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S. Muralidhar

I HAVE been riding the Yamaha RX 135 for three years. I now plan to sell the bike and am looking at purchasing either the new Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i or the Honda Unicorn. What will you recommend?

Rajesh Naik

I am working as a software engineer in Chennai. I am going to buy a bike for the first time and don't know much about the choices that are available. A few of my friends have suggested that I should opt for the Honda Unicorn and others tell me to choose the new Bajaj Pulsar 150cc with alloy wheels. Can you highlight the pros and cons of both these bikes? What about the quality of after-sales service and availability of spare parts?

I have to travel more than 15 km to reach my office and so I would like to buy a bike that is comfortable and offers better mileage. I am 6'1" tall and of average build. Could you suggest a suitable option?

S. Balamurali

The new Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i is a more value-for-money option than its predecessor. Bajaj has chosen the right, new features, which now come with the Pulsar as standard fitment. It is an obvious answer to the competition that the Pulsar now faces from the Honda Unicorn.

Further, the minor tweaking to the design and the lengthened wheelbase has made the Pulsar a safer bike on the road. Add to it the new suspension at the rear and the slightly higher power rating and the Pulsar is now almost a new bike.

Honda, meanwhile, has added a self-start option to the Unicorn. Earlier, this was not available even as an option. After riding the Yamaha RX 135, you may find two facets are slightly different with the Pulsar. One will be the gear shift pattern (all down) and the other will be the big bike feel that the Pulsar exudes, thanks to its styling. However, in terms of handling, the Pulsar may feel a tad less agile.

The Pulsar is about Rs 1,200 more expensive than the Honda Unicorn, but in terms of additional features beats the latter for that price.

The Unicorn scores in the gearbox refinement department and with its slightly better fuel-efficiency. The bike has the classic Honda feel about it with the precise gearbox, unlike the Pulsar, which still tends to come up the odd false neutral. Clutch feel is also relatively less comfortable in the Pulsar.

The Unicorn's better mileage numbers clearly come from the higher torque that the bike's 149cc engine develops at the lower rpm bands. The Pulsar is still not there despite the changes to the bike's exhaust mechanism and intake manifold, which have boosted its torque. But this additional torque is only available in the 4,500 to 6,500 rpm band.

The Unicorn packs more torque of the two and this is evident in the bike's fuel efficiency during its in-city runs.

However, the Pulsar is still a compelling package for most bike buyers in this segment. If not for its uninspiring design, the Unicorn could have been better pitted against the new Pulsar. If the slight mileage edge that the Unicorn offers and if gearbox refinement is something that you will look for, then the Unicorn may be the better choice.

I bought a TVS Victor 110cc GLS for my father in January 2004. I am a big fan of cricket and Sachin and that was the reason why I choose the Victor. I am happy with the bike. But it is my 53-year-old father who complains. He says it has a starting problem and that it takes a number of attempts with the bike's primary kick-start before the engine comes to life. I, too, face the problem at times, but manage to start it after 3-4 kicks.

For my father though, it takes twice as many attempts for the bike to start. Is there really a starting problem with the bike? Is there an electric self-starter option for TVS bikes like the one in Kinetic Honda or Bajaj Pulsar? Can I retrofit a self-starter?

Pavan Kumar

Unfortunately it is not possible to retrofit a self-starter to TVS's bikes. None of the TVS bikes come with an electric starter option and the engine block cannot accommodate a self-starter, unlike in the Yamaha Fazer, where the Japanese company had shrewdly left a dummy spot for the addition at a later date. There has not been any specific customer feedback regarding the TVS Victor having a starting problem. That said, most bikes do tend to have a bit of trouble to fire up in a cold-start situation. TVS has fitted its Centra with an electrical coil mechanism at the engine sump to speed up the warm-up process. But the Victor GLS does not come with this feature.

So, getting the Victor GLS to fire up from cold start will be more difficult than kick starting it subsequently during the day. But while it will only be a bit more difficult relatively speaking, your father is probably finding it even more strenuous because he is not starting the bike in the appropriate manner. The primary kick-start mechanism in any bike needs to build the right level of compression for the engine to fire up. Applying the right amount of force through the full arch of the kick-start's lever will be required for the attempt to be effective. Most people tend to allow the lever to slide partially before applying their best effort. The use of the choke while starting the bike in a cold start situation will also reduce the number of attempts required to get the engine going.

(Queries may be sent to: q&a@thehindu.co.in or by post to Q&A, Business Line, 859/860, Kasturi Buildings, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002.)

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