Jan 17, 2012 05:49 PM
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MY REVIEW ON PULSAR Date: 12 FEB 2010
"My first bike was not a new one, but it was a bike all right."
It was 8:45 am. College started at 9:00 am. Many vehicles zoomed past me on the highway on the way to college. There was an uphill straight section at one point on the highway. My Activa was struggling to get past 65 kmph. I didn't hate the scooter for being slow. It was trying hard too. I cursed Honda HMSI(not HERO HONDA) for bringing out over-priced play-it-safe bull two wheelers with ultra low-performance capabilities(Exception: Unicorn). The new CB Twister says it all. It was evident that I needed a better vehicle for the highways and to save my manhood. Which made me choose(well, not exactly) a Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i.
Since I knew my parents would never agree into me buying a bike, I went to a second hand dealer and test rode the Pulsar. It is a metallic red devil with a genuine thirst for speed. I exchanged the Activa for the Pulsar(After persistent requests to my parents) and instantly fell in love with the looks, the intoxicatingly orgasmic noise, the performance, the ergonomics, the MANUAL sequential transmission( Like on an FIA GT3 racecar), the handling and so on.
Mind you, this was not my first choice. I was thinking of buying a higher capacity bike like the Apache RTR180 /Pulsar 220/ Bullet Standard 350. But luck, desperation and lack of money led me to this bike. I don't regret it though :)
THE EXPERIENCE
I am a huge auto-phile and loved how different it was compared to a scooter. First and foremost, the manual transmission. I like to make decisions on gears myself, thank you. NO automatic for me please. The ride and handling quality was way better thanks to taller shocks and bigger tires. The Pulsar responds to you very well when you twist the throttle, and makes such a glorious noise. Compared to most bikes that I have ridden, this I think is the most involving ride that you can get. Bajaj really have come out with a phenomenon, not a bike. No wonder why people love the Pulsar.
The engine is butter-smooth at low revs, but does get a bit vibey at high revs. The gearshift is a bit on the rough side, but that again makes the experience more rider-oriented. This is a bike that begs to be ridden hard and fast. It feels like the bike actually needs you to guide it in situations. It obeys the rider very well. The gear ratios are well sorted both for speed and commuting. Good headlight while riding at night and loud and clear twin horns. Tactile and illuminated switches. Starts well on cold mornings too. On top of that it has very good torque from low revs.
MILEAGE: This bike gives me around 50+kpl on the highway and 45+ kpl in the city.
TOP SPEED: I cracked 115 kph on the highway according to the digital speedometer.
0-60kph: Make sure that you launch at 4500 rpm and keep upshifting at around 8500 rpm and the bike will fly from 0-60kph from a standstill in 5 and a bit seconds or less.
Rev limit is at 10, 500 rpm. Although for normal riding, 2500-5500 rpm is the best and economical engine speed to be in.
FEW NIGGLES:
The handling of this bike is not great. It lumbers into corners and needs constant attention. Grip is not commendable, either.( Maybe its the old tires, but heck). Although the steering gives excellent feedback, the tires throw your confidence out the window. Will change the tires very soon. Also the sidewalls of the front tires give away a bit when you lean into a corner, creating instability. Not good. It does show understeer when you try to change lanes at high speeds or negotiate corners very fast. Change the tires and be happy. The ride position is a bit awkward for taller people like me. The brakes work OK, but the rear brake is devoid of any feel.
This second-hand bike of mine was a very abused bike. It showed up many problems like fuel meter not working, LEDs not functioning well, major clutch slip, and some wheel wobble due to a slightly bent rim at the back. Does this mean that Pulsars do not age well? I don't know.
Also I feel 5th gear is a bit short. I feel it will be better if 5th was a bit taller.
The rear view mirrors suck. Many times I had to turn my HELMETED head around while changing lanes. They're useless. And absolutely no storage space. I guess all bikes have that problem. Also the paint on any Pulsar fades away quite quickly. The new Pulsars with their gleaming finishes are way better.
I guess a new Pulsar will give MUCH lesser problems than the above mentioned ones.
So if you want a relatively inexpensive, comfortable, enjoyable, dependable, user-friendly and fast 150cc power commuter, go for a Pulsar without thinking about it. It really is the king of the 150cc category.
UPDATE:
I changed the rear tire to a CEAT SECURA button-type tread, and fixed the rear rim bend. It has helped improve the stability of the bike a lot, but there is still understeer when you negotiate a corner with speed. You need to muscle in the bike in corners. Then it will turn with great grip and stability. Also, I changed the clutch plate and acceleration has greatly improved.
An engine overhaul was performed. Costed Rs. 7500/-. I also fixed a RC-1060 air filter from K&N after 1500 kms of running-in. Initially there was a lot of jerking and a bit of heating in the engine. After realizing that the engine was running a LEAN mixture, some upjetting also was done to the pilot jet and the A/F mixture was set to RICH. This has improved throttle response by a good deal and the bike feels faster. But be warned because the fuel consumption will go up drastically. It now gives me around 40kpl(combined) and more care has to be taken. But I don't want to remove the filter as it improves the whole experience to a major level.
UPDATE:
AVOID K&N. It will give numerous problems including contamination of the bore by allowing dust to enter, overheating, unwanted hiccups in acceleration, carburettor damage( Allowing small stones that may crack the diaphragm) etc. AVOID K&N!
