Fully Loaded Pulses. Review on Bajaj Pulsar

Hi guyz

I recently (just a month ago) bought a brand new Fully Loaded Pulsar 150 DTS-i. I am just an amateur bike rider n know how to ride a geared vehicle fairly recently only(one year ago). But till now I just had a non-geared vehicle(Scooty) which as everyone knows is not at all pleasuresome to ride. I am a college student I wanted a bike, that too a real bike n my choice waz Pulsar.

I thought the old normal 150 Pulsar waz available but I waz wrong. According to the facts I got, they stopped it an year ago. Then my next option waz the normal 150 DTS-i. But they said that they had stopped that model too. I could'nt afford much so only I waz scanning for the lower models. So without any other choice I went for the FULLY LOADED 150ES-DTS-i model. Its on-road price was 56k and the total cost went to 62k. (I bought the bike in loan only)

But I was not at all disappointed. Here are some of the extra-features of this FULLY LOADED model which was launched in November 2004.

ExhausTECBajaj Auto’s in-house technology, to boost low to mid range power while achieving excellent top end performance

Nitrox gas shock absorbersBetter riding comfort

17'' Alloy WheelsStylish look

I dont know much of the bike from the technical point of view but I ll tell what all I knew n came to know of this bike. First of all the Engine is 143.99cc, 4-stroke, single cylinder powerhouse. The Ignition system is like most of the other bikes 'MicroProcessor controlled Digital C.D.I'. The Transmission is 5 Speed with all the gears down and the neutral up. The fuel tank capacity is 15 litres (a bit too much) with a 2.5 litres reserve capacity(another irritating fact for checking the mileage). The bike has one main Head Lamp, two pilot lamps on the side of the head lamp(my favourite feature,), a tail lamp and a Rear Number Plate lamp, and also Front and Rear turn signal lamps. The dashboard has 4 lamps - Turn Signal Indicator, Side Stand Indicator, High beam Indicator, and Neutral Indicator. Other than the Speedometer and Odometer it also includes a Tachometer and Trip Meter(another favourite feature). The vehicle's weight is around 135 kgs (dont know exactly). The front brake is hydraulic assisted disc brake while the rear one is a drum.

I will start with my experiences with this bike. The very first day (and 4 the very first time a PULSAR) I rode this bike I felt like I was just gliding or something. I had problems like shifting gears(as I had accustomed to the 'all up' gear style of the HERO HONDA) but that was not the bike's fault. Now I am used to that.

The pick-up that this bike provides is truly enormous compared to its older cousins(normal 150 n plain vanilla 150-DTS-i - I found out by riding them both last week). U can reach 50Kmph within 5 seconds (if you are fast enough to shift the gears). This may be due to the ExhausTEC. I usually was the first person to depart from the signals a couple of times and take a huge lead(U can easily impress the gals). Although I dont do so often bcoz I dont want to stress the new bike for atleast 750 - 1000kms. So it really is a powerhouse. My top-speed so far waz only 70kmph(as I said before - a new bike - so I m handling carefully). I normally ride in the range of 50 - 55 kmph on clear roads(highways n sorts).

The brakes are quite good. I waz afraid first that the Disc brakes were very dangerous and must be used quite carefully (feather touch) but I waz wrong. Theses are the right kind of brakes for a bike of this kind and power. I found it quite easy to stop even at high speeds without any skid(but be aware I am talking only on normal tar roads. In the sand n clay be careful).

But tyres are the main ones determing the skidding. The stock tyres(from MRF) are good but not excellent.I skid twice so far once in sand(while slowing down for a speed breaker - but just a small movement of rear tyres only) and once in clay(I turned in it at quite a large angle to avoid a bump and I immediately stopped the vehicle), but I was saved both the times.

The suspension is just cool especially for the pillion. The twin horn gives good sound. The fuel tank cap and the lock are nicely laid out and easy to open. The electric start is also good(but I hardly use it - like to kick it rather than self start it).

But the weight in the front is a bit more and hence it is quite difficult to remove the bike from a slopy surface(especially considering I am a lean guy). This usually causes parking problems. The fuel tank capacity is too much. Something between 8 to 12 litres would be more than sufficient in my opinion. The reserve is also very much (2.5 lit) so it makes checking the mile-age a bit cumbersome job and u have to have more than that amount of petrol to check the mile-age.

Also the bike gives some amount of starting problems(more than 4 kicks) when left cold for more than 2 days. Also after being left idle for more than 12 hrs or so it takes time for the oil to get into the engine and hence while riding gives some hiccups and hence u have to either clutch or increase the throttle to avoid the engine turning off( I think due to a new bike this problem exists).

Also false neutrals come occassionaly. I had this problem for the past 2 weeks. This week I dint have any. I shift from neutral to first n raise the throttle but the engine still remains in neutral and I let go the throttle and engine RPM reduces to around 1.5 to 2 and then shifts into first gear automatically. Also the gears dont actually shift sometimes. This happened when I stopped my vehicle in a signal in neutral and then shifted to I gear n I waited. Then after the Green came I took off but it was actually in II gear (sounds stupid but such problems do come).

The handle bar comes out straightly perpendicular to the body of the bike and hence the riding posture may not be so comfortable for tall guyz. I m 5' 11' tall n I feel the riding posture is a bit stressfull 4 me. The alloys wheels give a nice look to the bike. The headlamp lighting is good and is assisted with two pilot lamps. If u want only the pilot lamps to be 'on' that can also be done. It also has a Pass Lamp feature to just turn on the High-Beam for a few seconds by a switch near the clutch.

I can summarize the Pros n Cons in short like this :

Pros

Marvellous Pickup

Good Suspension

Both the Brakes are good

Nice stylish look esp. due to 17'' alloy wheels

Good mileage(as far as I know above 55kmpl)

Nicely laid fuel-tank cap and lock

Cons

Difficult to remove the bike from a slopy surface

Engine becomes cold very quickly

Large Fuel tank and large reserve making Mileage check require more amt. of fuel

Riding posture for tall guyz will be a problem