So... What Exactly is the HERO Dakar Rally Bike?
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2024
- You don't see much variety in machines in the Dakar Rally. It's a tough race, so only a select few manufacturers dare to enter. You have your KTMs, Husqvarnas, GasGases, Hondas, and... Hero? What is a Hero? Is it just a copy cat, a privateer team? Well, short answer is no. And the long answer reveals a fascinating story of patience and revenge.
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This is a proud moment for us Indians, as not only did Hero perform really well, but also TVS, another Indian company and Harith Noah, an Indian rider won the Rally 2 category.
As much as Im proud of it brother... I'm not... Hero is not self sustaining and definitely NOT ridden by an INDIAN after Santosh... And TVS is just a SHERCO... and Harith is born and TRAINED in Germany... So U see... We still have a great length to cover 😔
@LOKI_THE_HUSKY dude you are so wrong and typical mentality to undermine an Indian achiever and have a sense of jealousy. Yes Harith was born in Germany and his mother was a German, but his entire childhood, schooling and high schooling is from Kerala india. His father is indian and he represents india in all the races and teams he is part of.
@@prateeksinghsaun4261 this isn't "undermining" this is facing the reality... And for your kind information, im someone who works for the development of Motorsports in this country and the Athletes. So shut the F up and listen when I tell that you have zero fing idea what's actually going on in this field and the politics played by the OEMs.
@@LOKI_THE_HUSKY Off-roading , racing is just taking off in India. We need the infrastructure ,resources and funds which only corporate's can provide except for few rich individuals. Noah Harith is special and practices on Indian soil which doesn't have sand dunes like Dakar besides Dakar rally is quite expensive. You need more than 5/6 million rupees to race in it. Our economic conditions are different. In European countries ,kids starts racing 4/5 yrs of age. By age 10 most of them are into professional racing. So things aren't always about nationality if you really love the sport.
Also he started Riding on Ported Yamaha RX 135 cc road bike into Offroad bike. And he got sponsored by TVS racing. He worked hard to get there. He got his early off-road Lessons from small village in South of India.
As an owner of a Hero Xpulse (and someone who followed the Dakar because of them), this was an eye-opener for me as well.
Thank you!
Cheers!
Well done Hero and Ross Brach this year at Dakar.
RIP Paulo
Hero Motocorp is big, rich, bloody rich. After their split with Honda in 2010, everybody predicted that they are doomed. Because they did'nt have any R&D facility till 2010. Although the Japanese partnership was successful, for 26 long years, Honda had inhibited them from starting their own R&D. And yet after 14 years of split , here they are, still no 1 in sales.
No. in selling 100cc bikes and scooters. Which 90% of the world won't even look at. And the No. 1 title includes bicyles lol.
@@shahan484 "90% of the world wont even look at" - sounds like 90% of the world ride litre class motorcycles 🙃
"No 1 in sales includes bicycles" - please know that Hero Motocorp and Hero Bicycles are separate entities and when we talk about sales, we are only talking about motorcycles 🙃
@@shahan484 you talk as if the world rides litre class bikes
@@shahan484you seem to have multiple litre bikes as commuters
@@shantanubbhosale so there are only 2 kind of bikes? 100cc toys and litre class. These bikes, which make atleast 70% of Hero motors total sales wouldn't even qualify for road worthiness in western markets, forget about Europe.
Hero , Bajaj , TVS , Royal Enfield are really making India proud. My dad has Hero Pulser . Rip Paulo 💐.
Really bajaj the buggers from bajaj are just ktm pimps never ever did anything on ground level for motorsports
Brother that's Bajaj Pulsar!!
@@t.s.p1864bajaj owns a 49% stake in KTM tho
@@t.s.p1864quite the opposite ktm got help from Bajaj . The model Bajaj Pulsar is way before Bajaj bought ktm 😂
@@ind-rishiyt1600 yeah pulsar was launched in 2001 ffs 😭
I own a Hero Xpulse In Honduras and its pretty great!
really enjoy the bike!
That silent minor improvement in every iteration is what HERO is known for.
Great performance in Dakar this year both by HERO & TVS.
It is a proud moment, I was so thrilled yet sad when I saw not a single news coverage of Hero's Performance in Dakar.
I own a Hero Xpulse 200, I love it, and I want to represent India one day on the global stage.
Really nice video! Couldn't help notice the absence of a certain Indian rider that got the Dakar ball rolling in India in the first place. CS Santosh, I think thats a story worth creating on your channel to show his ambition that fuelled 2 Indian manufacturers to look at the Dakar rally.
I daily a Hero Xpulse Rally edition, always curious about the dakar bike, thanks for the video!
glad you liked it!
Between the first time I was in India and the last time, there was 500 million (!) more people in the country.
And the middle class has grown massively.
In those early days 'everybody wanted a watch' now 'everybody wants a car' or a 'big' motorcycle.
There is now a domestic as well as a international market, so the timing is right.
Gotta go back...those Ladakh/Zanskar/Spiti runs are magic.
Couldn't agree more man! Last year went to Ladakh with Himalayan 400 and it was crazy! Enjoyed every moment of it. Got myself a new Xpulse 200 last month and I'm planning to visit Ladakh again! 🥂
I am a proud owner of current Xpulse 4V. Hero is coming up with a new Xpulse 210 with the new liquid cooled engine. It's gonna be a treat.
Yes, XMR's engine is coming on a new Xpulse!
I'm waiting to purchase it.
It will take 2 years@@shortvideos4719
Any tentative timing? I am postponing my bike purchase for that.
@@gupta-vibhu Atleast a year away.
Being a proud owner of 8 hero motorcycles from "xpulse Rally" to The legendary " Splendor", also being updated in info of Dakar. This made me feel so good.
I really can't put in words how i love your content and style of your videos. The curve of emotions from interest into Curiosity - and back to slight sadness. Perhaps a few words after all: Thank you and keep it up! This (niche) scene needs you!
I really appreciate it! Trying my best :)
Lived in India a few years, but never had the opportunity to ride the X-Pulse, which did seem like an interesting bike. I think all the manufacturers in India recognise a maturing market. The demands being made of bikes continues to grow, opening new sectors, and additional budget which matches the overall economic growth of the Country. So, I think this is strategic work around being in the right place at the right time. Very soon, a significant market within India will open up to 450cc+ Rally bikes (Royal Enfield are tracking a similar growth trend), and Hero are well placed to continue to evolve the XPulse type methodology into its next phase. As any company should be, they're probably tracking 3-5 years ahead of predicted market trends in their Dakar aspirations. Riding mixed road in India over large distances is the absolute best, and the 18-30 year old professional living there absolutely knows this, while also knowing they actually need these types of bikes for what they're passionate about (as opposed to most of us European's who only actually need a bike for boring tarmac roads...joking joking, sort of).
True, many manufacturers have come up with 400+ cc bike's now and many more are in line.
this hero is running because of average riders.okay tell me 156 kg dualsport bike ?? where my people in india never had experienced real dirt bikes or trail bikes or endurobikes in general ...its very hard for people like us ...offroaders ...what will u learn on a t700 when u never ridden a yz250 or wr 250s ...only one company in india kawaski that launched their trail and mx series ..thats y i bought klx140g 2nd hand ... way better bike thn xpulse200 with rally kit ...devloped my skills better on klx then xpulse 200 .. a street bike with long travel susupension .... i am5.6 guy ..so tall bike fat seat and heavy and too much fatigue on body ...india should have focused on enduro and mx then trying street bikes with bad road
Solid work again Tudor! funny I was thinking the same when Dakar was on, wondering who Hero was. Thanks for shining some light over the history of Hero. I have even more respect for them now! Can't stop thinking what if they made a rally bike for the masses just like Kove. they have the "know how", so why not.... Cheers from jimmi
Yeah, now that Kove proved that there is a market and demand for such bikes... I wouldn't mind seeing a Hero version too
Glad you answered the same question I had watching the Dakar. Thanks.
I guess there were many of us with this question :))
Paulo Goncalves my hero...RIP 🕊️
Hero is building a road-legal version (versions actually) of this 450 rally bike. Very excited to see it!
If its true thatll be awesome... as the xpulse is lacking abit .... so a 450cc with great suspension and good build would be a Gem
@@normiesammienot sure they are going to retune X440's engine or going to develop a new one.
Hero has now bought licence for Harley Davidson brand in India and launched a long stroke thumper Harley X440 (440cc because it is half of Harley's 880cc v-twin) which is doing really well in the market.
Good to see how hero is doing out there in race field, I own xpulse was shocked to see its capabilities from the manufacturer.
Interesting I was thinking the Hero rally bike was still based on the old bmw/husqvarna G450X engine. Good to see them on the podium now.
It is
As far as I know it is, even if it doesn't have the coaxial pignon shaft with the swingarm anymore
Thanks for making this video as a user of hero bike and an Indian it made me happy. Your contents are really good keep it up, so many new things I got to know only from your research and videos. Cheers !!
Cheers!
thank you for the beautiful Lil tribute to Paulo. I still cry. rip hero
This channel is quickly becoming a favourite! Love Dakar stuff, and you're ridiculously thorough, love it!
Appreciate it!
@@KRANKiT Appreciate you brother!
Dude, I’ve watched five of your videos since I found your channel yesterday. I am very impressed, and thankful because you are definitely filling a gap in moto content! Well done
Appreciate it!
Incredible. In 2023 another rider CS Santhosh met with a major crash.And he was in coma for some time with severe injuries yet survived.And hero motorcorp released their first limited edition bike named as “XPulse rally edition”with his signature on it. It is an incredible machine with adjustable suspensions and massive ground clearance and a seat height of 885mm. I own one of that machine and enjoys my weekend rides with that machine.😊.
No production bike? I’m ready, I’d get one before a Kove..
The production bike will most likely be launched next year for the Indian market. Not sure about the export situation.
Great video! I've been a follower and fan of Speedbrain based rally bikes for many years and was not expecting the depth and accuracy in the video. My BMW 450 currently wears Hero livery (the small wide eye fairing), and have multiple Speedbrain parts.
Thank you for doing this, and especially for including the Speedy tribute, he was one of my hero's (pun not intended). I have a Speedbrain seat with his name on it that is a prized possession.
Tata, Hero, TVS, Bajaj, Mahidra all have accuired famous past companies in last 2 decades. They are going for world recognition
Great work man !! The storytelling is amazing. Looking forward for more videos.
This is actually a very cool story! Would love to see some form of it on sale!
Great video, super interesting and very well presented too.👌
Having worked in journalism for over a decade, I appreciate the amount of research you’ve done. Tracking back companies can be difficult. Subbed for more!
Look, I don't pretend to be a journalist. I've never done it professionally. That being said, I do try my best with every video I make, so thank you!
@@KRANKiT you’re welcome! Binging your channel right now, seriously good stuff.
thank you for promoting my company , my countries company . hope to make more sales globally 😊
My daily weapon of choice is xpulse and we do off road trails every weekend. It is a totally solid and highly reliable, nothing beats hero in Indian dual sport scene❤
Slap a 550-600cc single into that chassis and bring it to market. Instant classic.
Well Welll! Hero is indeed making mass market 400/450cc bikes, they will launch it soon. All thier learnings from Dakar will be going there!
Honda while holding Hero hostage under contract limiting the company's growth did another dick move. Honda made a subsidiary called HMSI(Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India) which escaped the technicality of contract and began selling their own two-wheelers while being in partnership in the beginning of the century. Honda was limiting Hero brand growing to other regions but was selling two wheelers in India outside the partnership.
Honda stitched Rover Cars up in the UK in a similar manner. Rover engineers would suggest ways of improving he product for the UK market, Honda would incorporate these changes in its own line and insist the Rover product was always the second-string/inferior offering.
Indian motorcycle industry has done gr8 job by providing wonderful motorcycles in 250-600 cc range and making it affordable and by that making wirld of motorcycking accessible to mass.
Engines engineering is owned by Mahindra. It has nothing to do with speedbrain. Speedbrain has a long term contract with hero and hero doesn't make the actual dakar bike. The actual engine in the hero dakar bike is made by kymco which was supplied to bmw for the 450x.
Does Hero now own Speedbrain, or have they absorbed it into their own R&D teams ?
@@BrattyBiker speedbrain is owned my Wolfgang Fischer , he is employed by hero on contract basis.
@@mohba01 Right, are they also involved in the development of the road-legal version?
@@BrattyBiker nope.
Thanks for making this video. It surely makes the audience know more about the underrated Hero motocorp of india
As an Indian and a friend of Ross .. it's been a pleasure watching this video ..
What people don't know is Ross Branch is also a pilot.
As an indian I did not know all this.....but respect to you sir for researching and also for giving us the bite on the way
Here is Hero's major past?
*-> Hero (cycles) collaborated with Honda (for engine) and Splendor became popular commuter choice in the 90's and 2000's. (Hero and Honda partnership ended, but Hero continued to own splendor manufacturing).
*->Hero collaborated Speedtrain and Rally master piece was created. (Speedtrain vainished slowly but, Hero continued to manufacture and invent on rally bike)
*-> Hero started collabaration with Harley Davidson in 2020 and the result is x440, (Harley Davidson started to develop there own 500cc twin cylider which rivals single cylider x440), But, Hero started developing there own version of 440 cc bike based on x440.
And, it continues...
Reminds me of Mahindra in Moto3 it was 100% suter designed and the final year thy decided to try and manage the development themselves in Italy again zero Indian input just Indian money. In the end they pulled out of moto3 as they couldn't develop the bike further by themselves, had they kept with suter they would've increased the number of wins but in the end they decided to just focus on Formula-E.
The engine is still a BMW derived engine... I'd love to see India succeed and make a 100% Indian made and designed bike and less bought and branded as Indian.
What a great story and exceptionally well presented. "Liked, subscribed and notifications for all posts" have been clicked by me now thank you.
haha cheers! Glad you liked it!
Hero has been spotted testing a 450ish cc Xpulse adventure bike as well. I think a lot of the tech on that bike will come from this project.
Hero is synonymous with fuel efficient commuter bikes. Hero Splendor is still one of the highest selling bikes and its hero's bread and butter. I think its around 2019 that Hero really started focusing on changing their image as they seem to have figured out that only being seen as the splendor brand is not sustainable. Right now all of their launches have been premium bikes catered to a younger audience. And what bikes they've made, I doubt there are many companies that can match Hero's price to value propostion.
Hero's design was one of the things really holding them back but it seems like theyve gotten a new designer and man the designs of the bikes and scooters they've been pumping out is incredible imo in the last 12 mths. They've also been pumping out a lot of new engines in the last 12mths. Seems like it was because of what they've learned from this endevour now that I think about it.
I remember HeroHonda. Some great little cycles. Perfect team-up.
By the size of your eyebrows, I think you are Italian/Greek/Khazhak/super Greek. In any case, Euro.
I have lived and spent time in Far East and Asia. Euro bike culture can't even conceptualize Asian bike culture. Have watched 1000 videos on the subject, and it boils down to big and complex vs. smooth and efficient. In my mind, Asia has all the cool.
Racing is supreme in our consciousness, but joy for the masses cannot be trumped. Ford Model T = Honda Super Cub. They are both perfect machines. Perfect! (and neither is going to win a race)
Great video young man
Thank you sir!
Hero Cycles and HeroMotoCorp are entirely different companies. The only thing common between them is same family ancestry. Infact apart from these two there are two more 'Hero' named companies which also have the same family background (afaik) one manufacturing electric two wheelers and one more of which I don't have any idea what it does. All these four companies are independent of each other.
Now you need to tell story another asia team, KOVE RALLY TEAM. The honesty of ceo make fall in love with them.
One day we might
😂😂😂😂😂😂
When you'll discover that Kove is a sub-brand of a large Chinese manufacturer (anyone that sells a scooter called " Happy Sheep" has got to be cool) which is part iof an industrial conglomerate specialising in metal refining, primarily lead.
Please ! Make a video on Bajaj motorcycles , Ola Electric & TVS motorcycles too
5:26 and those bottom-of -the-barrel components are known to be extremely durable. Splendor was a motorbike developed by hero honda and it became extremely popular in India, and they are known to have landcruiser-level durability.
Great stories 👏
Keep posting them ❤
When your Ex cheats on you and you go for positive revenge...
Wait, it's Engines Engineering making the engines? They're also responsible for the various 125cc GP bikes for brands such as Malaguti, Lambretta and Loncin to name a few. They also once worked with another Indian brand you might know of called Mahindra.
I also made a short video about that bike, although it's in Bahasa Indonesia, so you might need to translate it.
Engines Engineering also made a prototype based on the Ducati DesertX which made its debut on this year's Africa Eco Race that finished 20th overall.
:-The reason why many #Western & #European don't know much about #Indian brands is that India never had any necessity to step into World Market because they already have huge Population(market) to serve in their own country!
:-About 15-17% of Total #World population lives in India! That's huge market even for multiple brands to flourish! And their home brand developed as per the market need & necessity! Now they are stepping on World level too so that they can also #evolve & establish themselves in multiple segment & markets
:-On the other hand, many brand coming out of small country like #Japan with just 1.5% of Total World Population (or even #EU countries with 9% in total), they had no other choice but to step out of their country & look at World as their market so that they can thrive! _(Same for US at some point with 4% Total World Population)_
This is amazing as always ❤ most interesting motorcycle channel in a long time.
Thank you!
Very interesting! Thanks
Glad you liked it!
im from india i ride a budget im very proud of a hero customer for years and having a 110cc bike and seeing hero racing in dakar
There's one bike which Honda x Hero made together called "Splendor" it's a 100cc single cylinder bike and returns mileage of 60KM's/L with a top speed of 90kmph using a 4 speed gearbox.
Even to this day no manufacturer can dream of selling their bikes like the Hero Splendor.
The selling numbers are around 100,000 units (approx) per month.
Other than that they have recently collaborated with Harley Davidson to manufacture 400cc bikes.
They're betting on the 400cc very badly trying to compete with Royal Enfield and KTM's.
Honda lost in the commuter segment, they even tried to apply the same formula of Hero Honda Splendor but it never worked, still Honda is the leader of manufacturing highest number of scooters, they have a scooter called "Honda Activa" it sells similar to Hero Splendor in numbers.
No body can stop the sales of Splendor and Activa in our country for the reliability these two vehicles brings.
Appreciate the detailed info about Hero's Dakar Rally journey
❤
Hero's design cues actually inspired by Honda because they were in collaboration for a while earlier, and called as Hero Honda and had produced many bikes at that time.
No, it's a brand _you've_ never heard about... A lot of us are very well aware of Hero and have been following the Indian (and Chinese) manufacturers with interest.
This initial arrangement mentioned is not that common in motorsports just look at WRC; all the development teams are based in Germany too for Toyota/Hyundai etc.
Why his explanation touches my heart
almost no one thinks of Hero as a scooter manufacturer :D They're only known for their tiny 100cc motorcycles, The Splendors, a long extinct line called the Karizmas, and recently the Xpulse. They don't sell anywhere near the number of scooters that Honda sells in india.
My first bike also was a HeroHonda
This was a great video, thank you!
love the vids dude. you should do a video on hyosung......... they make the parts for suzuki and briefly went alone. i have the gt650, their 125's and 250cc bikes are also v twin which is unusual to say the least. in india it sold as a naza blade 650. ive ridden lots of bikes but the hyosung is a great bike! bought in a pinch but one of my favorite bikes ever
Those engines look exactly the same as the husky te449/ bmw 450x.
Which are made by kymco
I'll break the internet if I say what engine it is 😁
It's very easy once you know what it's from.
My first bicycle was Hero. My first motorcycle was Hero. They are really really reliable machine's.
I have a x pulse. I see them all over nowadays, it seems like a hit for them
If they release a 400cc class offroader, maybe an xpulse 450, that'd be awesome.
If you dont know what Hero Motocorp is, you are not a biker, you are not even an enthusiast.
Having the best and top technology bikes in lower cc segment is not just being Efficient but also environmentally good. If u can have all the fun with a lower cc engine u will not buy fuel hogs and burn unnecessary fuel
ah yes the eastern european fortnine, love the content bud.
haha :)) eastern european version strikes again
5:00 What did he say after average? Never really heard this phrase before lol.
Everyone was skeptical about Hero's future when they decided to move on from Honda. But the foot soldiers "Splendor, Passion and HF delexue" brands kept them going. The partnership with Erick Buel was catastrophic for Hero as the collaboration destroyed the legacy of Hunk, Cbz Xtreme and Karizma. For another decade Hero couldnt produce anything substantial other than selling 100-125cc motorcycles. This turned out to be a big mistake. On the other hand Honda motorcycles kept on growing year after year. Now it is just matter of years, Honda may overtake HERO in monthly sales figures. Recently the are taking out of box quick decisions and launches. Thanks for the video. I hope you would be able to provide further updates on Hero motocorp.
That shock reservoir looks massive 1:15
a chunky boy
Now we know that Hero Dakar bike is named Xpulse Pro. And roumours are that Xpulse 210 is in making. Please suggest how long should we wait for that one?
You earned a subscriber today Sir🎉
Wow what a video ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
in my opinion, ASO should bin the 450cc displacement limit for the bikes class and return on an open-ish engine ruleset; imagine a yamaha wr with the 700cc engine from the teneré
That would be pointless since they have a 160kph speed limit anyway. No real need for bigger engines.
Hero is going to release a 125 cc scooter on a 9.8 hp, which is really good here in India...they produce great two wheelers for over a decade. I too am going to own this Hero Xoom 125R scooter when released...thank you for the video...😊❤🤘🏼🇮🇳
Its Speedbrain bike from Germany just with Hero stickers. Same company made bikes like Bmw HP2 and Bmw 450 rallybike.
Indians are indians not Mohammeds 5:01
Well played GG ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hero collab with Honda and steal - Splendor.
Hero collab with Speedtrain and enter dirt rally, - Hero creates Xpulse 200
Hero collab with Harley - copies and releases Maverick (copied style from Honda cb300).
New Hero xtreme 125r is so good looking and budget friendly
The facts remain as facts... Hero was like a gatekeeper in India for Honda and now Harley Davidson, anyone who wants to enter the Indian market in '90s as to partner with an Indian motorcycle brand. But, always Hero was hungry and seperated itself from the partnership with huge benefits
Love from India 🇮🇳
Brother Hero have launched few good bikers this year in India even with Harley co operation. Please make a video on that and also on TVS company too
Study Hero Splendour. Filled with history 98cc beast
Very interesting
Proud owner of a Hero Xpulse 🤙🏻❤️
you got another sub' , justified
Thanks!
finally decoded done.
As always, excellent video. Thank you. Stay with it and ask viewers to subscribe. They will.
You have one of the best channels…
Thank you!
Proud To be an Indian 🥲🇮🇳🇮🇳🔥🔥✌🏼
Loved this video Bru! I’m from India and I ride the Xpulse, yes it’s not perfect but Hero has done something amazing over the past few years. Btw did you know Hero now owns Harley Davidson too?
Bro that news about Harley is new to me😮
Its just a partnership to make small capacity Harley
It's just a Joint Venture, similar to what Bajaj is doing with Triumph. They don't own Harley Davidson in any capacity.
We had a legendary indian driver but he had a really bad accident at rally and was in coma for long time but now he is recovering
Legendary because he is 1 in billion and also did his first rally on his own money
Edit : His name is santosh