Introduction
Standing up and riding on the Hero Xpulse 200 doesn’t come easy. It’s not a bother at slow speeds, but it can be a lot of work on fast and flowing trails. The challenge is with the rider’s triangle. The rider triangle is the relation between the distances of the handlebar, the seat, and the footpegs on a motorcycle.
On the Xpulse, the triangle is such that the faster one rides standing up, the harder one must pull at the handlebar to keep the upper body canted over the fuel tank. The seating triangle also makes the transitions from sitting down to standing up a tad challenging.
JCMoto – run by ex-journalist and custom motorcycle and parts builder Joshua Crasto - says it has come up with a solution. The new footpeg hangers move the footpegs lower and further back compared to the stock setup making transitions between sitting and standing up on the Xpulse quicker, easier and less tiring. Additionally, the hangers were designed with three things in mind - improved standing ergos, higher rigidity, and better durability than the stock units.
The Construction
We will touch upon ergonomics next time. For now, we wanted to focus on the materials and techniques used to build these hangers.
These are laser cut and powder coated from a slab of 6mm mild steel. The footpeg holders on the hangers, meanwhile, are welded on. JCMoto says it has used full-seam tig welding on all sides for mating the latter to the hanger, as this adds strength. It does come at the cost of some additional weight, but the durability advantages far outweigh the slight increase in weight.
Moreover, the hangers have been tested extensively - by JCMoto and friends through multiple rallies with different riders on their respective Xpulses - to ensure these claims ring true. Now, the stock footrest hangers have the footpeg holders welded on as well. And so far, over many thousand kilometres and three different bikes we have tested at Bikewale, we haven’t faced a single failure yet. So, these new ones should work too.
The hangers cost Rs 8,000 for the set. It includes the left and right side hangers, new bolts, an axle to connect the two hangers, a shorter gear shift lever, and a spring. The pricing might seem a bit steep to many. But then, these are small batches of made-in-India, high-quality units, says JCMoto. There’s also the additional burden of high GST on motorcycle parts. These could be made in China at a lower cost, but quality control and durability would be suspect. Not a route the part-maker wants to take.
What’s Next?
Next time, we will talk about how easy or difficult it is to install these hangers. We will explore the differences between the seating and standing-up ergonomics of the stock and the JCMoto hangers. And we will tell you if one should consider this upgrade only for off-road use or if this improves everyday riding as well.
Product Details:
Make: JCMoto
Model: Xpulse 200 Footrest Hanger
Price: Rs 8,000
Availability: Online at JCMoto
Photography: Kaustubh Gandhi
