RAID - IMPULSE 223 FI

When I participated in my first race 'Raid de Himalaya' in 2015, I was riding a KTM Duke 390. Although the bike was fast on straights, I realized how important it was to have the right kind of suspension on the bike to go through that terrain at those speeds. Hence, the idea of building 'RAID' started; which was on a Hero Impulse. The stock Impulse came with a 150cc motor based on 150 Honda engines and didn’t have enough go-juice. Many people had already plonked in 223 cc Karizma ZMA engines into Impulse for touring and racing. These were based on 223 Honda engines used in CRF 230. I decided to go the fuel injection way. The following are the modifications that i undertook on my donor impulse.

MOTOR

The Karizma ZMR motor with fuel injection system was fully rebuilt to stock setup with wiring harness from ZMR. The wiring harness was modified to fit the console of impulse and the new lights. The rear two mounts of the engine are direct, while the tabs connecting the front bottom casing and the top head needed to be fabricated. This motor weighed about 7 kgs more as compared to stock motor.

INTAKE SYSTEM

I ran a BMC filter from Powerhaus, which was actually meant for KTM Duke 390 and fitted it inside the stock filter case with the help of silicon to make it a bolt on setup. I upgraded to custom made SS intake pipe from Quickshift Racing. Also the top rubber deflector on air box was removed for ventilation.

EXHAUST SYSTEM

I had installed a new custom-made free flow stainless steel race exhaust from Quickshift Racing with a bigger diameter pipe and a short light weight end can.

BASH PLATE AND FOOT PEGS

I used a custom made Aluminium 4mm thick bashplate from Quickshift Racing. Since the stock pegs were very small, I had to modify Himalayan foot pegs to fit in the stock mounting bracket for larger foot area.

FRONT FORKS

Since the front weight of the bike was increased by about 7 kgs, the preload had to be increased to accommodate the sag of the bike. I used coins as spacers as they are simple and cheap.

FRONT END

Head light face - KTM replica (imported).

Head light high beam - Mad dog F40.

Head light low beam - Chinese circular.

Front Indicator - LED Chinese.

Front fender - Replica (imported)

Hand guard – Replica (Imported)

FRONT BRAKES

Front brake hose - Black Steel braided

Front brake master cylinder – Bybre 12mm

HANDLE BAR

Higher and wider steel bar from Quickshift Racing.

TYRES

Timsun 819 dual-sport tyres, so I can ride on highways, ride trails and also races.

SEAT

Heightened and used new grippy fabric.

REAR END

Brake light – Rally replica (imported)

Indicators – KTM LED indicators

Number Plate mount – Custom made tail tidy.

PAINT JOB

All Black

Photos by:

Ankit Sharma - Man Made Machines