It all started with a bag over my head. No, this wasn’t a high-stakes ransom situation, nor was I part of some elaborate action-movie plot. This was just my camera crew having a little too much fun at my expense. Apparently, the best way to test my survival instincts—and the Hero Xpulse 210—was to kidnap me, shove me into a car, and dump me in the middle of nowhere.
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Why? Because they thought it would be hilarious to see me struggle to find my way back home with no maps, no money, and no help. Just me, my questionable sense of direction, and a motorcycle designed to go anywhere. I suspect they also had a few personal grudges they were working through.
Once they got bored of their villainous roleplay, they untied me (not that they tied me up very well to begin with) and presented the challenge: get back home on my own. The rules were brutal—no phone, no GPS, no asking for help, no staying in hotels, and I could only use my barely passable Hindi to communicate. Oh, and I had nothing but a backpack, a tent, and my willpower. It felt less like a road trip and more like an episode of Survivor, except instead of a million-dollar prize, I’d be rewarded with exhaustion, dehydration, and a whole lot of Maggi noodles.
But at least I had the new Hero Xpulse 210. I’ve ridden every previous version of this bike, so I thought I knew what to expect. But after just a few minutes on it, I could tell—this one was different. It looked beefier, more rugged, and more serious about the whole “adventure” thing. The tank was larger, the bodywork looked sharper, and the stance was just aggressive enough to make me believe I had a fighting chance at this ridiculous challenge. The fully digital TFT screen was now much brighter, making it easy to read even in the harsh midday sun. That was a small but significant upgrade that made life easier on this journey.
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I fired up the bike, took a deep breath, and rolled onto the first dusty trail. Immediately, the difference was obvious. The new chassis was stiffer and more responsive than before, making it easier to control even as the road turned into a collection of rocks, bumps, and ruts seemingly designed to shake my bones loose. The engine—a 210cc, liquid-cooled single—pumped out a solid 24.6 PS, which was a noticeable step up from the old model. More power, better handling, and a suspension setup that made the worst terrain feel manageable—this was starting to feel less like a challenge and more like a really good excuse for a ride. The addition of a linkage-type rear suspension played a big role here, smoothing out the roughest patches and making high-speed off-roading far more confidence-inspiring than before.
