Hero Motocorp ADV Patent Images Emerge - Return of the Impulse?

Recently, patent images filed by Hero Motocorp have surfaced online, revealing a dual-sport motorcycle under development. At a time when demand for ADVs and dual-sport bikes is growing by the day, is the company planning to reintroduce the Impulse 10 years after its discontinuation? Here’s all that you need to know about this upcoming Hero ADV bike. 

Also read: 2026 Bajaj Pulsar N160SS Review - Big Upgrade?

Design and Features 

From what the patent images reveal, the dual-sport bike features a lot of elements from the long-discontinued Impulse. For starters, the tank is a slimmer unit than the one seen on the Xpulse 200 while featuring a very muscular shroud. Other elements which can be noticed are LED headlamps, a swept-up exhaust and chunky mounts for storing luggage. What’s interesting to note is that despite giving the bike some premium features, there is a kick starter present on the bike instead of having a typical electric starter button.

Engine 

This is where the patent images become interesting. From what it looks like, the engine features a carburettor, which would mean that Hero Motocorp is likely to develop this bike for countries in the South American and African markets where emission norms are relaxed even today. However, this doesn’t mean that a launch for our market is completely ruled out. 

Should Hero Motocorp decide to launch this vehicle in the Indian market, this dual sport is most likely to get the 163.2 cc air-cooled motor from the Xtreme 160R that features fuel injection and thus is compatible with the emission norms of our market. However, the tuning on this engine is expected to be slightly different to match the character of the bike. 

Suspension and Tyres

As is the case with most ADVs and dual-Sport bikes, this motorcycle too is expected to come with a long-travel suspension for tackling off-road trails and bad roads easily. However, don’t expect fancy stuff such as USDs to be available, as this bike is most likely going to be built for the cost-conscious segment of buyers. 

On the tyres front, a 21-inch front tyre and a 19-inch rear tyre are expected on this motorcycle, with both the front and rear sporting a spoked wheel setup. There may be a possibility of this motorcycle getting alloys as an option on a higher variant with a tubeless tyre setup. 

What’s also worth noting is that the images indicate that the bike is going to get a disc brake setup on both the front and rear tyres. As a result, dual-channel ABS too is likely to be present. 

Also read: Bajaj Pulsar N160 4V vs Hero Xtreme 160R 4V: Which 160cc Streetfighter Should You Buy?

Launch timelines

As of this moment, these patent images indicate that the motorcycle is very early in its development cycle. And going by the images, it is most likely that this is going to be an export-spec offering from Hero Motocorp. An India-spec model will require quite a few changes in terms of the engine, and that would increase the timeline for the launch. If this motorcycle does launch in India, there is a very strong chance that it would be post 2027. 

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