Bike : Bajaj Pulsar 220F
Year : 2010
Category : Street-Sports
About the bike :
Bajaj auto came up with the Pulsar in India, on 24thNovember, 2001. Since then the entire motorcycling scene in India took a revolutionary leap towards performance biking. After the Hero Honda CBZ, the Pulsar was only the second street bike in India built towards performance and style. All the enthusiasts were hugely attracted by this very muscular looking machine and Bajaj kicked off its high sales figures in style. I can’t stop myself from saying this; but Bajaj Pulsar’s success strongly correlates with the success of the Bollywood movie Dhoom. Bajaj launched it’s DTS-I technology in 2003 and Dhoom was launched in 2004, and soon Bajaj followed up with another upgrade and gave India an entirely new orientation towards Sportier bikes. One of the key reason that gives the pulsar its brand image is the pricing that Bajaj has offered for this bike. The bike comes with good power and reliability at a very very competitive pricing.
The Pulsar 220 was launched to give Bajaj a respectable position in the performance biking section. Its predecessor, the Pulsar 200 is still believed to be one of the better Pulsars but Bajaj decided to take that forward and thus ported the engine to a 220cc single cylinder one. However, to give it that special feel they made this bike a fuel-injected one which came at a premium and thus making it a desired bike rather than a successful market product for Bajaj. They soon changed their strategy and re-fitted this bike with India’s largest Venturi Carburettor and reconfigured this beast to give a maximum power of 21Ps. At a very favourable price and with its rich appearance, the market was taken by a storm. It’s time we take the “Fastest Indian” for a spin and see if it has got what it says.
Features :
• Largest Venturi Carburettor
• DTS-i technology for optimum combustion
• Dual disc brakes
• Tubeless tyres
• Projector headlamps for better illumination
• All black treatment
Styling & Finish :
There is no point in calling looks to be a subjective matter. The Pulsar 220 is a seriously good looking bike and moreover it looks like a bike built for performance. It is clearly a very bold looking vehicle with a muscular semi-faired front and the projector headlamp makes it somewhat like a Cyclops lookalike. Hate it or love it, the Pulsar 220 has got a unique look of its own. The only thing that disappoints is the rear end of this bike which looks like any other Pulsar. Unless you know the bikes pretty well you might be confused as to which Pulsar engine the rider is sitting on.
Commenting on the ergonomics of the bike, the front fairing is somewhat like an additional weight and neither does it hugely aids aerodynamics of the bike. Even the rear view mirrors of the 220 donot serve their purpose very well. The different looking front console however lets this bike accommodate a projector headlamp, which is a welcome feature in the Pulsar 220. The headlamps are also the first projector headlamps in any Indian bike. The Pulsar 220 also gets an all black treatment on its engine which enhances its looks further. The quality of plastics used in this bike are also satisfactory, however the footpegs are still very old fashioned not so sportsbike type. Overall, we like how the Pulsar 220 looks and should create an altogether different group of followers.
Engine & Performance :
When Bajaj stopped the production of the 220 DTS-Fi and launched the new 220 DTSi, their sole aim was to offer the fastest bike at a value price. What that meant was to churn out the maximum from the same 220cc mill by using a higher compression ratio and a larger venturi carburettor. They successfully transformed the Pulsar 220 to pour out a maximum power output of 21Ps, but that happened at the expense of some smoothness that this larger engine primarily offered. The new Pulsar is a more coarse and heavier beating heart that seems to work hard to give that tachometer a good spin. Quite relevant from the spec sheet, this bike has an amazing pull right from the word go. It is very powerful in its low and mid range and mostly performs well in its powerband. The torque distribution is pretty smooth and you will always feel some power at all RPMs; though the bike has a tendency to stall when you are reluctant to shift down. Mostly due to its high compression ratio, the Pulsar 220 doesn’t ride well at low speeds in high gears.
The 0-60 and 0-100 dashes of this bike are among the best you can get in the current Indian market. The large venturi carburettor coupled with its specially design exhaust gives it that extra punch. But Bajaj doesn’t seem to give its bikes that extra touch of refineness, even on this Pulsar the clutch and gears are not very smooth and gears seem to fall in places with a nudge. However, for the power hungry youth who always wants to stay Distinctly Ahead, the Pulsar 220 will give you very good satisfaction at the twist of its throttle; though remember not to overwork it, as it has a tendency to degrade very quickly. What we feel could have changed this bike into a much better Pulsar 220 are shorter gear ratios with an additional 6th gear.
Handling & Ride Quality :
The best part about the evolution of the pulsar species has been the improvement of its handling characteristics day by day. Even with the Pulsar 220, Bajaj equipped it with MRF Zapper tubeless tyres which significantly turned this superbly fast bike into a nimble handler. The Pulsar 220 has fairly good grip when considered as a street-sports bike. After testing this bike for a while and pushing it hard on corners what we could analyse is that; the handling characteristics of the P220 is hugely aided by its very good throttle response and good power. Thus, on this bike you can exit corners with good speeds and control rather than entering it. Even after a long while on this bike we couldn’t gain enough confidence to drop into corners easily. The CG seems to be a tad little high on this bike. Handling the P220 can also be tricky on wet and skiddy roads and due to a not-so-good braking performance it can be very difficult to come out of an emergency situation. However, when we compare this larger Pulsar to its smaller siblings, this one is undoubtedly a much better handler. High speed stability is very good due to a long wheelbase and the bike is fairly easy to control in traffic as well. Now, the most criticised part of a Bajaj motorcycle has been its brakes. This one is equipped with disk brakes on both front and rear, but unfortunately it hasn’t made any huge improvement. The Pulsar 220 still has very poor braking performance and the rear disc performance can easily be beaten by even some drum brakes on other bikes. The braking is seriously something that Bajaj needs to rethink; especially in a market where all its peers are providing better braking performance.
One of the good things that we liked a lot about the Pulsar 220 is its seating posture. It has a very optimum balance for seating and even with clip-on handle bars this bike lets you keep an upright and steady posture for riding. The seat height of the Pulsar is also pretty high leading to ample confidence while riding on bad roads. We took the Pulsar off the road and clearly it seemed to be a very confidence boosting feature of the Pulsar. However, coming to the seats and suspensions, the Pulsar remains a street-sports bike fit for riding around the city and some weekend rides. We didn’t find the bike comfortable for long rides as it gives your butt and spine some serious beating. Further annoying was the fairing vibrations that showed up on the bike which had been ridden only 400kms on the odo, but I believe you can live with it.
Maintenance & Mileage :
Anybody who buys a Pulsar 220 has to remember that it is just not another commuter bike in the lot built to be handled without care. This bike has been redesigned to churn out the maximum juice from that 220cc mill. So as a side effect there always lies some uncertainties when it comes to long term durability and reliability. With proper care and routine maintenance though, all the bikes in the current Indian market perform trouble free. If you love your bike that extra take good care and if possible shift to a semi-synthetic engine lubricant to enhance engine life and make those notchy gear shifts a tad smoother. Bajaj recommends SAE 20 W 50 SJ Grade engine oil for the Pulsar 220.
All other parts of the Pulsar are pretty cheap and one doesn’t have to shell out too much for regular replacements. However, the build quality of the parts being somewhat mediocre, you may have to visit the service station if you use your bike on savage conditions. For the wise rider who is sensible on the throttle and uses power only when needed, the Pulsar 220 can deliver mileage of around 34-36kmpl. However, the mileage drastically drops below 30 if you are keen on exploiting its power.
Approximate Mileage 34-36kmpl
Regular service charges Rs.300-350 (at free services)
Rs.450-500 (at paid services)
Overall Impression :
This bike is street-sports bike, what that clearly means is that it will be a everyday use bike which is performance oriented. The Pulsar 220 is truly performance oriented; the torque it offers is jaw dropping and will pump your adrenaline high any day. If the sheer pulling power of a bike is all that you care about, then this bike will always make you proud. Overlooking every other cons the Fastest Indian is truly the fastest and the most powerful street bike available. At the price that Bajaj offers it, every performance seeker will eye for this beauty. But one the finishing note, the product quality needs a vast improvement to meet current standards in the market. With amazing projector headlamps, upright and high seating posture, well distributed torque and good high speed stability the Pulsar 220 can also make for a good tourer provided the rider is ready to fight those stiff backs.
Pros:
Uniquely good looking
Powerful and torquey engine
Projector headlamps (first & only in India)
Comfortable seating posture
Cons:
Low quality of parts
Rear brake is poor
Sluggish handling
6th Gear missing
Fairing vibrations
Pricing & Competition :
City Price
Delhi Rs. 71,000 (ex-showroom)
Other bikes in the league:
At the price that this bike is offered, the only other bikes that can be considered by a potential Pulsar 220 buyer are the Apache RTR 180 and the Karizma ZMA. The Pulsar 220 clearly beats the Apache and the ZMA when only performance specs are considered but it fails to satisfy the other departments of biking that the Karizma fulfils very well and the Apache partly. If your aim is to buy a completely performance oriented bike that is solely built for performance riding, you may shell out those extra bucks for the Yamaha R15.
