Rally Pedigree

The Xpulse 200 was, and still is, one of the best bang-for-buck off-roaders. With its forgiving nature, it made sure we thoroughly enjoyed some fantastic trails

- Charan Karthik

Going uphill at 60 km/h on a gravel road, jumping over rocks and sliding the rear wheel through corners, smiling all the while inside my helmet like a school kid on a summer holiday. These were not among the things i had in mind when i took the key out to ride the Xpulse pro. It definitely was not in my mind when i had to tiptoe, literally, as i balanced and moved the bike out of its parking. ‘Great start,’ i said to myself.

At first glance, the bike looked intimidating with its jacked up suspension, freakishly tall 891-millimetre seat, mud-bogging maxxis tyres, and a side-stand that can for sure be used as a golf club. But you can’t judge a book by its cover.

After winning a few stages at the dakar rally this year and becoming the firstever Indian manufacturer to sit on the podium of the two-week-long event, it only made sense that hero should offer something to us buyers that has their rally pedigree. and the Xpulse pro is the closest you will get to hero’s dakar bike (sadly, one that is not for sale).

After I got out of the parking lot, I rode through the city to reach the off-road trail, filtering through endless traffic, turning some heads along the way and making some of the old folk wonder why I was riding this giraffe of a bike early in the morning. honestly, I didn’t feel that good on the road either, for the bike creates a droning noise from its knobby tyres and handles poorly with inadequate feedback. nevertheless, I convinced myself the heads turned because the Xpulse pro, in this pearl Fadeless White colour, looks absolutely mouth-watering.