Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Real value for money. Great specifications. Good enough to traverse across India.
Really tough competition to RE Himalayan. BMW is not even in consideration.

PS: Surprised to see no news thread or live coverage of this on xBhp. Did I miss it by any chance.

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

I too surprised! Why there's no coverage on xbhp!

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Xpulse200 is priced very competitively. A good tourer and like Himayalan it'll turn out to be I guess. Low on displacement I would say.

After years of phasing out the Impulse it should have carried the new ZMA's mill atleast or a 250cc mill which would have done wonders. It's a great bike as afar as VFM is concerned but specssheet doesn't give a impactful wow factor. 154kg is too much for some serious adventure bike (which Xpulse is not, so maybe its not a big issue) plus with a minor bump in BHP figures to 18hp is almost squared off here. Impulse has an impeccable chassis and the absence of the double cradle frame as of Impulse its another set back with engine as a stressed member on thr new frame. The age old Honda XRs and DRZs from the 90s are a good example for reference, which is partly why I'm disappointed with Jap firms and their portfolio currently.

Xpulse gets meatier front forks now (37mm dia) and 32mm throttle body indicating good higher mid and top end. No 6speed transmission but a bigger front disc and ABS. The monoshock is 10step preload adjustable. (Rear suspension remedy for Impulse owners)

A good bike nonetheless pitching itself as a new contender in the deserted dual-sport category in India. Might shape the upcoming off-road two wheelers ahead and pump up the segment. Btw..I only see spares for my Impulse with this launch.

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Thats a good one

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

I just booked one yesterday... Will now ponder whether to take delivery when stocks arrive... However will test ride and and decide

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Agree with the disappointing power figures ... It will be dull on long straigh highway stretches, which I anyway don't lik e... Power should be good enough for my kind of amateur off roading

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Hi Ankit, you are correct about the chassis. just thought ill pitch in here in the interest of others who might be looking forward to knowing if the Xpulse is indeed a worthy upgrade for the impulse. Short answer - No.



Long answer - Also, NO.









1. IMO it is not a well engineered motorcycle, Photo reference of swingarm on acceleration from YouTube
Explanation: Commonly when you apply power the chain pull moment will attempt to cause the bike to rise on its rear suspension (top out), or another way of thinking is the wheel will push itself into the ground. This is opposed by the wight transfer to the rear under acceleration or simply put, pitch. The engineers will try to optimise the position of the swing arm pivot to the countershaft to achieve a good balance between the chain pull moment & pitch for best comfort, control & traction. You will find that the bike will sit at a position of 30%-50% of available travel when under acceleration. however as you can see the swingarm is already parallel to ground making the design like a 80's enduro bike.





2. The Chassis is almost same as a CBZ/Karizma, Unicorn, Extreme etc. its never going to be rigid enough like the Impulse. To understand why this type of chassis is better you can read about it here - https://ktmmad.wordpress.com/2013/02...rcycle-frames/ - "Cradle frames are the simplest of all the frames and are strong and cheap to make and are usually found in off-road motorcycles"



3. Proper engineering - You will find that the bike will sit at a position of 30%-50% of available travel when under acceleration in the Impulse

All images are generic and from YouTube.

I also happen to study these things in details when i build my impulse with the following mods, and learnt a bit or 2 about how chassis mechanics work.

1. Engine swap
2. Fork upgrade to 43mm Showa Cartridge from 1989 Honda CR125R
3. 21'' DID Al rim w/ Ceat 90x90 21 Himalayan tyre
4. Speedo wont work with the 21 inch wheel, so used a wheel sensor magnet with a generic computer for Speedo, ODO
5. Pro Taper CR high SE bars, MSR handguards
6. Tank painted white and shrouds removed
7. Taper roller 32005 Bearings replacing the cup and cone ball bearings
8. Swingarm swapped from a 1986 Honda XR250R - increases wheel base by 40mm and reduced flex
9. Zedling Suspension (Pune) custome made rear shock for the XR250R swingarm
10. BBR big bore kit and CAMs, BS33 CV carb 118 Main jet, 20 Idle jet
11. Same old mega phone exhaust, the DB killer fell off in the event !
12. 1988 XR200 rear wheel and hubs along with Drum Brake backing plate with cam.

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Good to see you again Bala. Thanks for the insiders, a real help to my vague comprehension of motorcycle dynamics.


Didn't you have the XR's linkage rear monoshock? And hows the Zedling performing. Its a tad costly though. Any other alternatives you suggest? Xpulse's?

I'm on the Karizma's mill now too. Need a new carb. Solely because the stock Keihin is prone to malfunctioning. What would BS29 get me in comparison to Keihin26 as in ZMA? The 33mm fron 200NS seems a lil overkill to me. Mid and low end is what I need and a decent fuel economy too. Given I'll be mostly on tours around Himalayas.

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Hi Ankit,

Didn't you have the XR's linkage rear monoshock? And hows the Zedling performing. Its a tad costly though. Any other alternatives you suggest? Xpulse's?

I have used various setup when i was starting with this build. I tried a XR200 linkage with a GSXR 600 rear shock based on inputs from software like CATIA (something like this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJMejPNE0nI) , however ended up with a very high seat height and awkward geometry. Also adding a linkage will mean that we have to weld the frame for the mount points. I have now reworked some of the geometry aspects to use a longer stroke rear shock (62mm vs 45mm for stock) which is about 5mm longer than the original shock (OE) Eye to Eye. With a different motion ration giving it about 8.9 inches of travel at the rear to match the 10 inches of travel at the front, and new springs and valving to ensure that they rebound at comparable rates at both ends when fully compressed. I am beginning to wonder if the Xpulse's swingarm will be anything but a direct bolt on, as the original swingarm on the Hero is a bit off set for the rear shock mount, which indicates that the frame might need some tinkering. An alternative to get about 7.5 inches travel Front and rear would be to make your own off set triple clamps to mount the beefy 41mm Himalayan forks with Brakes and 21" wheel along with a long stroke rear shock to match the front. cheaper than what I did and really no 'reinventing' anything as Zedling guys will be more than happy to tell you what to do. With the new rear shock, the bike has 1/3rd of the rear travel very plush and progressively get firmer on the compression and has way more bottoming out resistance than the stock shock and to be honest, its day and night comparison, and would recommend you to upgrade to the unit once you blow the stock unit.

Also, there is a way you can rebuild the OE shock unit as well if anyone is interested (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc2hHosqPnw)

I'm on the Karizma's mill now too. Need a new carb. Solely because the stock Keihin is prone to malfunctioning. What would BS29 get me in comparison to Keihin26 as in ZMA? The 33mm fron 200NS seems a lil overkill to me. Mid and low end is what I need and a decent fuel economy too. Given I'll be mostly on tours around Himalayas.[/QUOTE]

Fuelling is based on efficiency. I think for your conditions its better to run a leaner setup and keep an eye on the spark plug readings. However there are some mods you can carry out on the BS carbs to make them work at higher altitudes by using the TPS with a good ignition, not as good as FI, but surely better "range" for altitude. I run the BS33 mostly because my engine is really not stock anymore, and mostly at sea level to 7000ft at the most. I run a 112 or 115 in Leh kind of areas with a modified venturi.

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

which variant?

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Xpulse 200

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Hi,

My Impulse needs a carburetor replacement as the Carburetor piston is getting stuck at one position which is affecting the acceleration and idling.

Now Southern Motorcycles (Hero Genuine Spare) has stock of a carburettor assembly and quoting around 5.5k

Is it worth to replace the stock carburetor or opt for any compatible carburetor from difference bikes like unicorn/pulsar etc.???

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Opt for a compatible carburettor.

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

You can use unicorn's vacume piston costs around 640rs and works like charm.

Re: Hero Impulse ownership experience

Or you can buy the stock one which costs rather less, if available. Either that or just take out the slide and turn it approximately 160-180degrees till the two triangular depressions on the slide at the bottom of the same are free, and visible when looked from the carb intake side. They tend to cock the slide jam along the barrel it runs in. I ran for almost 60000kms on the stock slide with that lil adjustment.

Or go for another carb. Mikuni I'd suggest. Relatively cheap, spares (of the carb) are easily available and lots of in-carb parameters to tinker around with according to you needs.