Hero MotoCorp will start retailing the
Hero Xpulse 200 Rally Kit via select dealerships from March 2020. The kit was
first showcased at EICMA 2019 in November last year and has been priced at INR
38,000. While enthusiasts will see the new kit as a boon, helping them make an
affordable and accessible off-roader, there is a small bummer. The Hero Xpulse
200 Rally Kit has not been homologated for road usage and can be used “off the
road”.
The Rally Kit helps in transforming the
competitive purpose-built machine. It will help encourage youngsters to carve
out a career in motorsports. It has been developed in-house at the company's
Jaipur based Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT). It is aimed at allowing
“commoners” access Dakar-inspired technology without spending a bomb.
Priced at INR 25,000, the kit will offer a
fully adjustable front telescopic suspension which increases the front
suspension travel to 250 mm, which is an increase of 60 mm over the stock
setup. Rear gets a 10-step adjustable monoshock (preload-only, which increases
the stroke by 50 mm to 220 mm. In factory form, the Hero XPulse 200 comes with
190 mm of suspension travel at the front and 170 mm travel at the rear. The new
setup will prevent the motorcycle from bottoming off with when landing from a
jump. It will also help in increasing the ground clearance to a whopping 275
mm, up from 220 mm in the stock motorcycle. The wheelbase too has been
increased by 10 mm from 1,410 mm to 1,420 mm.
For an extra INR 2,000, one can get a new
flat seat. This will allow the rider to easily slide on the seat while standing
on the footpegs or while landing from a jump. This might seem insignificant to
new off-roaders, but a flat seat allows easy movement, something which
completely changes the dynamics of riding while on a trail. The flat seat in
Hero XPulse 200 will also lead to an increase in seat height by 110 mm from its
existing 823 mm.
An extended gear pedal is on offer as a
part of Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit for INR 800. This will be a boon while
wearing rally boots which are bulkier than standard riding boots, offering
additional protection. Another important change which shows how far Hero
MotoCorp has come from its “fill it, shut it, forget it” days when it only sold
commuter motorcycles. The Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit also brings with it a set
of handlebar raisers. This increases the height of the handlebar by 40 mm,
which helps in providing more comfortable access to the handlebar when the
rider is standing on the footpegs. These handlebar raisers will cost you INR
850.
We highly recommend getting the handlebar
raisers and extended gear pedal even if you are not buying the whole kit. The
company is also offering a side stand as a part of Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit to
allow easy parking of the motorcycle with the taller suspension and increased
ground clearance. The cost of this side stand is INR 700.
The Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit comes with
knobby Maxxis sourced tyres. They are priced at INR 10,000 a pair and are a
great deal for off-road enthusiasts. These tyres will offer increased grip over
loose surfaces, be it on a trail or off-road track. Also, the chunky pattern
will allow water to easily pass through the thread, helping the bike be stable
on slushy terrain.
At EICMA 2019, the Hero XPulse 200 Rally
Kit was showcased with new sprockets. These include a 12 teeth sprocket at the
front and a 40 teeth sprocket at the rear. They will help in increased
acceleration which will, in turn, be a boon while negotiating a stiff climb on
a trail. However, these have not been offered as a part of the Rally Kit at the
moment.
Hero MotoCorp had showcased an aftermarket
Akrapovic sourced exhaust also at EICMA 2019 and that too will not be offered
as a part of the Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit. The company, though, will offer an
aftermarket exhaust system at a later date. However, it will not be an
Akrapovic sourced unit as that will be pretty expensive. In fact, Akrapovic
slip-on kits for products like the Yamaha R3 and KTM 390 Duke will set you back
easily by around INR 70,000 to INR 1 lakh. The Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit brings
no change to the powertrain. The 199.6 cc single-cylinder engine produces 18.4
PS of power and 17.1 Nm of torque.



