Ross Branch and Nacho Corenjo from Hero Motosports team are seen testing the Xpulse 421 during its high-altitude cold-weather testing in Ladakh
We recently brought you the first images of the Hero Xpulse 421 from its high-altitude cold-weather testing in Ladakh. Now, a fresh set of imagaes have emerged from Khardung La pass where the upcoming adventure bike from Hero is being tested by the legends of Dakar Rally. Ross Branch and Nacho Corenjo from Hero Motosports team are seen testing the Xpulse 421 as it is clicked on camera alongside a batch of Xpulse 210 and Hero’s 450 Rally race bike. Since the Dakar rally riders are involved in the testing phase, it shows that the company is leaving no stone unturned to make it a capable ADV tourer.
Hero Xpulse 421 was first teased at the EICMA 2024 in Italy. It was expected to break cover at the previous edition of Milan Motorcycle Show in Nov 2025 but Hero didn’t showcase the adventure bike at the event. Now, it is almost confirmed to make an appearance at the EICMA 2026 in Nov while it goes on sale in early 2027 in the Indian market.
The test mule of the Xpulse 421 is wearing heavy camouflage. However, despite that, we can clearly see the purpose-built bike carrying a high-mounted LED headlight in the front fairing. One of the highly important thing emerging in the new videos and images is the exhaust note of the Xpulse 421 which is way more roaring and compelling than the smaller Xpulse 210s.
Likely to be sitting on a steel trellis frame, Hero Xpulse 421 will come with USD front forks with long-travel and rear monoshock absorber. While the front suspension could get compression and rebound, the rear one might boast of preload adjustability. The adventure bike is expected to ride on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels which will be fitted with dual-purpose tyres.
Needless to mention, Hero Xpulse 421 will be equipped with a plethora of modern bells and whistles in the form of ride modes, cruise control, traction control, and switchable ABS among others. Mechanically, as the spy pics show, it will debut an all-new single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine in the Indian market. The power and torque figures are not in public domain yet.
We expect the Xpulse 421 to deliver similar power and torque as the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and KTM 390 Adventure. The engine will be offered with a 6-speed gearbox while a quickshifter will also be offered as standard feature on the higher variants. The stopping power could come from a front disc brake with radially mounted calipers and a single disc unit at the rear.
