agree, we do not have too many options for offroading, but that does not mean we purchase an underpowered bike at whatever price they offer us.

and how much offroading do we do, barely anything except in xbhp meets or during a tour (and too not much offroading in tours)

i seriously suggest that hero should make available one more engine option of atleast 200 CC, though i would prefer 250 CC to 350 CC. and then they can ask for more money.

and anyway at this price, this product is not for masses.

hero has come up with a good concept in a segment, which was entirely absent earlier, but either they should lower the price or increase the CC.

^^^^ Underpowered says you. It seems adequately powered for a 150. 13.4 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm has to account for something. And this coming out of a short stroke motor...

Going offroad means the chassis and suspension should be able to handle some abuse. For this Hero better have made those components from higher grade material than road bikes.

Besides, dont we already have FZs and Fazers commanding above 77k for a 150cc engine?

Then theres the deal about being the only creature in its class. A premium tag is not uncommon in such scenarios.

I cant objectively object to the pricing at this stage unless I ride it myself to see if its worth its salt. Though it would have been nice if it came a few thousands cheaper.

The FZ's pricetag also gave it a 'not for the masses' impression but Im seeing too many FZs on the streets to be under the same impression anymore.

Point is: new type of bike, looks good, sounds damn practical, Hero badge....=> price will probably be secondary to the 'masses'.

well, it may be my personnal opinion, but the output of that 150 CC engine is commuter class for me, not for an on-off road bike.

and i don't think any special materials are being used.

any other bike like pulsar, FZ, RTR etc can do fair bit of off roading if fitted with dual purpose tyres.

only thing hero has done is fit it with a front fork with longer travel and modify the engine a little bit so that peak power and torque is available at lower RPMs.

so the only cost incurred by hero is the difference in cost of front forks. rest is pure profit.

one more thing guys, i know how pure off roading bikes and on-off road bikes look, but look at the below pic, don't you think it looks too skinny when looked from front- i.e. head on. also look at this pic closely both rider and bike- it looks as if the rider is riding some moped.




guys, anybody have any pic of impulse where rider is not alone but also has a pillion rider i.e. rider with co-rider, i want to see how it looks with two people sitting on it.

and does anybody has any info how fast this bike can take you while on-road.?

youre right...any bike fitted with such tyres can do a fair bit of offroading....but this bike is purpose built to do an unfair bit of offroading, owing to the suspension, the ground clearence and the other dirt inspired whatnots. I can already see a lot of people taking this to ladakh.

well, neither did FZ bring anything significant to the technological table except for a well centered mass. So why the premium?

ya, it can surely go to ladakh, but i was talking about price justification.

Guys, don't remember exactly but even this bike comes from a Honda product. So, obviously that added to the cost, in exchange of which the owners get the so called "HH reliability" (which is a factor, even though I think that in today's era, its more of a hype)...

Around the price of a P180 UG4, you are getting a Hero's 150cc dual purpose bike, with a monoshock suspension. So, its not too bad, by Hero Honda's past standards.

@princesirohi: Qualitywise, who is to say the impulse is not upto the mark? Those video reviews (autocar, zigwheels) seem to say that the impulse has been crafted from a better steel than other bikes.

Stylewise, the impulse is definitely a looker. Theres not much to complain there.

Brand value? Its still a honda underneath all that "hum mein hain Heeeerooooooo" chanting. :P

So, as far as price justification is concerned, this bike is apparently no slacker compared to what you say the FZ offers for its price.

But I was thinking....if you can take it to ladakh or kodachadri\kudremukh down south without much sweat, wont it be worth the premium there itself?

@samarth619: +1

that is all i have to say, i think i have made my point, and don't want to drag it further, so i stop my price related discussion here.

I believe this is your personal opinion.
Just adding 100cc & having bigger size will make any bike offroading product? For offroading I'll prefer this than Enfield. The bike has been built differently which will suit more for offroading. If you compare the specs with any 150 cc commuter you will understand. & regarding it's size, how big are the dirt bikes? Check the size of Suzuki RM-Z450, is it big?
& Fz doing fair bit of off roading? Not at all, at least in stock condition. Try riding it on gravel you will understand..If this motorcycle is based on Honda NXR 150 Bros platform (it has something more than just 150cc) then Google a bit to understand it's capability, albeit this motorcycle cannot be compared to the best in the market, but should be fairly accepted.
& regarding price, I don't think it's too high, someone who wants it, will buy it except the build quality is good enough (I hate the way that CO2 welding has been done) & you are right, it is not for the masses, it is for those who love adventure. Waiting for someone who takes it to Ladakh, since I'm not sure about it's capability at high altitude & FE. Rest of the tour will be a piece of cake for this mini motorrad
well, you can take any good bike from ladakh to kanyakumari without breaking much sweat That's a bold statement, it's possible only if the motorcycle is riding alone, since Ladakh/any long tour is more of an endurance test for the rider...

Arent we too judgemental about this bike too early .

CCs are less,same honda engine,costly ,not for masses etc whinning and whining and all these without even physically seeing the bike forget riding.

There are motocross and offroad bikes which are below 100 ccs costing a bomb .Just see below
2012 Yamaha YZ85 Specifications, specs

and see how much Honda 150cc (CRF150F) costs in US
2012 CRF150F Specifications - Honda Powersports

CRF150R with diff specs costs even more - now do the maths.

Does it matter that Fz1 and R1 have similar engines or all BMW 1300ccs share the same platform so why here.
AFAIK street,offroad and motocross are different segments - just changing tyres doesnt change everything.

I am not any company's fanboy but lets atleast be matured enough to test/ride the bike onroad before passing comments/judgements.

@princesirohi: So, are the welds just bad looking or structurally bad? Im no expert on detecting weld quality.

Te rest is subjective...so, as you say...to each his own.

sorry but i couldn't understand whats bold in it, ofcourse it depends on rider ...

thanks a lot....

Consider this bike as a trail riding tool rather than a proper off roader. Yes , the power is less for the price we are paying but look at the plethora of options we have for off roaders.

as the zig wheels pic review says , there are plenty of trails where this wud be your companion. This would very well be your "2nd" bike .

with very good comfort and 55kmpl , this wud be a great bike to ride on our city roads. The bike is very flickable with pretty good headlights makes it even better for city usage.

it will be fun to ride at 60 kmph non-stop on big speed breakers on this bike...

@niks_devil666: yes it will be a very good second bike to have some fun with.

@Satyamzma: man u wanna scare other ppl...

anyone has any idea of its top speed on road ? or anybody has some pic showing two persons riding it- rider and pillion, i wanna see how it looks when u are not riding it alone.