The Bajaj Pulsar is a motorcycle brand that delivers a rare combination of performance and power and yet, is easy on the pocket. It comes from the house of the prominent Indian two-wheeler manufacturer- the Bajaj Auto Limited. Bajaj Pulsar was launched more than a decade ago in 2001. With soaring sales, it then emerged as a fortune changer for Bajaj.
It was initially launched in only 2 versions, 150 cc and 180 cc. Several new designs and a dozen of upgrades of existing Pulsar bikes have come out in the recent years. Pulsar bikes are extremely popular because the company has constantly focused on vehicle personalization and innovation and moreover they are available at an economical price. The Pulsar has been bestowed with many awards and recognition by bike enthusiasts and related forums across the country.
Bajaj Pulsar is available in five variants with 135 cc, 150 cc, 180 cc, 200 cc, and 220 cc engines. The first Pulsar came with an air cooled, single cylinder, petrol, sparkignited four stroke engine which made 13 hp of maximum power. Other features were a single spark plug to ignite the air-fuel mixture fed from a carburettor, simple spring shock absorbers, round headlamp dome and 1265 mm wheelbase. Discbrakes were the standard equipment. Other standard features were parking lights and an aircrafttype fuel tank lid. This new bike was received with great enthusiasm by bike lovers around the country.
Later in 2003, its second generation came out with more focus on the performance. Apart from the above features this time Bajaj brought out an advanced digital twin spark plug ignition that results in efficient combustion technology. This DTS-I technology has now become more or less a Bajaj trademark.
The thirdgeneration Pulsar came out in 2007-08 and it focussed more on the styling part and innovation. Pulsar 200 DTS-I, Pulsar 220 cc, the Pulsar 150cc and 180cc DTS-I was out targeting the youth section of the society. The Pulsar 220cc DTS-i has now been discontinued and in its place a new version -the Pulsar 200NS was launched in 2012.Pulsar SS400, a sporty monster bike was unveiled recently at the Auto expo 2014. Pulsar 150 NS, 180 NS and 200 SS are three other novel bikes expected join the Pulsar family soon. They might be launched by the end of the year.
Pulsar series are available here at a price range of Rs 59000 to Rs 86000. All said ageing styling and engine vibration seem to be some of the problem areas of the Pulsar bike. Still, Pulsar would be the most successful series ruling the Indian bike market.