Upgrading and face – lifting are two different entities when it comes to Motorcycles. However, it so happens unfortunately in India that they can mean anything for anything. But for the 2012 Pulsar it was not either of these. It was a whole new bike by itself.
Naked bike is by itself a whole new breed for Bajaj Auto. But, one has to insanely agree upon the fact that Bajaj has always kept its pulse on the mindset of Indian youth which is why Pulsars are considered to be youth icon. Now, they should have realized that naked bikes are the sensation in Indian market. So, in simple terms, this time it’s the NS (Naked Sport) for ‘PulsarManiacs.’
Pulsars, though claims to be sport – bikes are never preferred to be used on tracks even upon mods. I think that has made Bajaj Auto think about it and act accordingly. As I mentioned above, this is a whole new bike which has got features and technologies incorporated on this bike for the first time.
The 200NS is powered by a 200cc, 4 valves, single cylinder engine and thought on spark plugs have gone beyond DTS-i. This time, it incorporates triple spark ignition, which is one of its kind and Bajaj Auto has got unique patents pending for it. That’s a great advantage for the company indeed and no two words on that. The DTS-i engine aided the company in scaling new heights in terms of dominance and sales. Expect the same from this engine as well. However, the abbreviation for this new engine wasn’t mentioned there and so I don’t know how it will be named. Probably, TTS-i!
The engine is designed is such a way that the engine coolant goes through the gap between all the spark plugs ensuring better and rapid cooling of engine. That should be a great boon for guys who are gonna rev, rev and rev up this bike. The venture carb will do its work brilliantly.
Talking about ht external appearance, the bike looks really aggressive. The headlamp though is not the same as the fox – eyed ones; it is indeed got its cues from the older ones. The body lines are basically derived from the Pulsars elder siblings so that it keeps up the tradition of Pulsar, carrying it front and forward. A close observation would reveal the way the engine compartment looks like. It is tightly packed offering a real sport – bike look and I loved the way this is done. Good work chaps!
We’ve been having the conventional exhausts for a long time with just very minor changes made to this. This really needed a drastic change. The Pulsar 200NS now incorporates low slung central exhaust which takes the Pulsars to the next level. This would enhance the bike’s handling in the track. Since there is no weight onto the sides, handling this bike in the track should be fun to be with. Also, the time taken for retrieving it back to the position takes less time than the conventional ones.
All the performance aspects of the Pulsar 200NS are compared with the P220 and the reason for this being that Bajaj considers this model to be the epitome of performance. Bajaj claims that the Pulsar 200NS claims that the time taken for 0 -60 kmph is 3.61 seconds and can manage to claim a top speed of 136 kmph.
The frame strength in the Pulsar 200NS is as much as 50 per cent more rigid than the P220, the Fastest Indian. Also, the damping characteristics of this bike are just great. ‘Damping’ refers to ‘the capacity built into a mechanical or electrical device to prevent excessive correction and the resulting instability or oscillatory conditions.’
To mention about the brakes, both the wheels are fitted with discs to offer enhanced braking experience. The dimensions of the front disc is 280 mm and that of the rear is 230 mm. Nitrox filled mono – cross suspension is expected to do a great job on this bike.
The rear looks more stunning now. The tail light is the same double strap that is a part of identity of all Pulsars. I liked the way the rear number plate holder is placed. It is derived front he KTM Dukes and that makes the bike a worth for the bucks spent on it.
The variant now launched is a Naked Sports one. Mr. Bajaj said that there are chances of a fairing version which might be launched in a few months, though he was not very certain about it. Also, there could be more than one Pulsar on the way for the Indian market awaiting for us. Also on display was a Pulsar with yellow colour scheme. It looked really fresh and the scheme itself is a new one for Bajaj products.
There was one fact that I didn’t like about this bike. From long shots, the 200NS resembles the 135 LS to a greater extent. Otherwise, it is a good looking bike though it resembles the Honda CB1000R perfectly. This is again not intentional but it so happened as such.
But, what surprises me is when Mr. Bajaj declared the price, he should have been specific about it. He just said generically that it’ll be priced at less than a lakh of bucks. But, taking the features and technologies that this bike features, one needn’t be hesitant to pay this sum of money.
