Yamaha FZ-X vs Hero Xpulse 200T Specification Comparison

The FZ-X is Yamaha’s latest entrant in the Indian 150cc motorcycle segment, and while it sports a neo-retro design, it is essentially a standard Yamaha FZ under the skin. The FZ-X is Yamaha’s bid into the neo-retro segment, albeit in a smaller, more affordable package when compared to products like the Royal Enfield Meteor, Honda CB 350 H’Ness, CB350 RS, and the Jawa 42. However, there is a retro offering sitting in its price range albeit the format of motorcycle is slightly different. The Hero Xpulse 200T also sports neo-retro styling and shares its underpinnings with the off-road focused Xpulse. It's the Yamaha FZ-X vs Hero Xpulse 200T. Let’s get down to brass-tacks.

At least on paper, the Hero Xpulse 200T eats the Yamaha FZ-X for breakfast. However, the 199cc motor on the BS4 version of the Xpulse 200T was known to be quite an underperformer for its ‘touring’ purposes. That said, while it does produce more power than the 149cc unit of the FZ-X, it is still lesser than its 200cc rivals. Up next, we will be talking about dimensions, but it is worth bringing up the weight here. At 154kgs, the Xpulse 200T weighs more than the FZ-X, which weighs 139kgs. While the FZ-X has a power-to-weight ratio of 86.3bhp/tonne, the Xpulse 200T trumps the FZ-X with a higher power-to-weight ratio of 110.3bhp/tonne.

Both these bikes are commuter-focused and are quite closely matched in terms of dimensions. You also get a single-channel ABS as standard on the Yamaha FZ-X and the Hero Xpulse 200T. However, the Xpulse 200T scores a brownie point with its larger fuel tank of 13 litres against the 10-litre fuel tank of the FZ-X, a clear indicator of its touring intentions. The Xpulse 200T has a higher ground clearance compared to the FZ-X, as it is based on an off-road adventure tourer bike.

The FZ-X can be had in two variants, while the Xpulse 200T is offered in only one variant. Both bikes sport modern fully-digital instrument clusters, but the amount of information offered is different. Let’s start with the FZ-X first. The FZ-X sports a negative-lit LCD cluster equipped with smartphone connectivity which will display your phone notifications, while Yamaha’s Y-Connect app on the top variant will provide information to your smartphone such as malfunction warnings, last parked location, revs dashboard, and fuel consumption. The instrument cluster on the FZ-X also features a digital clock, tachometer, odometer, service reminder, and an ECO indicator, but it strangely misses out on a gear position indicator and turn-by-turn navigation, which are present on the Xpulse 200T. The FZ-X also comes with a charging socket for your smartphone, LED headlamps with DRLs, an LED tail lamp, front fork boots that add to the bike’s neo-retro theme, and a side stand engine-kill function.

The Xpulse 200T gets bluetooth connectivity as standard which will display information such as your phone notifications and turn-by-turn navigation, while also being equipped with a tachometer, tripmeter, odometer, gear position indicator, ECO indicator, side-stand indicator, and a service reminder. The Xpulse 200T also gets an LED headlamp and tail lamp along with a kick-starter. Both these motorcycles seem more or less on par with the features they offer the rider, but the addition of the USB charger on the FZ is a neat touch.

Despite being a 150cc bike, the Yamaha FZ-X is priced quite closely to the Hero Xpulse 200T. The Yamaha FZ-X and Hero Xpulse 200T are both available in three colour options, and while the Xpulse 200T may not enjoy the fan-following of its off-road focused sibling, it still remains a very credible product priced at Rs 1.18 lakh (ex-showroom). Meanwhile the Yamaha FZ-X can be had for Rs 1.16 lakh without Y-Connect (ex-showroom), while the top variant with Y-Connect will cost you Rs 1.19 lakh (ex-showroom). In terms of outright value, the Xpulse 200T certainly makes a case for itself offering a bigger engine and more sophisticated chassis. We cannot wait to see how the Yamaha FZ-X fares in the real world, but on paper at least, the Xpulse 200T seems to have the upper hand.