The Xpulse is a real eye-catcher. I’ve had more inquiries and compliments on this motorcycle than on the 650!
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Thank you all. I’ve been riding the Xpulse for the last few days and giving it more attention than the other bikes in the garage I probably feel neglected but riding this motorcycle is such a pleasure. Not in terms of power or performance but just ride quality.
The motorcycle is super smooth and quiet to ride almost like an electric bike. Since it’s running in I am trying not to cross the 4k rpm mark- does about 50-60 km/h in 5th gear. The gearbox is nice and slick with a reassuring click when you shift gears. I have gotten stuck in neutral a few times but I think it should sort itself out by the 1st service. Ridden a little over 100 km in the last few days. Took it for my first office commute yesterday and it performed well, though I still need to figure out the judgment on where the front wheel ends since it extends out a bit compared to what I’m used to riding so I inadvertently touched another scooter with my front wheel in heavy traffic.
The rear suspension was pretty stiff when I got the bike and was causing me aches and pains in my back. For those wondering I have implants because of an implosion fracture on L1 that turned into spinal compression in 2018 -2 rods and 8 screws, so pain and stiffness are constant but I do keep myself active, swim as often as possible, and I’m not giving up on motorcycles anytime soon.
I went to the showroom today and convinced the mechanic to check the rebound and set it to what is recommended in the manual and use the C-spanner to reduce pre-load. He gave me some gyan about not messing with the stock factory settings since it will affect the durability of the suspension, etc but finally did what I asked him to do.
I’m not sure what he did with the preload because on testing out his first attempt the rear felt even more stiff than before so he then corrected and it is now on its softest setting. Ride quality has improved a lot and I’m no longer wincing over bad roads.
The thing with the Xpulse compared to my other motorcycles is that I do not have to slow down over speed-breakers potholes etc. Just stand on the footpegs and it just flies through, you don’t feel anything. It is pretty incredible. On the interceptor for example I would have to keep my eyes peeled, plan alternative routes to avoid a pothole, or avoid taking bad roads completely. Today I went through a subway on Ring Road that is filled with bad potholes and I didn’t slow down instead I just straddled and we sailed right past the bad stuff. Even the linkages on the flyover on the way to and back from Manyata were dispatched with aplomb with my butt firmly planted on the seat – no jerks were transmitted onto my spin. With the rear suspension tuned to my needs, the Xpulse is finally letting me enjoy the reason I bought her in the first place – amazing ride quality over our world-class roads, which makes me wonder why Karnataka charges the highest road taxes in the country.
The Xpulse is a real eye-catcher. I’ve had more inquiries and compliments on this motorcycle than on the 650! On the weekend while returning from a swim at a social club, I saw a bunch of employees around the bike, a waiter I know asked me for details because his friend wanted to buy one. His height however was 5 feet 4 inches so I told him it would be hard to manage, another one of the employees had a new Himalayan and was eager to tell me his bike was better.
This motorcycle gets dirty in the rain pretty quickly and the front mudguard does not stop the muck from being thrown up, the dirt stains and watermarks on the black plastic panels do not go away easily but this kind of bike looks better when it’s dirty. The welds on the motorcycle do not look very clean but I guess at this price there is not much to complain about.
I cleaned the bike myself for the first time and seems like I will need to get a pressure washer to wash this bike. I’m also wondering if I should go to Rao Seats to check out options for better seats. There seems to be some chain lube paste used, any recommendations on what kind of chain lube to use for this motorcycle – should I stick with a paste?
I am not very happy about the quality of rearview mirrors. Any suggestions as to what I should replace them with? Also been looking at some big bore views on YouTube though I don’t have any such plans as of it but it’s good to know the potential the motorcycle has – seems like a new-age RX135. Let me know if you have any other suggestions for me.
Keyword: Running in my brand new Hero Xpulse: Observations after the 1st 100 km