Hero Xpulse 200 Rally Kit Product Review: Introduction

Gallery Introduction The Pieces The Thought What's next?

Introduction

This is not the first time we have come face to face with the rally kit designed and made specifically for the Hero Xpulse 200. We sampled a motorcycle shod with the kit a few months back. But, it was a very short run wherein we spent more time understanding where and what the dirt track did than to understand what the rally kit brought to the equation.

Now though, we have both the Xpulse and the rally kit in long term test and over the next few months, we will tell you what difference the kit makes to the riding experience of the Xpulse. We will also tell you who should buy this kit, and whether you should get it all or in parts.

This time round though, let’s talk about what’s in the box...

The Pieces

The rally kit - all in - costs Rs 38,000. And though it is a fair amount of money to pay for a motorcycle that costs around Rs 1.3 lakh on the road, the stuff you get is all well thought of.

As part of this, you get a longer travel and fully adjustable front and rear suspension. There’s also a longer side stand to go along with the longer travel suspension. You get a flat seat and handlebar risers to keep the seating triangle sane. There’s a longer gear shifter, and of course, you get the Maxxis knobby tyres.

The Thought

It is clear that Hero MotoCorp gave this kit a lot of thought. For one, it’s not exorbitantly priced. Two, it has been homologated for the road. And finally, it all comes ready to ride. What do we mean by that?

Take the front forks. Not only do these come with fork gaiters, these come fully assembled. That means the fork oil is pre-filled, and the springs, spacers, and top caps are all already in place and properly torqued.

Furthermore, the handlebar risers come with new screws, the tyres come with fresh tubes, and there’s a new spring with the side stand as well. So, one doesn’t really have to go looking forward anything if one decides to assemble the kit by themselves.

After all, no one really keeps these spares or add-ones handy. I know I don’t.

What's next?

We have decided not to go the whole hog from the word go with the rally kit. Instead, we will split the installation so that we can tell you what and how each of these upgrades feel. At the end, this should also give us a fair idea about whether one should go for the compete kit, or just go for the must-have bits. Maybe even completely avoid a few pieces.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi