At some point, we have had this fantasy about riding through remote places, exploring the country on a fully-loaded ADV, right? I know I have, and the privilege of this ‘job’ allows me to do that often. This time around, my partner in crime was the new Hero XPulse 210, reminding me that the best things in life are simple.
There was no GPS, no intercom or plan to end up where we did. Hero did suggest a route and the XPulse 210 had Bluetooth connection but that was no fun. The intention was to reach a small dam nearby, but a wrong turn led me to an isolated village hidden behind the hillocks of a quaint village near Udaipur.
The XPulse received attention like it probably never will in big cities and towns. After all, despite being completely new, it is identical to the XPulse 200 4V in almost every aspect. From its LED headlight, compact and minimal body panels and just the sheer simplicity of its design, almost everything remained unchanged from the 200cc model, despite this being a lot more sophisticated. The radiator is tucked behind the left tank extension, the exhaust despite the new norms, is more compact than before and the chassis is entirely new which allowed for this model to get a linkage for the rear suspension.
Of course, the village folks didn’t care about all of that. They were drawn by the rorty exhaust note of the bike. And it was not just them, but even the journos at the ride were in awe of the XPulse’s sound. Plus, I was riding up a hill in the fourth gear that made the engine’s puttering sound even more enjoyable.
The XPulse’s 210cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine was pretty chill that way. There was oodles of torque available from the start. In fact, Hero claims that the 70 per cent of this engine’s 2.11 kgm torque is available from as low as 3000 rpm. That meant fewer gear changes through the ride and just a twist of throttle for quick overtakes. And of course, the healthy spread of torque also meant I could enjoy the view while slowly passing through the village without any protest from the engine.
Soon, the tarmac ended and the trail began; the XPulse was now set to Trail mode that disengaged the ABS at the rear. With nothing but a dusty trail ahead, I unleashed all the 24 horses available and it was a riot and a half!
Clocking over 90 kph through the dusty path, nothing could unsettle the bike or shake my confidence — and I didn’t even have to straddle for that. The link-type monoshock and the 41-mm telescopic fork were working in full swing to keep the upper half almost completely isolated from the chaos underneath. That was impressive, and it also meant I needed to push it even harder to test its limit, and so I did.
Going fast over rocky sections, jumping over boulders and practically any elevation I could find didn’t affect the XPulse, at all. In fact, I was just worried about puncturing the tyre and getting stranded more than anything else. The further I went, the tougher the terrain got, and that meant getting up from the comfy seat. And even when straddling, the XPulse felt so natural; the tank was contoured just right for me to grip the bike, and when I wanted to shift my weight back, my thighs had the support of the wide rear section. Though I didn’t need to, the handlebar and the foot controls are height-adjustable to suit a variety of riders.
Except for the time where I stopped to switch the ABS mode, I didn’t have to fiddle with anything to enjoy the highway, country roads and trails. The bike did everything almost perfectly, yet the XPulse wasn’t a perfect bike. With the new engine and the six cog, the highway capabilities have definitely gone up, and I was fine doing 125 kph all day, but that also meant dealing with the buzz that starts from 7000 rpm. Maybe I could have clocked higher speeds, but the engine died thrice at speeds over 120 kph which deterred me from pushing my luck for the fourth time. But that was probably down to a loose tip-over sensor wire, for this didn’t happen with other bikes. The tyres worked great for most of the ride except on the concrete where they would easily lose their line.
The XPulse 210, just like the 200 4V continues to be a lightweight, fun and easy motorcycle. Now, with the new engine, highway touring doesn’t feel out of its league and the performance boost makes off-roading even more enjoyable. And to do that, Hero didn’t have to get an expensive electronics package, gimmicky aids, or sophisticated suspension settings. The XPulse 210 proved that good adventures, like good bikes, are simple at heart.
PS: I wouldn’t mind going on another adventure with the ‘Pro’ variant of the XPulse 210
