My 220 Vs My Zma. Review on Bajaj Pulsar 220

I got my 220 on the 13th of September 2007. I had waited for more than a year 1/2 for this bike. I had to wait for a couple of months to even book the bike after launch, and even after giving the booking amount I had to wait another week to finally receive my bike.

the delivery service of sk bajaj thurbe(navi mumbai)is pathetic. they do not value the customers time. the delivery time given and the actually delivery time was 3 hours apart. I had  to wait there for 3 hrs to just take my bike home. it was a good indication of the treatment I would receive when I am due to get my bike serviced. I didnt allow all that to interfere with my passion for this bike. I loved riding it. I still find reasons to take my bike out for a spin. I think ill save my views on the bajaj rogues on a review specially for them.

I have a black 220. before this I had a maroon pulsar 150(version 1) and  a black  Zma(not the R version).

in this review I would like to compare my Zma with my  220. i dont want to generalize, I respect peoples individualistic opinions about the 2 bikes. Im just sharing my views about my bikes wihout any bias. I love them both.

in terms of looks I think both karizma and the 220 score equal.some dont like the fairing of the 220. but if memory serves me right, even the Zma was not appreciated because of the half naked fairing.(even the new honda city had a tough time getting accepted). HOwever I score them equal- the 220 is more sporty while the ZMA is really macho.

to be extremely honest there is nothing much to compare between the 220 and the Zma in terms of performance. both bikes are fast, really fast(indian bike standards). I have clocked 124 on the zma and have clocked 126 on the 220. not much of a difference there. however in terms of pickup the 220 seems to have an edge over the Zma.

I am a big fan of engine sounds. I enjoy the rhythm. the 220 has a calm feel to it. not much different than the 150 but still, once started, u know that theres a lot of power down there. the enhanced exhaust gives a nice rocketing sound when u up the throttle. Zma while accelerating does not roar like the 220, but it has little vibrations above 90 kmph vis a vis the 220. one of the most improtant thing that I noticed aout the 220 is that, the performance is not constant. the top speed of the bikes is never constant. the fastest ive been on the 220 is 126. I have not been able to reach my own record, let alone beat it. ive tried accelerating to the fullest but have reached 117 kmph, 111 kmph and the near abouts. the performance of the Zma was more or less constant. this is whre the zma scores a point over the 220.

I am extremely disappointed with the rear disc breaks in my 220, they dont work at all. NOT A BIT> the service center dudes promised a replacement -its been almost a month now, no replacement yet. this for me was a shocker.- didnt expect a new bike to be like this - the initial 2 days the breaking was poor - but after that the rear break just stopped working. like I said before ill save my opinion about the bajaj service guys for another review. the Zma's breaks were never disappointing.

now the important  part - the bikes average. I use the tank full method - the 220 gives me an average of 43 kmpl - prettty decent for a 220 cc bike. on the other hand the zma gave me 35 kmpl. this 10 km for ever liter of petrol is good money saved for me.

the decals in the 220 are impressive - but can be flicked easily or may come off easily. the karizma decals are impressive too and are harder to remove. the 220 decals cost a whooping 1200 rs( 2 pairs) and comes with a waiting period if u want to go for the original. the karizma decal comes for 150 rs a piece( 1 pair) off the counter. probably in time even the 220 stickers would come down in terms of price and would be more available OTC.

the lighting in the 220 is just out of this world. the beams are really powerful. it lights up the roads like day. the karizma needs work to be done in this department.

the biggest problem with the 220 is the waiting period, u wait and u wait.and build up a lot of expectations.so much that when u actually get the bike, every single problem will a heart breaker. Once u realise that even the best of the bikes(brands) have problems.and these problems can be fixed - u should be fine. the Zma now has no waiting period, the minor niggles are taken with a pinch of salt. where as the smallest of niggles in the p220 got me wild and sad.

I can come off with a lot more points to compare. but the truth is - both bikes are equally good. p 220 is tech savy while Zma needs to catch up, not much change has been done on the Zma since the initial launch. In terms of speed and power there is not much between the 2 bikes.

I have read I many forums that its the p200 that competes with the Zma and not the 220. NO, the p200 cannot take the Zma down. I have smoked many p200 s when p200s were  launched - p200s take a lot of time to accelerate - and all it can do later is try to catch up with the ZMA. it is right to compare the Zma with the 220 only. when it comes down to purchasing >>>>>> no one can recommend either.its totally upto you >>> stand close to both bikes >>> and listen to what they have to tell you;) trust me ur mind will tell you which one to go for. u can either be a p220 man or a Zma man, never both.( in my case, I couldnt choose between em both, as the 220 wasnt launched, when I got the Zma)

I rate the 2 almost equally - I am a lil biased towards my 220 because of all the goodies but I am also well aware that ive paid 13 k extra for these. finally the choice is left to you. HOwever a word of advise, wait a while - case you have decided to buy the 220, there are a few niggles that need to be fixed by bajaj. the p220 should be a good buy in the coming year - hopefully even HH would have pulled up their socks by then to give us the 250 Zma Fi;) - that will be a whole different review.