[Not so much a review as a writeup]
This story begins in a mechanic workshop.
I asked my mechanic-- "How's the Pulsar? Everybody says its awesome; maybe I should go for it!"
"Pulsar? Disgusting bike!"
"What!"
"I have no idea what Bajaj means by R&D. The probably need R&D done on their R&D team. The vibrations are too high. The engine is not smooth. Lets not even talk about the gearbox. The quality of their components....sheesh"
[Of course, he put in some other words in between which I would rather not put down here; definitely not part of standard English vocabulary anyway.]
"But everybody says its awesome!"
"Who says its awesome? Get that guy to me. The Indian public are largely uneducated [he was probably referring to me]. They go by facts and figures. Give the young something peppy-- and they'll fall for it. And their quality is so bad: bikes of the same model seem to have different problems! Their bikes are unique indeed: they aren't joking when they tell you each one is a special one. And they age so quickly-- a one year old bike feels like a three year old!"
"Well..."
I left it at that-- so much for a mechanics' opinion.
And then my friend-- who owns a Pulsar 150 DTSi. I took it for a test ride. I found it to be fun! Open the throttle, you feel the engine pump, and the meaty exhaust ensures you want to keep it revving. And then came a sharp turn. I was all high from the revving and expected the bike to keep up its character, but-- "hold on...not so fast, buddy".
And when I tried to shift the gears fast, every now and then they would fall into some mysterious expanse like a black-hole wherein upon releasing the clutch I realised it was not in gear at all! And the gears felt so heavy! Each shift required effort and patience. But whose got time to think about such things when the engine just keeps encouraging you to rev and rev!
"Buddy, " I told my friend, "your gearbox has got a problem: it seems to have a neutral between every gear"
"What neutral? ..ohh that problem...that's Bajaj's patented problem.
"Huh, what kind of patent is that?"
"It is an indigenous one-- I tell my mechanic everytime I go for service. For some time it is fine, and then as the weeks go by, it comes back again. I am used to it; I am comfortable now."
"What the..!"
"It's a fun bike!"
"Yeah, it's fun, but..."
All said and done, as the years have gone by, Bajaj has constantly improved on its engine and gearbox with greater focus (it seems) to aesthetics and new features: these catch the eye of the public more than the rest. As for hardcore bikers, they can afford the maintenance [in terms of time spent, since spares are not so expensive]. They couldn't bother less. The 'fun' will keep them occupied.
Getting back to the bike-- the P200's engine is definitely smoother than the Pulsars of the past. The gears also find themselves going into place smoother than before-- though I got the feeling they had done some workaround to make it smoother than actually solve the problem. Yes, the false shifts still happen-- the testride bike gave me problems; but the sales guy refused to accept it . On the other hand, I did not face this problem on my friend's P200. Book the bike and then pray that you get a good one: Bajaj bikes seem to differ in a lot in quality.
The power in the lower range is only as much as-- say, the P180; but you can feel that the P200 is raging on the inside for more. In the mid range, it zooms ahead. Not sure how it will be in the higher range; it should be great, I would surmise.
The bike is stable and feels heavy-- gives you the big bike feeling. This could be partially attributed
to the heavy weight and the 'lorry tyres' in the rear. Not so sure if it is the right choice after seeing the R15's tyres, and Yamaha's claim that such low aspect-ratio tyres are inefficient for low powered sport-bikes. You believe Yamaha or Bajaj? --that's your call. Or, perhaps the P200 is more of a sport bike in Indian terms [whatever that means].
There is no doubting though that the bikes looks awesome-- from the headlight section to the split grab rails, it has been contoured to please the eye.
It growls in its exhaust note; it demands attention. The testride feedback even had a question stating whether the exhaust note was pleasing: that's the amount of emphasis Bajaj puts on its exterior treatment.
I cannot comment on the oil-cooling feature; not sure about that one. It would be wise though to offer a prayer there, I feel.
It is loaded with features so much and so that you will have difficulty in remembering all of them. The seating position is sporty and makes you feel comfortable. But when you need to take a sharp turn, you realise you are stuck in the seat: you try to move and you realise the bike's balance is upset-- the handling deteriorates. Sit comfortably with a good lean and straightened arms [you have no choice here], and stay put-- is the bike's mantra. It handles best that way.
Nevertheless, this seemed (to me) to be Bajaj's best offering so far among the Pulsars. I would even go so far as to say that, on the whole, it is a great bike [If your prayers went well, then you have a awesome bike!].
Bajaj has made a niche for themselves in the 200cc category. It is worth its price [on the whole again]: it stands alone in this price range. It is good for commuting, and I feel it should be even better on long rides. Finally a Pulsar that can hold its ground. It has made up for many of Pulsars' previous shortcomings and is now an acceptable bike, though it still lags behind other companies such as Hero Honda and TVS in refinement (let alone Honda and Yamaha).
This is Bajaj's crowning achievement, I personally feel [others might disagree]; and will remain as such-- with their seeming lack of interest lately in introducing newer 'bigger and better' models. You wouldn't be wrong in choosing this one. Though, as with other Pulsars, you must love this bike else you might not find much love coming back.
