My Bike of the Decade... Review on Bajaj Pulsar 180

Well, this happens to be my second review...the first one was a combined one on the three best bikes I have driven...since I dint know the policy of duplicate reviews... I placed the same review in all three bike segments...and since one of the users nishanu has suggested to write separate reviews, here I am...

First...a little personal history lesson...

The year was 1998, I saw a guy on a bike doing a wheelie(clutch wheelie off course...power wheelies...possible only on RD350 among indian bikes) on the stretch of road called Necklace Road in Hyderabad..while I smoked away on my last Gold Flake Kings sitting in my car. I found out that the bike was a CBZ...while I contemplated buying it...i soon found out that it had a few problems...then I saw the ad of a new bike...the Classic...ITS A BOOOYYYYY Ad...with the headlights turning at the nurses...and the next day went to the nearest Bajaj outlet...Rahul Automobiles...the bike was muscular...the tank was huge and suited the bikes look to the core...i rode it...and inspite of the gearshift problems and the false neutrals( I assumed that was the problem with the test bike..well thats what the technician told me anyway) I fell in love with the ride...i bought the bike the next day...the black 180 cc pulsar classic(as we have come to know it) became a part of my garage.

Second...a little general history lesson...

No matter what the other Karizma riders say...i have always believed it was the Pulsar that took and shook the motorcyle world of India like no bike has done...well all that taking and shaking has left a few cons as well which I come to later. Before the CBZs and after the RD350s and not counting the highly underrated Shogun...there have been no performance driven bikes in the indian bike scenario...the reason maybe india is a more mileage oriented nation driven by fuel prices...but the Pulsar...not the CBZ...not the Shogun...showed the bike industry...that power could be delivered by not making huge compromises on fuel effeciency...i think the Karizma was concieved by the HH team because of the huge blow the Pulsar twins(as we have come to know them) gave the CBZs. And somehow the Karizma has made up some lost ground but in terms of Power driven executive bikes...no one has come close to the twins...i will not comment on the DTSi and V2's as I dont own them and havent ridden them much...now done with the history lesson lets get on with the interesting parts...

Performance...Performance...Performance...

The bike I found out in my early days with it has unbelievable pickup in the first two gears and was more than comfortable to bear the brunt of the reving it higher in the 4th and 5th gear. I got the K&N filters and racing plugs after the second service and this ride used to shock the rest of the riders at the traffic signals.The bike just used to rocket off while others were even shifting from neutral to first gear...i guess all the classic pulsar 180 cc know this feeling. Though the bike looks heavy it seems very light to drive. After a certain time driving the bike you get used to driving at 80-90 kmph..it seems very easy...i think the bike delivers around 15HP( I am not a very good technical reviewer...i judge my reviews on my driving not the numbers of brochures and websites) and seems enough for most driving conditions in the city.

Some people complain of vibrations and the noise and of the Pulsar being the Hooligan Bike...well I beg to differ...the Classics exhaust note and noise is what makes the bike Definitely Male...i dislike the noise or the absence of it in the Karizma...I think a mans bike should have atleast a trace of a roar...but I guess some karizma owners think that the Pulsar is over stressed and the Zma is detuned...but as I said its the individual who makes the bike and not vice versa...

Now the part where I compare it to a Zma....in the initial 40-50 kmph...the Pulsar wins by a narrow margin...maybe as I have said earlier because it is lighter or maybe there is some technical reason but my common sense serves me much better than technology. But once we touch 60 kmph the karizmas detuned 223 cc engine delivering 17bhp takes over and leaves the pulsar panting. The Zma would win hands down after 80kmph on straight roads, but a real good rider can give the Karizma the taste of bitter defeat...how?? We will discuss that in the handling part...

Finally here are a few numbers: 0-60 in around 5 secs...60-100 in another 14 secs...

Handling:

Heres how the good rider can beat the Zma at speeds higher than 70 kmph...the pulsar wins hands down in handling on turning roads...the karizma being longer its a bit difficult to take thse quick turns...the pulsar can turn on a coin and turn back on another coin...the bike behaves like a true beauty when it comes to weaving..also adding on a Pirreli wide tyre could do wonders to the already magical handling. No other indian bike gives you that kind of confidence when it comes to handling...be ready for some bruised foot rests as the bike corners better than David Beckham.

Braking:

The discs on the pulsar are much better than any of the discs available on indian roads...though smaller than the Zmas discs...they offer better bite and thus infuses greater confidence in the ride...the main point is to apply both brakes judiciously and equally.

Looks:

This is the major factor in the bikes success. The bike looks masculine and muscular unlike the other models available in the same class. Also the Ad campaigns drove the same message home.Also the riding position is upright and inspires confidence yet again.

Maintenance

The bike needs no extra maintenance other than the regular maintenance visits every 2000 km if properly maintained with regular oil changes...use synthetic oil...costs around 500 but lasts around 4000km and much better than the normal engine oils...the bike would last and provide you the quality ride thoughout its lifetime.

Cons:

Very few...one which I mentioned off eariler is...due to the agressive marketing and Ad campaigns( the fear the black ad sucks as the emphasis is on the model and the impossiblity of doing the well of death on a dam...the headlight turning trick and the imagine what it could do on two wheels are maybe some of the best bike ads I have seen) the bike has sold more than any other bike in its segment and thus has lost its exclusivity and part of its charm of owning a Pulsar as 7 out of 10 bikes we see on roads todays are Pulsars...i think the Zma wins here...due to premium pricing and marketing the bike holds and will retain the exclusivity factor and maybe out of 30 bikes you would find a Zma. Another con I can think of is the stock tryes could have been a little wider.

Overall....if you are looking for a bike built for performance, looks, excellent reliablity but are wiling to compromise a little on fuel mileage and willing to pay that little extra in purchasing costs...then look no further...this is the bike for you...if you are the kind of person in whose mind the first question that comes up while looking at a bike is...What mileage it gives?....then this is not for you mate...try the HH stable and look for CD100 and Splendor..or for the Kinetic 4S.