The Hero Xpulse 200 carried forward the legacy of the erstwhile Hero Impulse and set the tone for affordable adventure motorcycling in India. While it may not have set the sales chart on fire, it definitely ranks high among many adventure riding enthusiasts who would like to cut their teeth on smaller ADVs before graduating to bigger models. The Hero Xpulse gets the same 199.6 cc single-cylinder engine as before. The power output is 17.8 bhp coming in at 8,500 rpm and the peak torque output is 16.45 Nm at 6,500 rpm. The engine is paired with a 5-speed gearbox. Now, the Hero Xpulse 200 may not have a direct rival, but we list down two other models that can be bought at about a lakh of rupees extra over the Hero Xpulse's price, and the Hero XPulse 200T, which is a sibling to the XPulse 200.
(2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan)
The Royal Enfield Himalayan was the motorcycle that brought adventure biking to the budget conscious enthusiast. Launched in 2016, it has been updated over the years, but the 2021 model sees the biggest updates in terms of design and features. The updates on the motorcycle include the Tripper navigation pod which debuted on the RE Meteor 350. It is powered by Google Maps and offers turn-by-turn navigation although it does not display incoming calls/messages when connected to the Royal Enfield app. The 2021 Himalayan gets three new colour options which are Pine Green, Mirage Silver and Granite Black. The Himalayan continues to get the BS6 compliant 411 cc long stroke engine which makes 24.3 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 32 Nm of peak torque between 4,000-4,500 rpm. The engine continues to be paired to a 5-speed gearbox. The prices of the 2021 RE Himalayan range from Rs. 2.06 lakh to Rs. 2.13 lakh (ex-showroom).
(The KTM 250 Duke gets a 249 cc single-cylinder engine which makes 30 bhp)
The KTM 250 Adventure is the most-affordable KTM adventure bike available on sale in India. Temporarily priced at Rs. 2.30 lakh (Ex-showroom), The 250 Adventure looks near identical to the KTM 390 Adventure; that's because the KTM 250 Adventure shares its bodywork, chassis, cycle parts and wheels with the 390 Adventure. The KTM 250 Adventure is powered by a 248.8 cc single-cylinder, shared with the KTM 250 Duke. The engine makes 29.5 bhp at 9,000 rpm and 24 Nm of torque peaking at 7,500 rpm.
(2021 Hero XPulse 200T)
Hero MotoCorp launched the BS6 Hero XPulse 200T in March 2021, which now meets the Bharat Stage VI (BS6) emission regulations. The updated bike has been priced at Rs. 1,15,800 (ex-showroom, Delhi), and only gets the necessary updates to meet the latest emission rules. Hero has not made any other changes to the design or features of the BS6 XPulse 200T. It uses the same 199.6 cc single-cylinder engine. The power output on each motorcycle is the same, which is 17.8 bhp coming in at 8,500 rpm with peak torque output of 16.15 Nm at 6,500 rpm. The bike gets a 5-speed gearbox.
