A Novice on his Pulsar... Review on Bajaj Pulsar

Ever since I bought my Pulsar, I have been thinking of writing a review on it. For reasons several, I couldn't gather my thoughts in a coherent manner and put them on paper till now.

Let me attempt to do it again. I plan to record all my experiences with/on this bike.

Agreed! I was tempted solely by its gas tank. It was the only reason why I bought a Pulsar instead of a Yamaha Enticer. The last time I did something like this was when I was in the market for a camera. I bought an Olympus camera just because I liked its looks. I did not pay any attention to the technical details at all.

So if that classifies me into Robert Pirsig's Romantic sect instead of his Classic sect, be it. I love romancing the bike.. or the throne for that matter.

Anyways, I narrated all these just to give you an idea of how I zeroed in on the Pulsar. I paid fifty three thousand rupees and rode out of the dealership. At the next traffic junction, I was frantically trying to get over the ''First Gear Syndrome'' with an impatient Madras Transport Corporation bus honking mercilessly right behind me.

After three such embarrassing incidents, I heaved a sigh of relief in front of my apartment in South Chennai.

Looking back over the shoulder, it looks all silly. I mean, come on! First Gear Syndrome? How can someone goof up something so extraordinarily simple? Just release the clutch slowly and you are done.

This looking-back business is all shady.. Let me tell you. An experienced mind can never understand an amateur mind.

My friend, who is in a way a my role model, is a deft rider. He is younger to me by about six years. But he is miles ahead of me in terms of bike riding. He owns a Pulsar and he routinely does super 100 speeds on it.

So Venu was tempted one day. So Venu also wanted to break the 100 kilometer mark. He got onto his pulsar and steadily increased the speed to 100kmph. His pulse rate was not lagging either. The concrete six inches below my foot was racing back at breakneck speed. The wind was trying to dislodge me from the bike. Overall it was an exhilarating experience. There was no time to think. Everything was blurred. Even in that situation, the Pulsar was stable. It did not vibrate violently like some of the other bikes do. It was smooth. It did well till 105 Kmph. And it could not do more than 110 Kmph. (150cc version.)

Just then.. Just then.. This dog thought of committing suicide and nonchalantly walked into the middle of the road with serene looks and a calm outlook. It stared right at me expecting me to hit it at the terminal velocity and thereby ensure a trouble free passage to the hereafter.

At first, I did not know what to do. Then wisdom suggested that I should reduce my speed and swerve to avoid being St Peter. I applied the rear brake first and immediately followed it up with the front brake. Now Pulsar has something called a disc brake. It worked beautifully at that instant. The speed came down to something manageable drastically... in fact so drastically that I almost flew over the dog's nest. My abdomen hit the beautiful gas tank rather harshly. It took me about five minutes to recover from the shock. The dog was obviously disappointed. With drooping shoulders it went to the other side of the road to test its luck there.

I prayed God quickly and stuck to 50 Kmph for the rest of the journey.

Two days later, the Pulsar could not handle a sudden rear brake at 25kmph. It skidded. I sustained some minor injuries. But my heartfelt sympathies are with the dead lizard on the road.

The gear slip was not regular. I mean, it slipped only when I was overtaking heavy trucks from the right or when I was trying to squeeze through the narrow passage between two MTC town buses. When I was all alone on the road the gear box responded beautifully.

Actually my friend told me that if I exceeded 45kmph during the first 1000kms, the bike's fuel efficiency would be compromised. I paid little attention to these words of wisdom. Now I get only fifty kilometers per litre on the highway. My friend who religiously followed this rule gets about fifty two kilometers per litre.

After a couple of near-death incidents with the bike, every time saved by the disc brake and the unshakable stability of the bike, I was fully convinced that Pulsar was a bike designed for me... the rash novice rider.

Let me look back again over my shoulder. I have done about 9000 kilometers in seven months. My bike still starts with the first kick with no choke after being cold for seven days. It's pickup is next to perhaps only the Bullet and Karizma. It is still one of the most adored bikes in my avenue. By the way, the turn radius of Pulsar is so small that it competes with a TVS 50.

I am proud of it.

Now, though I have graduated to a Santro, I take my Pulsar if I am traveling alone and light. Nothing beats this experience. As Pirsig says, with a bike, you are actually a part of the nature... whereas with a car, you are just a spectator.

Regards

Venu