Back in 2001, the Pulsar twins started a revolution of sorts. The advent of Brand Pulsar pioneered the democratization of performance biking, offering affordable motorcycles which were not mere commuters. 10 years on, Brand Pulsar, as we know it today has an unparalleled Indian fan base. So the big question that I ask myself as I begin writing this post is, will the new Pulsar, that we tested about 3 months back, be able to do justice to the to its celebrated lineage? Does it have enough substance to snatch buyers from Yamaha R15? Would it be able to carry forward its predecessor’s legacy into an era where Indian biking seems to have finally come of age? The stakes are much higher now than ever before. The Indian biking enthusiast buying into the Pulsar segment has a bigger pocket, and far more options. So does the new Pulsar sustain its relevance as strongly as it did ten years back and throughout the course of its existence? These questions will be answered only in due course of time. However, the news here is that the eagerly awaited bike has reached some of the Bajaj dealerships. The image here shows the 200NS on display at the Delhi dealership and it indicates that Bajaj is very near to launching this bike. It may be noted that Bajaj told us that it will be announcing the launch of a new bike at Delhi on 14 this month and we were earlier quite sure that it would be the new Pulsar. However, it has emerged that the new Discover will be launched on 14th. A safe assumption from us is that the price of the 200 NS will be announced during the unveiling of the new gen Disco. it may also be noted that Mr. Rajiv Bajaj had promised a sub INR 1 lakh price for this bike and if Bajaj stays true to its word, we expect the new bike to give a lot of sleepless nights to rivals.
PS- The bike seen at the dealer had a few visual changes compared to the model we had tested at Bajaj’s Chakan facility. The bike here doesn’t sports the matt black finish on the side panels and instead opts for a body colour paint finish. This little change makes the bike a little more matured in our opinion but many are saying that version seen at the unveiling looked more sporty. Also strange is the fact that the Triple Spark sticker is missing from the engine cover. From what our sources tell, these little changes seen here won’t make it to the version that goes on sale in a few days.
Pulsar 200NS Specifications
Engine
Type SOHC – 4V – Liquid Cooled
Combustion system Triple spark
Ignition system Independent spark control through ECU
Crankshaft Type Integral
Max Power 23.52 PS @ 9500
Max Torque 18.3 Nm @ 8000
Bore 72 mm
Stroke 49 mm
Displacement 199.5 cc
Fuel system Carburettor, UCD 33
Air filter Paper element
Exhaust system Exhaust TEC enhanced centrally mounted
Vehicle
Frame Type Pressed steel Perimeter Frame
Wheel Base 1363 mm
Length x height x width 2017 mm x 1195 mm x 804 mm
Seat ht-Rider 805 mm
Ground Clearance 167 mm
Vehicle Kerb weight 145 kg
FAW/RAW 72/73 kg
Fuel Tank capacity 12 L
Suspension
Front suspension Telescopic Front Fork with Antifriction Bush Dia 37
Rear Suspension Nitrox Mono Shock Absorber with piggy back gas canister
Brakes – type
Front Petal Disc with floating caliper
Rear Petal Disc with floating caliper
Brake Size
Front Dia 280 mm Disc
Rear Dia 230 mm Disc
Tyres
Front 100/80 – 17, 52 P, Tubeless
Rear 130/70 – 17, 61 P, Tubeless
Rims
Front 10 spoke 2.5 x 17, Alloy
Rear 10 Spoke, 3.5 x 17, Alloy
Max Speed 136 Kmph
Acceleration
0-60 kmph 3.61 sec
0-100 kmph 9.83 sec
Braking performance
Braking Distance – Both brakes (60 – 0 Kmph) 16.33 meters
Electricals
System DC Ignition
Battery 12V 8AH VRLA
Image courtesy- Auto Adrenalin, Facebook