Quickest bike below 250cc on the roads today. Review on Bajaj Pulsar 180

Hi Guys,

I’m back with my second review of the Bajaj Pulsar 180 DTSi V2. It has completed 10 months and 16000kms + and is still going strong. The purpose of this second review is to give a deeper perspective on the long term qualities of the bike. I am sure that there would only be a handful of 180 V2 pulsars which have crossed 16000 on the odometer.

My back still hurts from the low seating position. I have to travel daily from Borivili to Worli. That hasn't changed. Yet inspite of that if I choose not to change the bike, you can imagine how endearing it is to me.

With regard to the usage of the bike, I would have to say that this machine has been driven in the manner in which a 180cc bike is meant to be ridden… with no holds barred. Have put the bike through drags and top speed runs in addition to double pillions, flooded roads, a pothole riddled western express highway and of course my daily 70 km commute to and from the office; in spite of it all, the bike is still going strong.

The maintenance schedule has been strictly adhered to. All the parts are the original factory fitted ones except the fuel and air filters and the brake liners. The spark plugs are still healthy. Oil has been replaced between every 1000 to 1500 kms. The best performance has been obtained while using Castrol Power1. It keeps the engine running smooth and enables it to deliver stunning pickup. The service center guys put in 20w40 Shell Oil in spite of my repeated requests to them for a 20w50 Oil. They also added Bardahl engine oil supplement on every alternate service. It helped sustain the smooth running of the engine as well as helped give a consistent mileage of 47kmpl.

The Pulsar 180 V2 will still beat the older pulsars as well as the Karizma and the RX-100 in the acceleration tests. This is not just the 0-60 drags, but the rolling runs as well. For instance you are cruising at about 50 and feel the need to rip [for whatever reason], the pulsar will not disappoint. Open the throttle and watch the speedometer needle climb effortlessly. The only dampener to this power is gear slippage. The bike drops down one gear or goes into neutral without any warning and this can definitely make you lose the race, not to mention the danger to your self if any other speeding vehicle is close on your tail.

As far as problems with the bike are concerned, it has mostly to do with electricals and after sales service. The side stand indicator stopped functioning in the third month and the service center guys claim that they do not have the sensor in stock and cannot repair it. Another problem is that one of the horns functions only intermittently. Again the service guys claim that the horns are working fine and the problem is that it may not be getting current properly; yet it remains unresolved. Yet another problem is that the brake light burned out four times in the first two months. It is working fine subsequently. The final problem is with the suspension. There is a very loud knocking noise from the rear suspension every time I go over an uneven patch, after my last service. At first I thought that it might be a loose chain. But the chain is fine. The bajaj guys and the local service guys have not been able to resolve the problem.

Rest is fine. None of the above mentioned problems affect the performance of the bike in any manner. The engine is still as powerful as it was when I bought it. The engine vibrations did increase when I used SPEED for a while But it is fine now that I have returned to normal unleaded.

This is one bike which will give your trouble-free performance no matter how hard you ride it. Even today the engine fires to life at the first push of the starter button even on cold mornings. It helps to have it regularly serviced and the oil changed periodically. I have been unable to find Fusch Silkolene in Mumbai. Power1 works fine for me.

My only disappointment is that I may have taken the bike too soon. There is absolutely no visual difference between the 180 V2 and the 150 V2 except the badges. But in the past month, bajaj has relaunched the 180 V2 with completely black paint on the engine, swingarm, alloy wheels, etc. Even though it does not look as racy as the original, it still distinguishes the 180 from the 150.

Still, I do not regret having taken the 180. Even my wife enjoys driving the bike whenever she can flick the keys and scares the daylights out of the neighborhood kids by ripping through the playground. Can’t wait to see what new bike bajaj has in store for India. The soon to be released 250 cc bike is sure to be a winner albeit to a select few if it costs a 6 digit figure.