Gem of Bikes. Review on Bajaj Pulsar 220

Friends I bought my P 220 nearly 1 and half month back in Delhi.

I had three options because I wanted to buy a premium bike

a) Karizma R:

This bike has really become old, and stands nowhere in front of Pulsar 220 in features, pick up, top speed, Comfort of driving.Also price wise P220 has slightly lower price than ZMA.

b)Yamaha R 15:

This was obviously a good option with all new techno edge and great features.But two things go against it.My height of nearly 6 ft and its behaviour in city traffic.Due to my height I never felt comfortable enough after say 10-15 min in the drive.Actually a close friend of mine has got it.So I can see him wrestling with its accelerator in city traffic, and especially with pilion, it gets worse.

c)Pulsar 220:

This came at the time when I have nearly zeroed on R15 for the lack of better options.This comes as a refreshingly faster and comfortable bike for me.That too at 70000 ex showroom price.Can you beat that.

*My experience:

*Pretty good.Frankly speaking "I am loving it".

Cant talk much in numbers, but pick up is amazing.Till now didn't try to stress it much, but effortlessly took it to max of 130 kmph.

Engine is very smooth and at high speeds also keeps its refinement.Gearbox and clutch is very good now, as these has been changed from the times of Pulsar DTS-Fi.

Gear shifting is sleek and effortless.The whole enjoyment quotient is very high, and I invite everyone to take a test ride and feel the experience.

Mileage wise I think citywise I am getting 40-42 within speed brackets of 55-65(Running in Period).

Highways it is close to 48-50.

This bike looks complete.For what means complete, I will quote here a comparison test that me and my friend did with his R15 and my P220.In this test we two rode our bikes for more than 20 kms in city and highway and also exchanged the bikes in between.

In city driving, P220 clearly shows its advantage and crosses the traffic with great ease and handling capability.R 15 stuggles because of its high RPM power delivery.Though one can live with this, but if you ride a performance bike, then you don't want to struggle in front of others.While R15 needs constant twisting of accelerator, Pulsar 220 can breeze through with a hint of throttle input.

On highways though both bikes are fun to ride.I didn't try to twist my engine much, so didn't take it more than 130, otherwise game could have been different.But R15 is a good highway bike, no doubt.You would push it to limits and love the same.The same holds true for Pulsar 220 now, as I struggled hard to stop myself from stretching it to limits.

Surprisingly at higher RPMs, both bikes make same kind of sound, which is very tempting.Also Pulsar 220 engine keeps it refinement upto 130 kmph, and at 130 it has less vibrations than R15 at the same speed.

Also Pulsar 220 takes significantly less time in reaching to 130 than R15.In fact if we tried to start the two bikes together, like a drag race, the Pulsar takes a big lead from begining itself.The pick up of Pulsar 220 is just awesome.never felt before.

If we talk about riding stance than R15 has got typical racing bike types ergonomics, while Pulsar 220 has got standard slightly forward kind of riding stance, which is typical of all rounder bikes.It gives it capability of being a sport machine and at the same time highly capable of touring.

Talking about problems, one I can metion is the sound which started coming from the rear break after one weak, but after visit to PBK, it is resolved and have never come back.

Apart from that, i found the bike to be totally reliable.and will recommend it to any serious biker.