The Hero XPulse 400 Could Be The Road-legal Version Of THIS Bike

The Indian National Rally Sprint seems to be the proving ground for the new platform

Hero MotoCorp is participating in the Indian Nation Rally Sprint Championship (INRSC) in Group A category (400cc and above) with a new bike. This could be the rally version of the upcoming XPulse 400 that’s likely to debut later this year.

The Indian two-wheeler giant’s new rally bike is seen sporting an all-new liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine, which looks identical to the one on test mules spotted, and also to the prototype showcased a couple of years ago. Considering that Hero’s participating in 400cc+ category, there’s a possibility of this being a 421cc engine as speculated earlier. Hero has been already testing the bike in the Himalayas, and now this rally championship should be a good proving ground for the new platform.

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Since this is a rally bike, it gets a different bodywork that’s apt for the sport, along with premium suspension and braking components coupled with knobby tyres. Its road-legal avatar too flaunts USD fork and petal discs, but doesn't appear to be as premium as the ones seen on the rally bike.

We already know that the upcoming Hero XPulse 400 would be available in two variants, and given that Hero has a rally kit and a special Rally Edition of the XPulse 200, the possibility of having Rally version of the 421cc bike can’t be ruled out.

The Hero XPulse 400 is expected to debut in the second half of this year with a price tag of Rs 2.70 lakh. This Hero ADV will face the heat from the upcoming Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.