Of Dirt And Girt

Hero has finally come out with an enduro-style motorcycle. It’s called the XPulse 200 and it does some interesting things and makes it to places of interest, says Debabrata Sarkar

- Debabrata Sarkar

To be able to ride through trails and sand pits and plantations is a privilege for most of us, to begin with. Following this particular chap, Nilesh, from BigRock Dirt Park, his backyard, makes this experience even more special. But that’s not all. Amongst other things, this happens to be someone else’s home as well. A certain CS Santosh. If you are completely unfamiliar with the world of two-wheel racing, especially rallies, he happens to be one of Hero Motorsports’ weapons of choice for their rally raid endeavours. He has finished the gruelling Dakar Rally more times than any other Indian and continues to be an absolute inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamt of getting onto a dirt bike to go racing in the country. If you thought that was the end of the list of specials, well, there’s one more. One that we have waited on for many years now. One that has been teased, showcased, unveiled, but withheld from full-fledged production until now. That is exactly the sort of fanfare the XPulse commands. And it’s not just enthusiasts like you and me, it’s also for half the field of riders that show up for rally raids in the country and have been counting on Hero for a new ride for their endeavours of chasing the ‘Fast Indian’ dream.