Hero Impulse

Quick Review by Maxabout Team

After the much hyped separation of Hero and Honda, Hero Motocorp revealed its new identity with their own new bike, Impulse. This bike is Hero’s and India’s first ever on and off road bike. Impulse is expected to give rise to a whole new category of bikes in India.

Design and Style

Give it a look and it’s hard to believe if it’s a bike from Hero. They have shaped their unique idea really well. This time Hero has thought something out of the box in terms of designing. From some angles this bike resembles to proper dirt bikes especially from its front. It features a larger 19 inch front wheel with stud pattern on tyre. Its sharp front fender is placed much above its tyre which gives it a naked and sporty appeal. The bike also features body coloured cowl and crispy visor which also carries the number plate. Its high mounted clear lens indicators and rear view mirrors can easily be noticed. Move to side of this bike and you will notice few interesting things. To enhance it’s off road abilities, Hero has mounted its muffler extremely high which makes it an eye-catcher. It has a very edgy fuel tank featuring sporty graphics and aerodynamic shrouds on it. Motocross seat is also a new feature which adds charm to this bike. Its silver finished long grab rails, wider rear tyre and straight pull spokes at the rear makes it look very captivating. It features LED tail lamp at the back with high mounted indicators similar to its front. It looks really flashy along with its rear fender when seen from the back.

Instrument Console

Hero Impulse features a very funky digital analogue combo meter console. There is an analogue tachometer on the left side while it features digital speedometer, fuel gauge, trip meter and other indicators on the right side. It also has an additional feature of service due indicator in it. Digital speedometer and fuel gauge Analogue tachometer

Engine and Gearbox

The same 150cc engine powering Hero’s Hunk and Xtreme has been specially re-tuned for this bike. This bike is different than its siblings in terms of specifications. This 4-stroke, air-cooled, OHC engine generates a power output of 13 bhp at 7500 rpm. The torque produced by this mono cylinder engine of 13.4 Nm is achievable at 5000 rpm. This engine is accompanied by a five speed manual gearbox following the similar gear shift pattern of 1 gear down and four gears up.

Acceleration and Performance

Hero has reduced its power and increased it torque output to make it different than its other siblings to make a balance between it’s on and off road performance. The most noticeable thing in this bike is the early availability of power and torque which means better acceleration and pick up at lower rpms. Gear ratios are very crispy and this bike feels on the faster side. It does 0-60km/hr in less than 5 seconds. It may be less powerful than others but its light weight helps it to get respectable power to weight ratio. Throttle response is also better than most of the 150cc bikes and that gives it an advantage over others when it comes to off roading. The refinement level has always been commendable of this engine and there are no signs of stress and vibrations. If you talk about high speeds then let us be very clear, this bike can easily go pass the speed of 115km/hr.

Mileage

Its light weight (119kgs) makes it a very fuel efficient bike. Despite being an enthusiast, this bike can return you an impressive mileage of around 50-55km/ltr in city conditions and on highways these figures can increase by 5km/ltr.

Comfort while Driving

The bike has been designed to offer maximum comfort off and on road. The motocross seat is very comfortable on every terrain. You can have a firm palm grip and your knees provide you good hold of this bike. Foot-pegs are smartly placed in the middle which gives you a relaxed posture and you can easily adjust yourself on this bike.

Storage and Safety Features

There is no storage space in this bike but it features a front leg guard and saree guard at the back for your safety.

Suspension and Braking

Hero Impulse is incorporated with a capable suspension system which adapts itself according to road conditions and makes it a good off road vehicle. Front telescopic hydraulic forks and swing arm with gas filled (nitrox) mono shock absorber at the back are doing duty on this bike. Braking system involves 240mm disc brake at its front and a drum brake of 110mm at its back. There is no optional rear disc brake in Impulse.

Ride and Handling

This department plays a very crucial role when it comes to off roading and specially if it’s a bike. Its suspension system takes most of the bumps easily and Impulse settles well on uneven conditions. Things get improve with its massive ground clearance of 245mm which enables it to cross almost every possible obstruction on road. Its tyres hold the road really well and the handling of this bike is also very satisfactory. It’s very easy to use this light bike in city traffic and off road. It has a large wheelbase (1360mm) which increases its stability around corners and at high speeds.

Shades

Hero Impulse 150 is available in 5 shades: Tar Black, Deep Blue Sea, Terra Rossa, Grassland Green and Canyon Orange.

Verdict

Hero has priced this bike at INR 69.5K (ex-showroom, Delhi (approx., may vary)). Yes, it’s slightly overpriced as at the same price you can opt for much powerful bikes like Bajaj Pulsar 180 and TVS Apache 160. But these bikes won’t offer you the riding experience similar to Impulse especially off road. With Impulse, you get a lot of attraction and exclusivity. Moreover it’s also impressive in terms of performance and comes with the trust of Hero. We feel it’s a complete value for money bike and one can always opt for this bike for a change.

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