Hero Impluse taken off-road: Trailblazer!

Published March 7, 2012
Views : 18602
3 min read

So we already took the Hero Impulse for our regular test. But then we decided to put it through the paces on its home turf - off-road, to see for ourselves how much thrashing she can handle in the hands of a pro MX racer

An era has bygone since we really got a taste of some dirt-riding astride a potent purpose-built off-roader. So when we got our hands on the Hero Impulse, everyone at work unanimously agreed to take the new toy for some play time. But since we clearly did not want to break the Impulse or our bones trying to exploit its off-roading capabilities, we decided to let a professional handle the task. Eeshan Lokhande, one of the finest motocross riders in the country was more than happy to oblige and he also had his newly built MX Racing facility built by Ibex Adventure Sports at our disposal, located at Bhor near Pune.

Within the first few laps astride the Hero Impulse around the rather technical dirt-track, Eeshan returned a little disappointed. The lack of dedicated knobby tyres meant the Impulse could not dig out enough dirt for strong out-of-corner exits. But he did mention the happy-revving nature of the motor really exciting him as he danced on the loose soil around the circuit – certainly then, for a lad used to racing 450cc dirt bikes and jumping sky-high with them, this wasn’t his idea of having fun. As he straightforwardly said, “this is a great beginner’s bike to start dirt riding with. But I will not recommend the Impulse to go professional dirt racing with.” Point taken.

Eeshan then suggested that we take the Impulse on one of the countless dirt trails that the Sahyadri range has to offer. As me and our ace snapper Kunal figured a good camera spot, Eeshan went for a spin on the intended trail. Shortly after we could hear a revving motor coming at a decent clip and there was the Hero Impulse piloted by Eeshan, going smoothly over the bumps and taking rather small but nifty jumps carrying incredible speed over a road that was barely was wide enough to ride a mountain bike on! Clearly Eeshan was having a lot more fun outside the track and on the trail with the Impulse and did not bother stopping for a while, leaving me and Kunal wondering if we should have packed our lunch and come.

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But he did come back and he flaunted a wide grin from inside the helmet. That sort of explained half of the story of him going missing for a while. The Hero Impulse can do that to you. The job’s fairly simple. Head out to the unknown land and get onto a trail and explore. A little more research over Google Maps and you will find countless trails in nearby habitat to go play with the Impulse. Trail riding is the Impluse’s forte. The rev-happy motor pulls with energy for a sprinter between the 6,000-8,000rpm range sending enough power and torque to the rear wheel to being able to go over some of the harshest off-roading locales. The dual-purpose CEAT rubber on both ends is excellent for the job of trail riding and is definitely not a puncture-magnet.

Apart from the fact that the Hero Impulse can glide over speed bumps and potholes within the cityscape, it truly comes into its element when taken trail riding. If you are an absolute novice who has never tasted dirt, then this is a great machine to start your off-road career with. But as Eeshan puts, for the ones who love taking the road less traveled, “the Impulse is meant for trails. Incredibly comfy to ride off-road, supple suspension setup for taking over bumps and rocks and extremely nimble handling, helped by an energetic motor that never wants you to stop, the Hero Impulse is an ideal machine to explore the outdoors and have fun in the dirt.”