The new design patent suggests a sleek dual-sport bike with a smaller engine capacity in the ballpark of 150-200cc, hinting at a possible return of the Impulse
Hero MotoCorp has filed a new design patent in India, which closely resembles the Impulse dual-sport motorcycle. The company had phased out the Impulse in mid 2027 ahead of the implementation of the BS4 emission norms. The patent filing shows the model with an air-cooled engine sans an oil-cooler, hinting that it could have a displacement in the ballpark of 150-200cc. Meanwhile, in other news, Hero is all set to debut its biggest ever adventure motorcycle till date in the form of the Xpulse 421 at the EICMA 2026.
Talking about the new design patent, the model could be positioned below the Xpulse 210 in Hero’s portfolio due to its sleek design and smaller engine. We can also see that the new model will get both kick start and electric start options. Hence, the comeback of Hero Impulse cannot be entirely ruled out as all these characteristics clearly point towards it.
If we take a closer look at the tank shrouds and silhouette, they bring back the memories of the Impulse dual-sport motorcycle. The tail-lamp cluster has been borrowed from the modern Hero bikes such as the Xtreme 125R and XPulse 210 while the headlamp takes cues from the Xtreme 160R. The headlight design is also quite similar to the Passion Pro 110 XTEC which is no longer sold in our market these days.
A few other notable styling elements seen in the design patent are raised front fender, telescopic front suspension, monoshock rear unit, front and rear disc brakes, and high-mounted exhaust pipe. The presence of fuel tap on the left side of the engine and a choke knob on the left handlebar suggests that the bike could carry a carburetted setup, which makes it more of an export model as two-wheelers with carburetted engines are not permitted to be sold in India.
The ongoing emission norms in India have made it impossible for two-wheelers with a carburetted engine to go on sale. However, it is safe to assume that a modern version of the bike with the latest engine specs could be launched in India as multiple elements mandatory for regulatory requirements such as the front number plate and saree guard are seen in the patent pics.
Several factors confirm that Hero could be designing, developing and engineering the dual-sport adventure motorcycle, keeping Indian market in mind. However, the filing of a design patent doesn’t necessarily indicate the launch of a new model as sometimes it is carried out to reserve intellectual property (IP) to explicitly retains all ownership and control.
