Bajaj's Hero Xpulse rival to debut soon

Under the Bajaj umbrella, both KTM and Triumph offer multiple motorcycles with varying levels of off-road capability across different displacement classes. Bajaj itself, however, doesn’t currently have a proper adventure or dual-sport model in its own portfolio. But that could soon change. A video circulating online has revealed a heavily camouflaged Bajaj motorcycle testing alongside models like the Bajaj Pulsar N250, and from what can be seen, this could potentially be the brand’s most off-road-focused motorcycle yet.

1. Gets wire-spoke wheels
2. Features an upswept exhaust and rally-style single-piece seat

Upcoming Bajaj dual sport: What we know so far

The test mule seen in the video is heavily camouflaged, so concrete details are still limited. That said, a few important elements are clearly visible, including familiar looking brake lamps.

One of the first noticeable details is the presence of wire-spoke wheels, in what looks like to be a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear setup. The tyres also appear relatively slim, similar to what you’d typically find on a lightweight dual-sport motorcycle. Suspension duties seem to be handled by a USD fork up front and a monoshock at the rear, while braking hardware includes disc brakes at both ends.

The styling also appears to be more reminiscent of dual-sport motorcycles than ADVs. It reminds of the original Hero Impulse in the general silhouette and if you recall, the Impulse itself was based on the Honda NXR 150 Bros that was sold in Brazil. In fact, such motorcycles remain very popular in Latin America markets even today with brands like Honda and Yamaha having multiple options. These bikes typically use air-cooled engines in the 150cc to 160cc space and given that Bajaj already has a big presence in that region, it makes sense that they would want to enter this segment as well. 

It’s difficult to determine the engine displacement at this stage, but based on the motorcycle’s overall proportions, it's likely to be a sub-300cc model. Very little can be seen in the spy images, but it is likely that Bajaj may have more than one engine size available. After all, the company has a huge selection of existing 150-250cc air/oil-cooled motors to choose from. It is also entirely possible that it may develop a new engine for this application. 

While the exact capacity is unclear at the moment, this is unlikely to be a liquid-cooled engine and it will probably have a 5-speed gearbox. That decision will be largely in mind of keeping costs competitive and another sign of this is the simple box-section swingarm. 

Late last year, Executive Director, Rakesh Sharma had mentioned that multiple updates and new additions to the Pulsar lineup were planned for 2026, and also that Bajaj would be launching a new motorcycle brand as well. We believe that this bike could be under that aforementioned new brand. Whether it will go on sale in India first or overseas remains to be seen, but the launch should happen this fiscal year. If Bajaj does keep the engine size at the popular 150-160cc space in Latin American markets, we may see a bigger engine for India, perhaps around the 200cc mark.

This bike is likely to be simple and rugged, but it probably won’t be bare bones and you can expect niceties like a TFT display and LED lighting. How Bajaj prices it will be interesting and it will probably make for a rival to the Hero Xpulse 200 4V, with an on road price under Rs 2 lakh.

Image source: on2wee

from Autocar India https://ift.tt/QBgE8UW