would not be very comfortable.

The Xpulse was due for its 3rd free service this week so asked them to fit the rally seat and took a short ride. And boy oh boy - it felt so nice and so comfortable. Although I am not able to flat foot, I can feel that the strain on my back and knee has reduced considerably. It's a similar feeling when you are sitting on a low sofa and then suddenly move to a higher setup. No doubt, i had to add the handlebar risers as well.

The ride has improved, I don't feel the bumps too much, the seat is a bit softer because of more cushioning. It's easier and effortless to stand and ride or just lift your ass while you wade through a bad patch.

I was wondering if just the rally seat could make my ride so comfortable - how would it be with the complete rally suspension. And then I read this.

Enjoying my daily ride to office and I care a damn about the potholes now. BMC - bring them on!!!

One piece of advise of you are looking for a small light motorcycle for pothole-city commute - get an Xpulse!

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I rode my fellow riders' Dominar 400 & Himalayan for quite some time during the trip to Spiti & Xpulse was a clear choice for my liking.

BHPian camitesh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi everyone, here’s an update on my Xpulse 200 4V purchase and 6 months / 6,000 kms ownership including a long ride.

Short summary

• Decent power for most mountain trails, especially for riders new to off-roading. The bike does what it’s meant to do i.e. mild off-roading and then some more with great ease.
• Good combination of compliant stock suspension and nimble handling makes it very fun to ride on broken city roads as much as the trails.
• The spares and service experience so far have been good. Nothing to complain.
• Triple-digit highway runs for a sustained period are indeed doable, if one can ignore the vibrations and fuel efficiency. There’s not much loss of power/performance even in the scorching summer heat when the bike was ridden for hours and 100+ km at a stretch.
• Braking is pretty good for the off-road but strictly okay at highway speeds (80-90+).
• The dual-purpose tyres are surprisingly good on all sorts of tarmac.
• When ridden sedately, 400-450 kms is easily doable on a single tank.
• Stock seat is just okay for short rides. Long trips on the stock seat is really a pain.

Little background on the purchase and requirement

I’ve been riding to the mountains since 2012, but not on the most appropriate bikes meant for the job. Last I did Mumbai-Leh-Mumbai in 2021 on my CBR250R and I struggled a fair bit on tricky off-road sections / water crossings. This year, we had plans to do more off-roading with Spiti and Sach Pass on the cards.

I started looking for a small bike with better off-road credentials, which could come in handy for the annual trips to the mountains. I am not an RE fan so the choice was simply between KTM 390 Adventure and Xpulse 200 4V. I was very close to getting a 390 Adventure but the 1.5-2 months of minimum wait period in May 2022 was a deal breaker.

I test rode Xpulse 200 4V with very little expectation considering it was less than half the OTR price of my other alternative. A smooth test drive experience and ready stock availability sealed the deal further. The booking and delivery details can be seen in this post.

My experience with this bike has been largely very good so far. So most of the things that I’m going to write down below are positives attributed to this machine. But the negatives do exist and they are very well summarized in this thread by a fellow BHPian.

Short review of the bike on highways and off-roads

Off-road

A lot has been said here and elsewhere on Xpulse’s off-roading prowess and based on my hands-on experience with this machine in Spiti and Sach pass, I agree with most of the views shared. I’ve never been so comfortable or confident off-road on any other bike as much as I am on my Xpulse. I rode my fellow riders' Dominar 400 and Himalayan for quite some time during this trip to Spiti and Xpulse was a clear choice for my liking though Himalayan wasn’t too far behind as well.

The ride experience is extremely good even with stock set-up and I had sort of made up my mind to upgrade to rally suspension soon. However, many comments from fellow members on RiderZone's thread do suggest that the stock suspension is indeed a much better choice for average folks so I may eventually give the rally suspension upgrade a miss.

There’s ample torque for most tricky terrains, the gearing is decent and the riding position with the handle-bar mod is amazing, so I have very little to complain about here. The stock combination was more than sufficient to breeze through most of the tricky terrain in the mountains. The stock tyres are pretty good as well on most off-road surfaces.

Most of my other riding buddies too tried the Xpulse off-road and the overall feedback for this bike off-road has been very good.

Highway

I rode the Xpulse from Mumbai to Himachal Pradesh and back so ended up spending most of the miles on the highway. I did not have any big expectations from this little motor for highway duties, to begin with. My fellow riders were on Versys 650 and Dominar 400 so I was a bit doubtful about keeping up with them on highways. I expected sub-100kmph speeds when the bike was fully loaded. However, pleased to say I could maintain good highway speeds and decently keep up with others.

Vibrations are felt aplenty, especially on the handlebars but manageable with some aftermarket grips and good riding gloves. I feel 80-90 kmph is the sweet spot for a smooth cruise. We had almost planned to ship our bikes back during the return journey and take a flight back. Axe77 helped me with some details on shipping the bike back to Mumbai. But when the decision-making time came, I was just happy to ride it back home than to ship it back.

Braking

Braking is average at best, especially on highways. I could feel the ABS unit working really hard on a couple of occasions when I was caught off guard by stray cattle on highways. I absolutely love the Nissin brake setup on my CBR250 so I expected something similar (especially considering the brake pad prices for Xpulse). However, the brakes are strictly okayish on highways. For off-road though, I had no issues at all and they seemed absolutely okay. Even the rear brakes seemed to be very well calibrated as I hardly remember ever locking them up unintentionally.

Mileage

With the triple-digit highway runs, I could barely get 250 km in one tank before I had the reserve indicator on and I would end up refueling below 300 kms from tank to tank. By my rough calculations, the max highway mileage I could achieve was 30-32 kmpl with spirited riding. No complaints as this was as expected. However, in the mountains, I could extract 40+ kmpl most of the time. Haven’t had much chance to test the mileage in the city but I could say it's easily between 35-40 kmpl.

Some other good bits

• The on-screen navigation works pretty well if you can read and anticipate the directions decently. I used it extensively during my ride in unknown cities.
• I extended the USB cable from the under-seat charging slot to reroute the USB close to the handlebar. The charging is slow but works decently and I did not need any additional chargers throughout my ride.
• The stock headlight is decent. I do have the Maddog scout X installed for highway duties, but I ended up being just fine with the stock headlight on quite a few occasions.
• I got the Xclan membership too on an Impulse. The goodies that I received were okayish and the complimentary Hero Goodlife membership got me some decent rewards too (service coupons, amazon or uber vouchers etc.).

Some not-so-good bits / nitpicking

• At times the throttle response is a bit uneven, and the fuelling seems abrupt, especially at slow speeds below 30kmph. Hoping that this is sorted out with the ECU update in the next service.
• The ABS light malfunction indicator came on twice so far and remained on for a couple of hours. I could feel the front locking up easily during that time meaning it wasn’t just a false alarm. This happened twice at some of the difficult places (Chitkul and Chandratal). I panicked a bit the first time and explored various troubleshooting options I could research but thankfully the ABS error went away after the bike was resting for a couple of hours. Have to get the ABS system thoroughly checked in the next service.
• I completed my service at 3k kms as per the schedule and the service indicator came on again at around 4.7k kms. Solved this false service error through a Youtube tutorial.
• Don’t know if it's only on my bike but the cone set needs frequent adjustments (2-2.5 k kms). May go for a replacement soon to see if this was a case of a bad cone set from the factory.

Accessories and preparation for a long trip

A brief note / review on the accessories that I got installed for those who are interested.

• OEM Main stand: The installation was done during the first service, and it was a 10-minute job. It does take away some GC, which is a concern if you ride often with a pillion. But I faced no issues throughout the ride since I was riding solo. Goes without saying that this makes the chain cleaning and lubrication task very convenient.
• OEM Gear lever extender: Very easy to fix and came in very handy with my full-sized (44) adventure boots. Unlike the issues faced by a few members here, I did not face any shifting issues whatsoever in my 6k kms with it so far. It did take some time to get used to with regular shoes, but I have now been accustomed to it and do not plan to go back to the stock gear lever.
• Maddog Scout X Auxillary lights (price INR 9.5k with all necessary switches, harness, mounts etc. and installation) – Little pricey alternative to cheaper options but went with it since it had great recommendations all around. This is my first experience with auxiliary light so I have no benchmark to compare but personally, this has been an amazing upgrade. It came in very handy on nights when we had to ride post-sunset inadvertently.
• Art of Motorcycle wide handlebar (INR 2.5k with installation) – Got this installed straight away when my bike had 150-200 kms on ODO so can’t really compare it against the stock but independently speaking it is a great addition. The ergonomics on this handlebar are pretty good. Felt immediately at home in the city or off-road sections. However, I am not that comfortable with saddling, but I guess it’s more to do with my technique than the handlebar itself. No major fatigue or shoulder pain even with being in the saddle for 10-12 hours almost on a daily basis for 14 days. The handlebar is a touch wider than the stock handlebar so one needs to be careful while riding in city traffic.
• Formula X Gel (Rs 1200)– Since this was the first time I was touring on a bike with tube tyres, I did almost everything to overcome my paranoia of being stuck with a flat in a remote location. Happy to report that I had no punctures, air leaks, imbalanced tyres or any other issues so far. I keep inspecting my tyres regularly and don’t see any nails in there yet so it may also have been sheer luck so far.
• TPMS with a solar screen (Rs. 2,500) – Picked this up from Amazon and it came in very handy throughout the ride. The display is pretty prominent even in direct sunlight and charges with solar power seamlessly. Had it running for 14 days, 10-12 hours daily without plugging in ever to a power source. The air pressure readings were pretty accurate when compared to the readings I took at a trusted petrol pump and my MI portable tyre compressor. Shows tyre temperature too so I rode cautiously or took some cooldown breaks when the tyre temperature soared in the vicinity of 50 degrees on some afternoons during highway rides.
• Viaterra claw mini (Approximately 3.5 k): I had good Rynox saddle bags but they could not be used without saddle stay on Xpulse. I didn’t like any existing saddle stay options for Xpulse so borrowed a Claw mini from a friend. It fits almost perfectly and stays put nicely even during off-roading. It does touch the exhaust shield a little but no irreversible damage was noted to either the bag or the exhaust shield. I also had a casual laptop backpack robustly mounted on the claw mini using their mounting mechanism for Viaterra Pod bags and the arrangement worked brilliantly throughout the ride.
• Luggage rack (Rs. 1000): Decently sturdy addition from Amazon again, didn’t have much use for it as my tail bag and tank bag turned out to be more than sufficient for my luggage requirement.
• Generic knuckle guards (Rs. 1500 with installation): Bought and installed from a local shop in Andheri, Mumbai. They look good and feel pretty sturdy. We had little difficulties while fitting but they held up pretty well throughout the ride. Did not have any falls or tumbles as such so couldn’t comment on their usability to save the levers or hands.

Other small generic items of great utility which I already had or bought

• Generic blind spot mirrors (INR 200): Much needed as the stock mirrors do not help much with riding jacket on, as is the case for most if not all bikes.
• Fego float seat (INR 2000): Have used this on most of my long rides and came in very handy on this one too. Fits perfectly with the stock Xpulse seat.
• MI tyre compressor (INR 2000): Not the most efficient but really comfortable and convenient to use. I did not have much use for it as I could monitor my tyre pressure in real-time but my other riding buddies used this little handy compressor at times.
• Spare tyre tubes (INR 900): Amazon did have the stock tubes in stock but the estimated time for delivery was about a week so sourced it from a local dealer. Didn’t have any use for them so far.
• Tyre wrench and a puncture patch kit (INR 800): Generic items from Amazon, happy that I didn’t have any use for it during the ride.
• Generic side stand extender (INR 400): Again a decent addition and came in very handy in muddy patches when I had to put the bike on the side stand.
• The only other accessories that I had planned but couldn’t get is the extended visor from Inscape Dreamz (INR 2000). This could have been really helpful at highway speeds but the owners told me this is a made-to-order product and will not be available off the shelf so had to forego this due to lack of time.

To summarize, I bought Xpulse as a stop-gap arrangement since I have some plans to upgrade to a large tourer soon. While buying the Xpulse, one thought was that I might sell off the Xpulse once I upgrade to a bigger bike. However, it is a very difficult decision to let it go now considering it’s the weapon of choice even for my city commutes (preferred over other two-wheelers in my garage). Hero has done a good job with this one IMHO and I can't wait to see what they do with the larger Xpulse that’s on the cards.

This post is not a travelogue of my ride to Sach pass and Spiti. Nevertheless, sharing some pictures from this one hell of a ride on this amazingly capable machine.

Cheers!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.