Hero Impulse Load Test

Yesterday I did a proper load test on my Impulse. I filled my saddle bags to the brim with the tail bag bursting with all of my camera gear. Before taking this motorcycle on a multi day adventure involving difficult trails I wanted to know if it was properly set up to manage on its own.

It’s ok to push someone up a slope on a day long trail ride. But when you have a destination to reach before nightfall, you really can’t stop the group and start pushing motorcycles. Also, unlike a day long trail ride where you have the next few days to recover from the body ache, on a multi-day adventure you need to get up the next morning, load up and do it all over again. So it’s very important that each rider and his motorcycle are able to deal with the terrain and its challenges all by themselves.

Yesterday we rode into the jungles of South Goa in search of new trails. At one point we noticed a narrow walking track branching out from the main trail and decided to see where it led. Pretty soon the path became a steep and narrow downward rut with a drop into a valley on the left and big sharp rocks on the right. I stopped half way because the sharp rocks were cutting into my saddle bags. The guys in front of me didn’t have any luggage. They proceeded down to the end and found that the track led to a village below.

I found a slightly wide spot on the track and turned the bike around. I thought that I would need help getting my loaded bike up the steep hill, but decided to try anyway. The knobby tyres came to the rescue. They dug into the dirt and locked into the rocks. If I had the stock tyres on, I’m pretty sure I would have been spinning them without moving an inch forward.

Today morning when washing the bike I inspected the tyres for damage and found that the corner of one of the knobs had chipped off. Frankly, given what I put the tyre through, I expected worse.

This pretty much proves that even if your bike has a low powered engine, you might still be able to get out of a sticky situation if you have the right tyres.

I think Colt is all set for a proper adventure. 🙂