I think Hero may have targeted the bike towards commuters trying to lure them to upgrade with supple and cushiony ride quality. The Rally variant may be more off-road focussed.
Bhpian nasirkaka recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Test Rode the new Xpulse 210 this morning. Some thoughts post the small two kms test ride. For context, I ride a 2020 BS6 Xpulse.
The engine is more refined compared to the 200 but only slightly powerful. May be some 10-15% more. The rear sprocket could be large as at lower speed the bike feels like it is in hurry to pull, but when we give some more gas, it does not pull as fast as it sounds and feels like. Ergomonics are good and upright. Old xpulse had a bit forward set foot pegs. This is also slightly on the forward side compared to say new 390 adv, but not as much as old xpulse 200.
Seat also felt soft compared to old xpulse and almost similar width. Exhaust note is nice. Old xpulse did not have much to show in the sound department but this bike sounds good. Some of the media ride videos had even better sounding bike so my expectation was even higher. But in general, the bike sounds much better than current xpulse.
Coming to suspension, I think thats where the main difference lies. This suspension is just too soft. Both front and rear. On slightest of braking the front nose dives like crazy. Its like sitting on a boat which is pitching up and down. The suspension feels even softer than the 310GS which is a benchmark for soft suspension. Undulations from the road are not felt at all and this will make for a great city commuter and gobble up all bad broken roads and more. The suspension is so soft, even if one want to jump over a speed breaker/ramp, it will refuse. Also the feedback from the road due to soft suspension is a bit vague.
It may make for a comfortable city commuter due to supple suspension and even the low speed ridability is good as bike chugs along at lower speeds in 2nd gear without worry. But not sure how it will fare on faster offroad riding.
I think there is the Rally variant in pipeline and may have stiffer suspension setting tuned for off-road duties. Braking was so so, but the test ride bike was new, so may improve over time. Not very sharp as expected from a dual sport. Gear shifts were not very smooth and a bit notchy. Side stand has strong spring.
I think hero may have targeted the bike towards commuters trying to lure them to upgrade with supple and cushiony ride quality. The rally variant may be more off-road focussed.
Bike feels slightly heavier than Xpulse 200, but nothing that bothers. I could not ride at higher speeds, so not sure about highway capabilities. Maybe will take another test ride to experience the same.
Overall, the top varient seems bit expensive at 2.4L OTR Bangalore, but the bike is nice and would find takers.
Selfie with the new kid in town.
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