Hero Xpulse 450 revealed: 46.7hp, 421cc engine and built-in Android Auto

Hero has finally taken the wraps off the Xpulse 450. It uses a brand-new 421cc liquid-cooled engine. Hero clearly wants this flagship to sit well above the Xpulse 210, and the extra power and torque make that plain. The brand says the Xpulse 450 will launch in global markets first. The Xpulse 450 has been in development since 2020. We saw it as a concept sketch at past editions of EICMA. Hero says the Xpulse 450 is built with direct inputs from the Hero MotoSports team.

Engine
The big highlight is the new 421cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. It makes 46.7hp at 9,100rpm and 38Nm at 7,500rpm. A 6-speed gearbox comes with it. A slip-and-assist clutch will be offered as standard. The Xpulse 210 makes 24.6hp at 9,250rpm and 20.7Nm at 7,250rpm. So the new bike offers a huge jump in power output.

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Suspension and wheels
KYB supplies the long-travel front suspension. The 43mm cartridge-type USD fork has 225mm of travel. The Xpulse 210 gets 210mm and no adjustability. The new fork offers 22-step adjustment for both compression and rebound. Hero hasn’t shared the rear suspension details yet.

The bike runs tubeless spoke wheels. They appear to be a 19-inch wheel at the front and a 17-inch wheel at the rear.

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Features
Hero highlights a segment-first feature. The bike gets built-in Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It appears to use a 7-inch TFT display for this. Hero hasn’t shared the full specification list yet. The Xpulse 450 will join the other dual-sports in the line-up. These are the Xpulse 200, the Xpulse 210 Dakar Edition and the Xpulse 210 MX.

Price and rivals
Hero hasn’t announced a price or an official launch timeline. It has only said the motorcycle will be launched in global markets first.

In India, it will take on the KTM 390 Adventure and the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. The KTM 390 Adventure S costs Rs 4.06 lakh and the R costs Rs 3.87 lakh. The Himalayan 450 costs Rs 3.08 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom.