Jul 17, 2009 03:22 PM
5613 Views
Owned a TVS apache previously and driven that just for 19300 kms and finally decided to sell that piece of junk. U can read my review about the same on the TVS bikes section of apache 150CC. Must say that it was the worst bike ever made in Indian history by an Indian company. The Front portion resembles that of Hayabusa and the rear portion resembles “mopeds”
Although I am very much against the bajaj products coz I had a caliber and it again was a pandoraz box of troubles. But after going thru many reviews and feedbacks, purchased a Bajaj Pulsar 180 UG-III for 65K last week and have driven 1300 kms in one week. Felt that there was no point in paying approx 3.5 k for an additional just .5 BHP and some modified looks.
Must say that Bajaj has tremendously improved over the years and now they really have showed some genuine mastery other than the cosmetic changes. In Delhi the entire police fleet has been replaced from Hero Honda to Bajaj pulsar 180 UG-III version. This fact is enough to prove that the bike is good. I am very satisfied with the product till now. Let me jot down the points one by one
Looks- This is a subjective point but I emphasize that a performance bike should look like one and not like a moped and a Luna(as is the case with TVS). The razor sharp edges give u a feeling of excitement and u feel pretty enthused as u ride this bike. Performance-The bike performs very well under the extreme conditions. The pickup is amazing and really is out of the red lights at the slight twist of the throttle. Refined ness-The engine is really very very smooth(though not as smooth as Honda engines). But after driving an apache which vibrates like a tractor, I feel very very relieved and am at a great ease while driving this bike. Balance-The bike is very well balanced with the disc brakes of the front and the drum at rear doing their duties to a T. Almost perfect. Fuel efficiency- The engine delivers a mileage of around 45-50 kmpl. Obviously, mileage was never an issue. U cannot have the best of all the worlds. Gear Shift- They are perfect. I did not find any problems. The gears of Apache were really very hard and the clutch was not smooth. Comparatively the gears are precise Clutch operation-The clutch is a bit hard. I am told that they are like this in all the pulsars. Service-Since the Agency owner is known to me, hence the guys at service center take perfect care of the bike else they know what awaits them. Seating- Seats are pretty long. Unlike TVS bikes in which the pillion rider literally leans over you and u have to carry the entire weight on your back. I used to face the problem whenever was with any pillion rider and I was very uncomfortable if I ventured out on some drive of 1 hour or so. Shockers-The shockers are also perfect. No complaints with them till now. Engine noise- There are absolutely no noises from the engine. There are some tappet noise, which is normal in any bike and a performance bike reasons to opt for a Bajaj product was that I did not find any other 180CC in the market in this price bracket. And I did not want to go with a 220CC bike or a karizma. Heard that ZMA is going to be replaced and 220CC is a relatively newer product. Having already suffered at the hands of TVS already, I did not have the guts to go for a TVS product again. Hondaz(Hero Honda/Honda) were a bit out of taste, though I know that they are still the best products sold.
I use my bike commuting everyday to the office and local drives and let me tell you that till date there are no problems. The only problem that I have faced is that of aching wrists, which I would get used to with time.
