In 12 Images: Honda XR150L vs Hero XPulse 200 4V

Battle of the dual-sport off-roaders

Honda has launched the XR150L dual sport motorcycle in the US, and it looks quite charming and purposeful. But, how does it fare against its perfect Indian rival, the Hero XPulse 200 4V? Check detailed images here.

To aid its off-roading capabilities, the Honda XR150L gets a tall, rugged and minimalistic design language with high rise fenders, slim fuel tank and long-single piece seat. Interestingly, it looks a lot like the Hero Impulse.

The Hero XPulse 200, too, gets the off-road bits, but it adopts a slightly more retro approach in terms of styling with the circular headlight and a bigger fuel tank.

Powering the XR150L is a 149cc air-cooled engine making 12.14PS and 12.5Nm.

With a bigger 199.6cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine, the XPulse belts out 19.01PS and 17.35Nm, making it much more powerful than its rival.

For trail blazing, the Honda features a 31mm telescopic fork and monoshock with 180mm travel up front and 150mm wheel travel at the rear. It also gets a superior 245mm ground clearance.

However, the XPulse beats its rival here as well with similar underpinnings but a travel of 190mm up front and 170mm at the rear. It flaunts a ground clearance of 220mm.

While the XR150L weighs only 127kg kerb, just a few kilos more than 100cc commuters, the XPulse weighs a good 158kg kerb, making it heavier of the two.

The XR150L rolls on 19-/17-inch spoke wheels with dual-purpose tyres. Braking is done via a 240mm disc up front and a 110mm drum brake at the rear.

XPulse runs on a bigger 21-/18-inch spoke wheel setup, wrapped in dual purpose tyres. It features  discs at both ends – 276mm up front and 220mm at the rear.

In terms of features, the Honda gets a simple semi-digital console, whereas the XPulse gets a fully digital console with Bluetooth connectivity, call and SMS alerts and turn-by-turn navigation.

In the USA, the Honda XR150L is priced equivalent to Rs 2.42 lakh, and the Hero XPulse 200 4V costs Rs 1,37,496, ex-showroom Delhi.