Mar 05, 2013 03:57 PM
8237 Views
(Updated Mar 05, 2013 07:05 PM)
With the Pulsar 200NS, Bajaj literally went back to the drawing board and started creating a new Pulsar from ground up while still maintaining the genome. We all know that everything looks fine when things are discussed on the table and on the drawing board over a cup of coffee. The real challenge comes forward when it's time to give form and function to those drawings and discussions and create a functional unit like a motorcycle. So, did Bajaj make an impression to be as profound, as when it launched the first generation Pulsars and does the Pulsar 200NS shoulder the responsibility and fame of it's legacy? Well read on.!
The Pulsar 200NS sports the shortest stroke Indian made engine along with the Duke 200. It's a delight to see the engine spin up so quickly. At the same time, the engine response is very subtle and easy going. If I had to summarize the engine performance of the Pulsar 200NS, then I would say that the engine of the 200NS is an amalgamation of two engines in one. The engine characteristics are way different below and above 7k rpms.
Below 7k rpms, the engine exhibited the regular docile character like most of the Indian made engines have, but yet, it makes it's presence felt with a very very strong statement. The engine definitely lacks the bottom end and mid range pull like the previous generation of Pulsars, and there's a lot of gear shifts around while riding through the city traffic and trying to keep the pace up, but this engine makes up for it's lack of low and mid range performance once you take the revs past 7k rpms.
Play with the right wrist a bit and take the needle past 7k rpms, and a totally different engine characteristic comes to light. Forget about the docile nature I just mentioned about, because now the engine is anything but docile. With an intoxicating engine note, the 200NS just pulverizes anything around and blasts off for a lunar destination. The engine revs up all the way to the red line of 12k rpms in a matter of seconds and 100 kmph seems to be a stupid number to even think about. The engine though screaming, becomes smoother as one is building on revs, which was very surprising for me being a previous Pulsar 200 owner. Just to give a perspective of this seemingly tiny engine's performance in Indian conditions, the 200NS does a 73 kmph @ 5k rpms and a 84 kmph @ 6k rpms in the 6th gear.
Coupled with the triple spark plug and liquid cooling, the connect between the throttle and the engine is as direct as it can be and one does not feel the absence of Fuel Injection in this unit. Speaking of which I must say that the right wrist does need some getting used to on the 200NS initially because of the direct throttle response, because initially I had some uncomfortable moments where I revved past 5k rpms in 1st cog as I was throttling based on my experience of my previous Pulsar 200NS.
Inclusion of the Triple Spark Plug technology also helps in controlling emission norms in the 200NS and also makes it possible for the inclusion of the smallest Cat Con in any Indian motorcycle bringing down the cost of exhaust unit, along with the other obvious benefit of making the 200NS engine pretty efficient in it's daily running.
The engine is aptly complemented by the 6 speed gear box shared from the KTM Duke 200, which, in short, is another revelation for a Pulsar. The rider can shift through the gear box like a hot knife through a block of butter. When I took the 200NS out of the showroom, the gear box was definitely hard and rough and I was having a hard time finding the neutral. There were false neutrals and the gear went free every now and then between gear shifts. It was a new motorcycle and the new motorcycle was trying to settle in and these things are bound to happen. Two days into the run-in, and things started falling into place. I was able to easily find the neutral, the occurrences of false neutrals reduced and so did the gear becoming free.Shifting through the cogs is a bliss as a engine is catching on the revs, whether the rider is riding hard or at ease, the smoothness of the gear box is retained through out.The weight of the clutch is properly balanced, and neither it's feather light nor it's too hard.
Amongst all the performance numbers Pulsars captured, handling was one lesson which the Pulsars were yet to learn. The double cradle frame just didn't provide enough lateral rigidity and the suspension just didn't provide enough feedback to allow the previous gen Pulsar that handling agility that one would have expected from them. Finally with the 200NS, the Pulsar learnt that lesson and came up in ranks, in it's very first effort. The Pulsar 200NS is such an agile handler that it comes next to the likes of class leaders like the Yamaha R15 and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R.
The riding stance is pretty comfortable and is very well suited for long hauls. At the same time I would say that the riding stance could have been a couple of angles more forward biased to support the handling and give it a more attacking street fighter stance. This is one department of the 200NS which leaves me wanting every time I ride it.
The mass centralization and almost 50-50 front and rear weight distribution gives the NS amazing stability, both while riding in city or while doing highway cruises. The stiff suspension setting needs getting used to, but once the rider is at ease with the setting, it's a plush ride ahead. A couple of things that I noticed is that, when you leave the hands off the handle bar, the NS has a tendency to sway towards the left. Mind you, this behaviour in no way affects the handling of the motorcycle, it's spot on anyway.
With all the heavy bits down below, including the exhaust chambekar_ashishr, the seat height of the NS is a little more than the comfort of the average Indian rider height. I would say that if the seat height had been just a little bit lower, it would have not only been more comfortable to the rider, but also would have affected the handling in a much more positive way. But then again, from a design perspective, the designers had to protect the under slung exhaust and knowing the Indian conditions, this was required.
On the braking department, the ByBre setup provides amazing braking performance both front and rear and one has to get used to this kind of braking in this kind of motorcycle. The motorcycle comes with the regular rubber pipe brake hose, which does the job absolutely perfectly, but I've personally upgraded mine to steel braided brake lines which gives that extra strong bite when the need be. I'm a believer of the philosophy that you should have your resources at your disposal and might not use them, rather than not have them when the need be.
The switches gives a premium feel to touch, but at the same time indicator switch needs some getting used to as the operation is a bit different. The operation of the Engine Kill switch is exactly opposite to what it used to be in my previous Pulsar 200, so that also needed some sinking in too.
The quality of the plastic panels and the paint is also good and gives a very premium feel and is no less than top notch. The only little bit sour taste comes in the form of some buzzing panels, which only make their presence felt only till 5k rpms.
Well Pulsars have always been Value for Money in their category, be it the current crop of Pulsars or the NS. There's no qualms of the fact that the Pulsar 200NS is a lot of motorcycle for that price.
