The Hindu Business Line : Bajaj Pulsar: Yet another trim

Bajaj has kept the brand's aspirational image alive by constantly upgrading its looks and features, and by adding newer, bigger and more powerful engines to the basic bike.

Power up to the 200. - S. Muralidhar

Stretching a brand thin to extract every ounce of its potential often risks failure. In the automotive industry, too, there are umbrella brands that have had mixed fortunes. However, the Pulsar, and its engine variants, is one brand that has managed to not only been a runaway success for Bajaj but also gone on to strengthen the marquee itself.

Though Bajaj has launched or unveiled as many as four engine and trim variants of the Pulsar, the bike's image has only grown bigger and stronger in the buyer's mind.

Step by step upgrade

To its credit Bajaj has kept the brand's aspirational image alive by constantly upgrading its looks and features, and by adding newer, bigger and more powerful engines to the basic bike. That way it has ensured that Pulsars seeking a power upgrade have a choice in the same brand, even as the buyers of the lower priced, smaller engined Pulsars feel enthused that they are getting the same basic package that is offered for the pricier sibling.

Bajaj had unveiled and since launched, in a phased manner, the fuel-injected, souped-up version of a new 220cc Pulsar. Though the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi is now available only in Pune and Mumbai, Bajaj has quickly gone ahead and launched another new 200cc engine version nationwide.

So, the Pulsar twins 150 and 180, suddenly have two new siblings. The new Pulsar 200 is fitted out to be relatively different and exclusive compared to the smaller engined twins, even as it shares a number of features and parts with them. With some of its new hi-tech features, the new Pulsar 200 also seems clearly an attempt to give buyers a taste of things to come.

Strategic fit

The speed at which Bajaj has put together the 200, it would almost seem like a hurried job. But it is actually part of a well-thought-out strategy to fill all the gaps in the performance bikes category, so that buyers have enough choice within the Pulsar brand, enabling Bajaj to retain them. Looking into the future, as the performance two-wheeler buyer matures, and as competition in the 150cc-plus engine size category hots-up, maybe Bajaj would want to make the 200 their primary offering in the segment.

The new Pulsar 200 shares a number of features with the lower segment Pulsars and that includes the combination headlamp and `wolf-eyed' twin pilot lamps, the LED tail-lamp strip and similar rear body panels. At the front the same, refreshed, compact bikini-fairing combo has been carried forward, as is the case with the now popular orange backlit digital instrument cluster that is housed within its curved shell.

In addition to the usual digital gauges such as the speedometer, odometer, fuel-gauge and trip-meter, the Pulsar 200 also gets indicators for choked air-filter, high oil temperature, low battery voltage and low engine oil level. The Pulsar 200's handle bar is a wide, much-less angular member that is meant to offer a sporty, weight forward seating and riding position. The matt-aluminium finished handlebar features the same, much-appreciated, soft-white backlit switches (including the self-cancelling turn indicator) that were first offered in the smaller engined Pulsar siblings. Bar-end weights do a good job of snuffing out vibrations at the handlebar holds. Finish quality is superb all around, but the handlebar rubber holds could have been better, particularly since the riding position will be hunched forward for the average Indian biker.

It is different

The Pulsar 200's fuel tank area has been given the most changes to try and distinguish it from the existing Pulsars. Specially-designed, body-coloured shrouds that flow on to the fuel tank's design lines now adorn both sides, which while adding style to the bike, also do a good job of covering some of the open area below the handlebar. As a result, the fuel tank now gets a chunkier, elongated look. To protect the fuel tank from scratches that may be caused by bags that the rider may be carrying or jacket zip ends, etc., Bajaj R&D has also come up with a smart, rubberised tank pad that has been stuck on the top of the fuel tank just near the point where it meets the seat.

The paint job on the Pulsar 200 seems to be top-notch and classy like never before. The stickering has also been changed over from the bland to an exclusive, embossed, matt-metallic type. Just below the plastic, body-coloured shrouds on the fuel tank are slim air scoops that between them house the oil cooler. The oil cooler, a mini-radiator style equipment does the job of air-cooling the engine oil that is circulated through it.

Other features that are different in the Pulsar 200 compared to the smaller Pulsars include the split seat, with the rear pillion seat being set higher, the rear alloy grab rail is also split, instead of the usual U-shaped unit and the silencer and exhaust assembly is a bigger, more stylish unit that has been given a dual-tone chrome and matt-aluminium finish. The new Pulsar 200 also gets the same tubular dual cradle chassis, aluminium alloy sub-frames and the box section swing arm that are available in the smaller engined Pulsars. The wheelbase in the 200 has been increased by about 30mm to 1,350mm compared to the 150 and 180's 1,320mm.

Big-bike feel

But to add to the new bike's more macho image, the Pulsar 200 gets a naked chain. So instead of the usual full cover, the chain in the 200 peeks out of a half cover. While the suspension set-up in the new variant is also pretty similar to the existing Pulsars, the front fork has been changed over to a larger 33mm diameter to improve the bike's shock-absorbing ability and to handle the is riding dynamics given its extra weight.

Bajaj has pulled quite a few tricks in trying to differentiate the new Pulsar 200. The 17-inch, matt-black alloy wheels in the new Pulsar 200 now sport tubeless tyres. Tubeless tyres are lighter and sturdier, thereby leading to lowered vibrations, even as they are less risky to ride on in the event of a puncture.

Tubeless tyres could also marginally improve the fuel efficiency of the bike, as they face less rolling resistance and are also less prone to heat compared to the conventional tube-tyre combo. The Pulsar 200 has also been given two of the widest tyres in the industry with the rear being 120/18 and the front sporting a 90/90.

Engine and gearbox

Cradled in the middle of the Pulsar 200 is the 199cc engine a chip of the same 180 block. With barely a 20cc size differential, the Pulsar 200's engine manages to squeeze out 1.5 bhp of extra peak power compared to the 180's 16.5bhp. Bajaj's in-house technologies for the engine and related components such as digital twin-spark ignition (DTS-i) and ExhausTEC (for low-end torque), which are available in the 150 and 180, have also been carried forward for the new 200. Engine breathing is through a CV carburettor.

The 200 engine's power delivery is smooth and unhurried, though it is extremely rev-happy and capable of quick bursts in power. With considerable levels of torque being available in the low-rpm band, the bike also feels competent of handling slow-moving traffic. The wide handlebar also makes it a bit more manoeuvrable, though with its long wheelbase, the longer you are in city traffic, the more tiring it can get.

The differential in the engine's power is only barely evident in the Pulsar 200 compared to the 180. But the throaty exhaust note in the 200 should delight avid bikers. Vibrations have been well contained and the oil cooler in the 200 also helps in improving the engine's peak performance.

The five-speed gearbox with its one down, rest up shift pattern has also been lifted off and plonked into the 200 from the smaller engined Pulsars. Shift feel and gearbox refinement are good, though there is probably some more room for improvement. The Pulsar 200 is available exclusively in Bajaj's Probiking showrooms in over 50 cities. It has been priced at about Rs 66,000 (ex-showroom). The Pulsar 200 is endowed well enough to wean away buyers who may have otherwise thought of buying the 180. Bajaj shouldn't be too worried about the 200 poaching into the sales of the smaller bikes, as long as buyers stay within the Pulsar umbrella. It is the competition that needs to be worried.

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