The 220 was launched in 2007, This bike with its sporty looks and killer performance easily stole the limelight and redefined performance biking in India.
But it came at a Price. So naturally, it wasn’t a commodity that every person could dream off. Nonetheless, It was and still is a wonderful machine.
I know a few friends who still use this machine with over 90k clicks on the ODO and the machine is still healthy as a horse, which easily destroys the Taboo, that the pulsar engine lasts only for a maximum of 2 years and nothing above 25k kms. It’s true.
There is a taboo that the pulsars don’t last much long. The Bajaj 220F(DTS-i) which was launched in 2009 with a killer price tag, mainly aimed at increasing sales and bringing the performance biking within reach to the common man. But the steps taken by Bajaj was a unique one, they stepped back in terms of technology, they gave the 220 a carburetor instead of the existing Fuel-injection. But with this change they were able to reduce cost, increase power(21PS), torque and mileage, which made it a instant success within the masses. The aggressive pricing being the main attraction among the youth and growing breed of Serious Performance biking community of India. Now I got my Bike on March 2010. The parts that attracted me the most, the looks(I was a sucker for the twin projector headlights, the LED console), the touring friendly ergonomics, the power and torque and then the killer price tag. All in all it was the perfect vehicle, Complete Value for Money product and it was still a rare machine in my locality, all the more reason to opt for this bike.
