Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Bajaj PULSAR 200NS Review .. a counter attack from BAJAJ



The PULSAR has been in existence in India for over a decade now. Its is surely one big success story that has changed the face of BAJAJ in India. A sequel to even the biggest of hits face tough challenges to rise up to the expectation, this is just the challenge that BAJAJ has taken on by introducing the PULSAR 200NS. The ageing PULSAR brand had hit its decline stage , with the new 200NS BAJAJ is trying to counter the ageing brand with superior new technology and style change. In my personal opinion PULSAR has been one heck of a bike but the continuous branding under the same name has made  the PULSAR go out of the road in the Indian Market recently. An outright example could be the 220F the fastest Indian , which could have been triple the success if BAJAJ had introduced it in a new brand name, simply because its a much better bike throwing raw power . The market demands change and rarity , but you could spot a pulsar every 2 minutes on any India road which acts as a negative image to the premium bikes such as 220F and 200NS.So it leads us to a point that is 200NS different or does it follow the same DNA of the earlier ones , Should you buy the same  PULSAR brand or differentiate yourself by going in for the KTM DUKE , YAMAHA R15 ,  or KARIZMA ZMR that are all in and around the price range of NS ? Has 200NS got what it takes to revamp the PULSAR Family ? Read on...





The PULSAR 200NS stands quite a few steps ahead any other motorcycle that has earlier carried the same brand name, and i really dont know the reason why BAJAJ decided to tag it under the same brand !




From the front the 200NS is a looker , it is muscular and aggressive looking. An ideal bike for people between 18-26.The styling and design truly stands away from the rest of Pulsar family.But what does not look good is the rear. 200NS looks similar to Pulsar 135 which should have never happened even in the wildest of dreams of any Pulsar follower. It really looks okward from the back and I have several time felt that it is a 135 on the road ulness I get close to it.This would certainly be a discouraging factor for many of the potential buyers. 






A motorbike , more than the looks is judged by its performance on road. So lets skip the aesthetics and move straight to the point. The Pulsar 200NS takes the technology altogether to another level with a SOHC 4-valve Triple Spark engine controlled by an advanced Electronic Control Unit for an absolutely unmatched performance. To support this exhilarating heart-pumping performance the bike comes with liquid cooling and a six speed gear box. The Pulsar 200NS chassis comprises a pressed steel perimeter frame and a rectangular tube section swing arm delivering over three times the lateral stiffness of a P220 frame , which took a lot of criticism. These deliver outstanding high speed handling and cornering stability. The centrally located muffler and the unique gas filled Nitrox mono suspension,first of its kind from BAJAJ further improve the ride and handling of the bike due to low & centralized CG position.




The 200NS throws out 23.52 bhp@ 9500rpm , which should have made  the bike ideal for ones who go wild on the road. But frankly speaking after having years of riding the P220 I dont really feel the punch of a 23bhp engine. Yes true that it has power , but not really as the specification says or say in others words it does not project this power on road. With a wheelbase of 1363mm it possess the longest wheelbase among its siblings.The engine, which shares its bottom end with the KTM Duke 200’s, has the shortest stroke of all Pulsar models and the largest bore. It is quite rev happy but it does start vibrating after a 60kmph which is a big turn off specially from a bike without any fairings. The bike even though weighs only 149 kg I do feel that the weight distribution is uneven, it feels a lot heavy up front and hollow at the rear end. But it really does not hamper this bikes cornering abilities. Even though its no match to R15 , it really gives the rider a feeling of being Valentino every now and then.




It has to be said that the engine is far more refined that other Pulsars, thanks to KTM may be. The power really starts to build up after 6000rpm. Riding 200NS at more than 8000rpm made me remember the old P220 television commercial that says "I am the Man". It really takes off at 8000rpm. 

0-60km/hr speed at 3.8secs and 0-100km/hr at a touch less than 10seconds is good enough to compete with its rivals.No matter howsoever Bajaj claims the NS to have a completely different motor than the Duke, the reality is that it isn’t. The basic hardware remains the same with tweaks to make it sound sweeter and smoother. But rev it high and it’ll sing in the voice of KTM. In fact even at idling it hums in a mellowed Duke tone. “Twist that wrist” and you can feel the grunt – but once it settles down at a constant rpm the vibes smoothen out.The sound from the bike is not all that pleasing , I feel like a Piaggio Diesel auto going past me when i hear it . Throttle response is crisp and precise and the bike feels quick and light footed though not as punchy and peaky as the Duke.


The brakes were a surprise. The 280mm front and 230mm rear petal discs give a good sharp bite, are nicely gradable, provide fine feedback and are not prone to fading even after sustained track use. Add to this a rigid chassis and firm suspension and you can brake on the limit without jitters – outside or inside. Fork dive is nicely controlled and confidence inspiring.But I came across complaints referring to the rigid nature of the suspension system even after 5000kms.




The instruments might not be as sophisticated as the others but the 200NS has a comprehensive complement of features in its display. The 'sidestand' indication, twin trip displays, engine oil level and temp, low battery indication and a shift light are pretty good.








I would also advice Bajaj Pulsar 200NS owners, to be careful while riding your bike through water in the rains as the long term impacts of underbelly exhausts are still unknown.The bike gives out a mileage between 30-38kmpl.






A buy or no buy ?


I would give a typical MBA answer here it depends ! It's really tough to deliver a verdict on 200NS , just because I feel that there are no real competitors for the NS other than the KTM Duke. But Duke as most of the auto-enthusiasts would know is globally reputed. The NS neither bothers the R15,ZMR or CBR. Let me put it this way , it is no doubt a value for money bike with all the new technology it has got. If your budget is close to INR 90,000, u need a bit of everything for a dash on the road NS is the bike, keeping apart its rear style. But other than that it does to convince me too much.The Pulsar fans might be a touch disappointed with NS. But the good news for them is that BAJAJ is working on a FI system for NS which would make it more powerful and fuel efiiceint.Fuel injection is expected to make the 200 NS almost as good a performer as the KTM Duke 200. The 200 NS will also become the second Bajaj Pulsar to feature FI, the first being the now defunct Pulsar 220 DTS-FI.


PULSAR 200 NS SPECS


Engine
FuelPetrol
TypeSingle-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four stroke
Bore/stroke199.5cc
Compression ratio11.1:1
Valve gear4 per cylinder, sohc
Power23.2bhp at 9500rpm
Torque1.86kgm at 8000rpm
Power to weight116.3bhp per litre
Transmission
Type6-speed
Gearbox1-down, 5-up
Dimensions
Length2017mm
Width804mm
Height1195mm
Wheel base1363mm
Ground clearance167mm
Chassis & Body
Weight145kg
Wheels10-spoke alloy, 17 inch
Tyres100/80x17-130/70x17


Suspension
FrontTelescopic forks
RearMonoshock, rectangular swingarm
Brakes
Front280mm disc
Rear230mm disc
Performance
0-200.78
0-402.26
0-604.11
0-806.86
0-10011.28
0-12022.76


Thanks & Regards
Abey Daniel Abraham
Coming Soon Owners Review - Yamaha YZF R15 v2


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