There’s a bunch of people asking this question on the internet, and since I own one (and this is a really easy post to write) I’ve decided to list what you get for the extra ₹ 30,000 you put into it.
The differences are mostly cosmetic, and include: painted front forks, swingarm, and muffler heat shield. These are matte black on the carb versions. The seat cover is a two-tone one on the FI. You also get knuckle guards, which you can purchase for ₹ 400 or so. The engine bash plate is aluminium (₹ 800-odd if you order it), petal discs for the brakes, and a side stand switch that shuts the motorcycle off if the stand is down. Of course, there is the fuel injection system itself, which is a closed-loop system. The alternator is uprated in the FI Xpulse, because it needs the extra juice to power the various FI-related systems. Less power for the rear wheel, though.
I’m in two minds as to whether the FI is worth the extra money. Thirty big ones for what is essentially an FI system seems a little steep to me, especially considering that it is a new system and like all new electronic systems in India, will have teething trouble. If this was a motorcycle that was intended for use around cities only, like a supersport motorcycle, I would probably not be saying this. But as a product that is supposed to be able to take you anywhere, anytime, I want proven tech that will not break down, or at the very least, is easy to repair – and carburettion is that tech, for now. Of course, this part of the post will become irrelevant come April 2020, when all two wheelers will move to fuel injection out of necessity. With the massive numbers that means and the data collected from those numbers, all but the poorest FI systems will no doubt be running without a single hitch inside of a year from April on.
That also brings up another interesting question – with FI becoming mandatory in April 2020 thanks to the new emission norms, will Hero retain the current colour hierarchy? Meaning, will you get select colours with a plastic bash plate, regular brakes, no knuckle guards, and matte black bits at a slightly lower price to retain a hierarchy, or will all colours be made available with all the premium features because the FI will be common? It will be extremely interesting to find out.