Kawasaki KLX230 vs Hero XPulse 210: Buy Or Hold

Kawasaki had recently launched the much awaited KLX230 in India, at a price of Rs 3,30,000 (ex-showroom). It will be competing with the upcoming Hero XPulse 210, which could be launched at Hero World 2025. 

The high price of the Kawasaki KLX230, many dual-sport enthusiasts are wondering if it would be better to wait for the Hero XPulse 210. In this article we will be going over what each bike has to offer. We will also be answering the question, will the XPulse 210 be worth the wait?

Kawasaki KLX230

The Kawasaki KLX230 is a proper hardcore offroader from the Japanese manufacturer. It features a proper dirt-bike like design and styling, with its raised beak-like fender and overall slim profile. 

The bike is powered by a 233cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder motor which outputs 18.1PS and 18.3Nm. The engine offers really good performance, with a strong bottom-end which is perfect for riding offroad. 

The bike is built on a perimeter frame, and features long travel suspension at both ends. The 37mm telescopic fork has a travel of 240mm and the monoshock has 250mm travel. The bike offers a ground clearance of 265mm, which is more than enough to tackle most obstacles offroad. 

The bike is also very light coming in at 139kg (kerb). Which makes handling it very easy. Another advantage of the lighter weight is that you can easily pick it up, in case you drop the bike or fall off it while riding off-road. This is something which can happen a lot, as the trails are quite unpredictable and accidents are common. 

That said, the bike has a really tall seat, with the seat height coming to 880mm. Which can make things difficult for shorter riders. Braking setup consists of a 265mm front and 240mm rear petal disc setup, with dual-channel ABS. The KLX230 also has a small fuel tank with a capacity of 7.6-litres.

The bike also offers switchable ABS, which offers the ability to turn off ABS at the rear wheel. This will allow for controlled slides offroad, making the bike a lot more capable. Overall, the KLX230 has everything you would expect from a potent offroader.

Overall, the bike is a serious off-roader that has been made road-legal. The bike is very capable and will perform very well off-road. So if you are looking for a dual-sport that you’ll primarily be riding in the city, then the KLX230 might be a bit too much. 

Hero XPulse 210

The Hero XPulse 210 is an upcoming dual-sport from Hero MotorCorp. It features a new design which makes it stand out quite a bit when compared to the currently available Hero XPulse 200 4V. 

The Hero XPulse 210 will be powered by the same 210cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine as the Karizma XMR 210. But on the XPulse 210, the engine outputs 24.8PS and 20.7Nm, which is 0.7PS less and 0.3Nm more than on the Karizma. The power figures are much better on paper when compared to the Kawasaki KLX230. 

That said, we expect Hero to give the engine a different tune with better low end torque to make it more capable offroad.

The bike also has similar underpinnings as the Kawasaki KLX230, with long travel suspension at both ends. It also sports a similar petal disc braking setup. In terms of features, the Hero XPulse 210 gets a more premium looking 4.2-inch TFT console. The bike also offers switchable ABS at the rear, which will make it quite capable offroad. 

But overall, the XPulse 210 will be positioned as a touring bike which can handle off-road challenges. It won’t be able to offer the kind of offroad capabilities that the KLX230 will offer. 

Which One Should You Get?

Both the bikes are quite promising when it comes to performance both on and off-road. But when we take price into account, it is quite clear that the Kawasaki KLX230 is just too expensive. The bike comes at Rs 3,30,000 (ex-showroom), which makes it more expensive than even the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. 

To a great extent, it does manage to justify the price thanks to the low kerb weight of 139kg, which really sets it apart. The low weight results in a better performance offroad, something which enthusiasts will appreciate. But overall, the bike doesn’t make much sense if you are not a hard-core offroader who needs as much performance as possible.

The Hero XPulse 210, will likely be launched at Hero World 2025 which will take place at the end of January. The XPulse 210 could come at a price that is around the Rs 1.80 lakh mark ex-showroom. 

The bike overall looks pretty promising, with good power and torque along with a decent set of features. Hero’s wide spread network across India and the easier availability of spares will reduce the cost of ownership to a great extent as well. So if you are looking for an affordable dual-sport then waiting for the Xpulse 210 will definitely be worth it.