Clash of the Titans!!. Review on Bajaj Pulsar

In a nutshell …. A powerful vehicle with good braking and supported by extraction of full potential from its 144 cubes. Not to mention.. the awesome looks with muscular build and alloy wheels .. especially in its new avtaar.

Driving impression of the Pulsar:

Ratings:

Engine and Gearbox : 8/10

Braking : 9/10

Ride and Handling : 9/10

Fit and Finish : 8.5/10

Value for Money : 9/10

Overall : 8.75/10

Recommended - DEFINITELY!!

Before you go ahead with reading this please remember that this review is strictly my own perspective.

Not beating around the bush too much, getting to the crux of the matter, the Pulsar, today, is one of the best Indian bikes on road. This swell-looking bike has headed its pack from the day of its launch, with little or no competition to hold a candle to its all-round value and sure-fire performance. Fully loaded with self starter and alloy wheels, this is a rock solid member of the best looking bike family in India. Its DTS-i engine offers super efficiency on all counts along with the ExhaustTEC technology which gives you that extra torque. Gas charged shock absorbers and a thicker section of rear tyre makes it a true aficionado’s delight. Apart from a whimsical gearbox, it is a plus plus on all counts. A buyer in this segment will not go wrong on this classy bajaj.

As soon as you slot the gear down and let your right hand do the talking, you can feel the aggression in its belly. You feel you are riding a real mean machine and not some pansy. The revving of the engine makes heads turn. With zero to 60 kmph in around 6 seconds and to 80 kmph in another 5 seconds, it dismisses competition with disdainful arrogance.

The extended wheelbase results in greater stability on road. Also, the lowering of center of gravity makes it easier to negotiate turns even though the bike weighs a massive 140+ kgs. The overall build quality is good and the machine looks well screwed together and feels built to last.

The Pulsar claims to achieve a top speed of 109kmph. Must be true. I have touched 95 and that is probably the maximum that I can attain on roads in and around Pune… because as they say …. Moon’s creators are better than Pune roads.

It will be difficult to do justice to this review without comparing the Pulsar (which is currently the market leader) with Honda Unicorn. Both of them have similar engine capacity and both are aimed at the same market segment.

Honda, over the years has become synonymous to quality and reliability. Honda came into the Indian market with Activa, Dio and Eterno each of which has done extremely well. This is one brand, which has dared to change the rules of the market. With Unicorn, it makes an attempt to enter the motorcycle arena, which has for long, been ruled by Bajaj & Hero Honda. Though Honda has been a bit miserly in not offering too many goodies on its first Indian motorcycle, the Unicorn makes a reliable comrade.

The Unicorn looks relatively ordinary … A Plain Jane. It has a big 13 liters muscular tank (Pulsar beats this with an even muscular and well sculpted tank having a capacity of 18 liters).

The engine is a typical Honda…. silent and smooth. It however is not a very high tech engine like the Pulsar, which boasts of the innovative and DTSi technology. The beauty of the engine is in its refinement. This bike raises the standards for engine refinements not just in its category but also across all categories. The engine remains fairly silent even when you are trying to race at a higher speed with a lower gear engaged. The Pulsar on the other hand revs hard and mad and demands attention from the driver. But then … whats a lion if it doesn’t roar. So .. aural satisfaction here goes to the Pulsar and the engine refinement category to the Honda.

Unicorn’s gearbox is super slick. It is smooth and the gears click properly. Pulsar on the other hand comes with a whimsical gearbox with false neutral being a common problem. Happens once in a while, but it does happen.

Pulsar, in its new avtaar, comes with a shorter handle, which gives it a sporty look. Unicorn, on the other hand, is designed with a commuter friendly approach. Another thing, which I observed in Unicorn, was the absence of vibration dampers on handlebars. Might be required at higher speeds. Also, the tail of unicorn doesn’t have any support. This results in heavy vibration of the tail, which can be vocal on bad roads.

The headlamp, in Unicorn, is powered by the battery. Since it is directly driven by the battery and not the dynamo, the brightness of the beam doesn’t go down when you negotiate a turn or when engine is revving at a lower speed. Pulsar, on the other hand powers its headlamp through the dynamo.

The pulsar comes with a side stand indicator, which has proved to be a valuable asset instrumental in avoiding fatal accidents on more than one occasion.

Unicorn has a ‘peeeep peeeep’ horn, which sounds more like a M80 rather than a bike of its class. Pulsar’s horn on the other hand is loud enough to scare the hell out of a nervous rider.

About the fuel consumption … Pulsar quotes 55kmpl while the Unicorn quotes 60kmpl. Well .. the fuel drinking ability of your bike is directly related to the way you drive. My Pulsar has been consistently giving 65kmpl. It has even churned out 67kmpl at times. But then, I maintain my bike myself. So, a bit of carburetor tuning should do the trick.

As I had mentioned earlier, the Pulsar its new avtaar, comes with a shorter handle. Hence, you have to lean more while riding the bike. So, if you have a history of back problems, this is not the bike for you.

Honda (blame it on its lower production capacity) is making its customers wait for 2-3 months. It looks like the Pulsar can relax as of now because 3 months is too much waiting for even a 4 wheeler.

Both, Pulsar and Unicorn are great bikes in their class with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. The Unicorn is a city commuter more than a highway crusader. The Pulsar is more at home on highways where it can muscle its way across lesser vehicles. That apart, both the bikes are equally capable of holding their own in the other environments. So who wins the duel??