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I am Reetabrata from Mumbai and I have owned/ridden different motorcycles over the last 6 years of my life. This review/ownership experience is about my Bajaj Pulsar 200NS, which Bajaj auto has been bragging about as the ‘Best Pulsar Yet’.
How it found its place in my garage
I was on the lookout in the market for a focused handling and reasonably comfortable machine that could suffice my regular commuting as well as occasional touring duties. The P200NS was definitely on my list, frantically looked up all published reviews and opinions most of them by the automobile experts. Didn't come across a single negative review of the 200NS, wowww now that was something!!!!! Many reviewers claimed that the smoothness of the 200NS can definitely be compared to a Honda or a Yamaha product.
Looks and Styling
Nothing much to mention in this section as we all know, looks are subjective. The Pulsar 200NS looks like no Pulsar has ever looked before, attention to detail and intense concentration of the designers has made the bike what it is today. The offered colour options are also pretty thoughtful and gels well with the overall persona of the bike. The seats personally are not to my liking as they are too hard to not feel undulations on Bombay roads. However the seating position isn’t cramped and even a tall rider finds it comfortable to putter around town in this bike. Cockpit instrumentation is definitely practical with all necessary information on display.
Performance and Breaking
Honestly I find it difficult to come to terms with the entire hype surrounding the performance and technology of the 200NS. Liquid cooling is a great feature included by Bajaj but the Triple Spark technology didn’t feel convincing at all. Agreed that addition of more spark plugs was to enable efficient combustion of the Air-Fuel mixture in order to boost fuel efficiency and performance, but as good as it sounds in technical terms real world picture atleast in my case was different.
I completed the bike’s running-in procedure as per the Owner’s Manual but despite that, performance wasn't great for a 23.5 bhp engine. I have tried drag racing with a P220F DTSi and was surprised coz my 200NS had to struggle to match the 220 on an open highway (NH4). The issues I faced on my Pulsar 200NS were as follows:-
• Excessive vibrations on the petrol tank, both rider and pillion seat and handlebars starting from 5500 rpm and extending all the way upto 10,500 rpm
• On a trip to Baroda for a friend’s marriage, I had a very hard time riding with all the vibrations filtering through me at constant 90-100 kmph speeds. The vibrations make it very difficult to ride the bike over a long distance; I had to take a break every half an hour. Just to remind the readers that I have lived with Bullets for 3 good years and hence high speed vibrations weren’t new to me, just that the ones on the 200NS proved unbearable.
• Coolant overflow was a common issue which the SVC failed to rectify
• At expressway speeds above 100 kmph, instability was felt especially at the front wheel, my suspicion the tyres weren’t upto the mark
• The bike’s straight line stability goes for a toss on open highways in the presence of even mild to average magnitude of cross-winds
• The bike’s performance takes a hit again on open highways due to headwinds. I suppose a technologically advanced bike like the 200NS should be able to endure atleast headwinds if not crosswinds. On one particular occasion on my way to Pune, I encountered decently strong headwinds in the Khopoli Ghat section and believe me, it was difficult to steer the bike in the intended direction.
One positive aspect of the bike that I wish to highlight is the presence of very efficient brakes. Those Bybre disc brakes do their job extremely well at all times, though there is a tendency of the rear brake to lock up under hard braking. In emergency situations, depressing the front brake by a substantial amount doesn’t lead to locking up or skidding.
Handling and Comfort
Handling is an area where the 200NS has improved by leaps and bounds as compared to older Pulsar models. The bike is very easy to chuck into corners as well as to weave in and out through traffic. Even high speed cornering on highways feels easy, mid corner bumps or undulations are flattened out by the suspension. The stock Eurogrip tyres were decent in terms of grip around corners in wet conditions, but a change of tyres to soft compound rubber would do a world of good in enhancing the motorcycle’s mid corner grip.
The front suspension of the bike is a conventional hydraulic fork type. The rear is a Nitrox charged Mono-shock. The rear suspension setup is too stiff and ends up bruising the rider and pillion’s buttocks. The stiffness of the front forks is good in practice as that adds to stability under hard braking by reducing fork dive. But the rear mono-shock disappoints by not providing the slightest of comfort on the minutest road undulations. Irrespective of whether it is a male or a female friend on the pillion seat, they time-and-again complained of lower back pain. I was myself uncomfortable most of the times going on bad patches on the road or small potholes, which unfortunately is aplenty in Bombay. My tailbone suffered in the process of riding the bike everyday from home to office and back (a good 65 kms to and fro combined). I tried setting the suspension to a softer setting (at position 1 & 2) but honestly it improved the comfort quotient by only 10-15%.
Designing the seats is where Bajaj seems to have gone all wrong. I felt both rider and pillion seat insufficiently padded, again as against the opinion of auto experts. The rider seat lacks sufficient width for a 36 inches waist size like mine, the edges of the seat exerts pressure on the pelvic girdle causing long rides to turn painful. A customized Seat Cover with a thin layer of soft foam in it should be the solution for anyone looking to tour on this bike. But as I mentioned earlier, touring would still be a painful experience considering the frequency and magnitude of consistent vibrations that filters through the body of the rider and pillion.
Fuel Economy
This is the department where the Pulsar 200NS doesn’t disappoint, it returned me a steady 40 kmpl in Bombay city and 42 kmpl on highways. I stuck to premium petrol (Speed) right from day 1. The bike’s puny 12 litre tank is definitely sufficient for a 400-450 odd kms ride. But all this doesn’t give reason enough for Bajaj to incorporate the ‘Triple Spark’ technology which is apparently supposed to boost fuel economy and combustion. Duke 200 returns around 36-38 kmpl in the city as well, despite being far more aggressive than the 200NS. So it’s clear that the 200NS doesn’t beat the Duke by any appreciable margin when it comes to fuel efficiency.
Pulsar 220F vs. Pulsar 200NS
In my opinion, the Pulsar 220F DTSi is a far better bet than the 200NS due to the below mentioned reasons:-
• Headlights – The projector headlight setup on the P220 is by far one of the best on an Indian bike. Agreed the 200NS also has a good headlight setup, but night riding on highways (something that I cherish doing often) will see the P220 headlight setup light years ahead of the 200NS.
• Stability – The Pulsar 220 DTSi is by far one of the most stable bikes in its category, even in the face of strong cross/head winds. The 200NS as I already mentioned is definitely not as stable as the P220 on open highways. The P220 due to the addition of a bikini faring is far steadier and completely at home doing 100 kmph+ speeds on a National Highway or an expressway.
• Tyres – The P220 is blessed with soft compound MRF Zappers which grip very well on wet roads. The 200NS wears Eurogrip tyres which have decent grip but not at par with the soft compound Zappers.
• Refinement/Smoothness – The P220’s DTSi engine is a tried and tested one, it is surely a lot more refined as compared to the 200NS, which is extremely vibey as already mentioned.
• Fuel Economy – The P220 delivers better fuel economy as compared to the 200NS, both in the city and on highways. The P220 even if ridden at high speeds on highways can still deliver a decent 45 kmpl.
• Comfort – The P220 is definitely comfortable on city roads as well as highways, seats of the P220 has better foaming and is wider than the 200NS. The bikini faring comprising of a windshield in the P220, gives the rider the added advantage of wind protection, which is not even available as an option on the P200NS.
• Self-cancelling Indicators – This is a feature which even though very useful, is absent on the 200NS. Surprising bit is that the backlit switches of the P220 found its way on the 200NS but not the Self-cancelling indicator feature.
• Handling – The P200NS is an excellent handling bike no doubt, the mono-shock and the stiff chassis only makes the handling deal sweeter. Climbing winding ghats on the 200NS is an absolute delight. The P220 on the other hand was never portrayed as a handling bike, its handling prowess may not be in the league of the 200NS but, it does handle pretty well on curves as well as in ghats. The soft compound tyres on the P220 aid in the bike’s mid-corner stability and therefore, doesn’t stress or hamper the rider’s confidence when riding through curves.
• Brakes – Braking is a department in which the 200NS is light years ahead of the P220. The Bybre disk brake setup on the NS has tremendous bite, thereby increasing the rider’s confidence as compared to the Bybre setup on the P220 which lacks bite. The rear disk brake on the P220 is literally of no use, especially with a pillion on-board.
The Verdict
The Pulsar 200NS is not worth a buy unless Bajaj sorts out its un-refinement and vibration issues. It looks to me as if Bajaj were in a tearing hurry to launch the 200NS in an attempt to counter the CBR and R15 V2 onslaught. I sincerely advise prospective buyers of the Pulsar 200NS to go for the KTM Duke 200 if they can afford to spare Rs. 1.5-odd lakh or blindly go for the Pulsar 220 DTSi as it’s a bike that has stood the test of time, since competition has upped its stake in the 200cc+ segment.
I was fed up of approaching Bajaj SVC time and again to sort out the issues on my 200NS but alas, even Bajaj’s western region Service Head Mr. Santosh from Pune failed to resolve the problems despite repeated attempts. He finally gave up saying those famous words – “Arre boss, yeh 200NS model aisa hi hain. Aap vibrations par dhyaan mat dijiye, bas chalaiye.” Post hearing these words from the devil himself (Customer Service Head), I sold off the bike for 72K.
P.S. - Readers kindly note that I am no Bajaj product basher, in fact I hold a great deal of appreciation for Bajaj’s aggressive strategy in the domestic market. In a country where “kitna deti hain” still matters to 80% of the population, Bajaj is doing a good job in offering a blend of performance and fuel economy to the youth. I have owned and appreciated the Pulsar brand right since its inception. I still own a Pulsar 220F DTSi which is serving my purpose adequately both in city and on highways. The Pulsar 200NS needs a good deal of re-working from Bajaj in order to make it a better rider’s bike.
How it found its place in my garage
I was on the lookout in the market for a focused handling and reasonably comfortable machine that could suffice my regular commuting as well as occasional touring duties. The P200NS was definitely on my list, frantically looked up all published reviews and opinions most of them by the automobile experts. Didn't come across a single negative review of the 200NS, wowww now that was something!!!!! Many reviewers claimed that the smoothness of the 200NS can definitely be compared to a Honda or a Yamaha product.
Looks and Styling
Nothing much to mention in this section as we all know, looks are subjective. The Pulsar 200NS looks like no Pulsar has ever looked before, attention to detail and intense concentration of the designers has made the bike what it is today. The offered colour options are also pretty thoughtful and gels well with the overall persona of the bike. The seats personally are not to my liking as they are too hard to not feel undulations on Bombay roads. However the seating position isn’t cramped and even a tall rider finds it comfortable to putter around town in this bike. Cockpit instrumentation is definitely practical with all necessary information on display.
Performance and Breaking
Honestly I find it difficult to come to terms with the entire hype surrounding the performance and technology of the 200NS. Liquid cooling is a great feature included by Bajaj but the Triple Spark technology didn’t feel convincing at all. Agreed that addition of more spark plugs was to enable efficient combustion of the Air-Fuel mixture in order to boost fuel efficiency and performance, but as good as it sounds in technical terms real world picture atleast in my case was different.
I completed the bike’s running-in procedure as per the Owner’s Manual but despite that, performance wasn't great for a 23.5 bhp engine. I have tried drag racing with a P220F DTSi and was surprised coz my 200NS had to struggle to match the 220 on an open highway (NH4). The issues I faced on my Pulsar 200NS were as follows:-
• Excessive vibrations on the petrol tank, both rider and pillion seat and handlebars starting from 5500 rpm and extending all the way upto 10,500 rpm
• On a trip to Baroda for a friend’s marriage, I had a very hard time riding with all the vibrations filtering through me at constant 90-100 kmph speeds. The vibrations make it very difficult to ride the bike over a long distance; I had to take a break every half an hour. Just to remind the readers that I have lived with Bullets for 3 good years and hence high speed vibrations weren’t new to me, just that the ones on the 200NS proved unbearable.
• Coolant overflow was a common issue which the SVC failed to rectify
• At expressway speeds above 100 kmph, instability was felt especially at the front wheel, my suspicion the tyres weren’t upto the mark
• The bike’s straight line stability goes for a toss on open highways in the presence of even mild to average magnitude of cross-winds
• The bike’s performance takes a hit again on open highways due to headwinds. I suppose a technologically advanced bike like the 200NS should be able to endure atleast headwinds if not crosswinds. On one particular occasion on my way to Pune, I encountered decently strong headwinds in the Khopoli Ghat section and believe me, it was difficult to steer the bike in the intended direction.
One positive aspect of the bike that I wish to highlight is the presence of very efficient brakes. Those Bybre disc brakes do their job extremely well at all times, though there is a tendency of the rear brake to lock up under hard braking. In emergency situations, depressing the front brake by a substantial amount doesn’t lead to locking up or skidding.
Handling and Comfort
Handling is an area where the 200NS has improved by leaps and bounds as compared to older Pulsar models. The bike is very easy to chuck into corners as well as to weave in and out through traffic. Even high speed cornering on highways feels easy, mid corner bumps or undulations are flattened out by the suspension. The stock Eurogrip tyres were decent in terms of grip around corners in wet conditions, but a change of tyres to soft compound rubber would do a world of good in enhancing the motorcycle’s mid corner grip.
The front suspension of the bike is a conventional hydraulic fork type. The rear is a Nitrox charged Mono-shock. The rear suspension setup is too stiff and ends up bruising the rider and pillion’s buttocks. The stiffness of the front forks is good in practice as that adds to stability under hard braking by reducing fork dive. But the rear mono-shock disappoints by not providing the slightest of comfort on the minutest road undulations. Irrespective of whether it is a male or a female friend on the pillion seat, they time-and-again complained of lower back pain. I was myself uncomfortable most of the times going on bad patches on the road or small potholes, which unfortunately is aplenty in Bombay. My tailbone suffered in the process of riding the bike everyday from home to office and back (a good 65 kms to and fro combined). I tried setting the suspension to a softer setting (at position 1 & 2) but honestly it improved the comfort quotient by only 10-15%.
Designing the seats is where Bajaj seems to have gone all wrong. I felt both rider and pillion seat insufficiently padded, again as against the opinion of auto experts. The rider seat lacks sufficient width for a 36 inches waist size like mine, the edges of the seat exerts pressure on the pelvic girdle causing long rides to turn painful. A customized Seat Cover with a thin layer of soft foam in it should be the solution for anyone looking to tour on this bike. But as I mentioned earlier, touring would still be a painful experience considering the frequency and magnitude of consistent vibrations that filters through the body of the rider and pillion.
Fuel Economy
This is the department where the Pulsar 200NS doesn’t disappoint, it returned me a steady 40 kmpl in Bombay city and 42 kmpl on highways. I stuck to premium petrol (Speed) right from day 1. The bike’s puny 12 litre tank is definitely sufficient for a 400-450 odd kms ride. But all this doesn’t give reason enough for Bajaj to incorporate the ‘Triple Spark’ technology which is apparently supposed to boost fuel economy and combustion. Duke 200 returns around 36-38 kmpl in the city as well, despite being far more aggressive than the 200NS. So it’s clear that the 200NS doesn’t beat the Duke by any appreciable margin when it comes to fuel efficiency.
Pulsar 220F vs. Pulsar 200NS
In my opinion, the Pulsar 220F DTSi is a far better bet than the 200NS due to the below mentioned reasons:-
• Headlights – The projector headlight setup on the P220 is by far one of the best on an Indian bike. Agreed the 200NS also has a good headlight setup, but night riding on highways (something that I cherish doing often) will see the P220 headlight setup light years ahead of the 200NS.
• Stability – The Pulsar 220 DTSi is by far one of the most stable bikes in its category, even in the face of strong cross/head winds. The 200NS as I already mentioned is definitely not as stable as the P220 on open highways. The P220 due to the addition of a bikini faring is far steadier and completely at home doing 100 kmph+ speeds on a National Highway or an expressway.
• Tyres – The P220 is blessed with soft compound MRF Zappers which grip very well on wet roads. The 200NS wears Eurogrip tyres which have decent grip but not at par with the soft compound Zappers.
• Refinement/Smoothness – The P220’s DTSi engine is a tried and tested one, it is surely a lot more refined as compared to the 200NS, which is extremely vibey as already mentioned.
• Fuel Economy – The P220 delivers better fuel economy as compared to the 200NS, both in the city and on highways. The P220 even if ridden at high speeds on highways can still deliver a decent 45 kmpl.
• Comfort – The P220 is definitely comfortable on city roads as well as highways, seats of the P220 has better foaming and is wider than the 200NS. The bikini faring comprising of a windshield in the P220, gives the rider the added advantage of wind protection, which is not even available as an option on the P200NS.
• Self-cancelling Indicators – This is a feature which even though very useful, is absent on the 200NS. Surprising bit is that the backlit switches of the P220 found its way on the 200NS but not the Self-cancelling indicator feature.
• Handling – The P200NS is an excellent handling bike no doubt, the mono-shock and the stiff chassis only makes the handling deal sweeter. Climbing winding ghats on the 200NS is an absolute delight. The P220 on the other hand was never portrayed as a handling bike, its handling prowess may not be in the league of the 200NS but, it does handle pretty well on curves as well as in ghats. The soft compound tyres on the P220 aid in the bike’s mid-corner stability and therefore, doesn’t stress or hamper the rider’s confidence when riding through curves.
• Brakes – Braking is a department in which the 200NS is light years ahead of the P220. The Bybre disk brake setup on the NS has tremendous bite, thereby increasing the rider’s confidence as compared to the Bybre setup on the P220 which lacks bite. The rear disk brake on the P220 is literally of no use, especially with a pillion on-board.
The Verdict
The Pulsar 200NS is not worth a buy unless Bajaj sorts out its un-refinement and vibration issues. It looks to me as if Bajaj were in a tearing hurry to launch the 200NS in an attempt to counter the CBR and R15 V2 onslaught. I sincerely advise prospective buyers of the Pulsar 200NS to go for the KTM Duke 200 if they can afford to spare Rs. 1.5-odd lakh or blindly go for the Pulsar 220 DTSi as it’s a bike that has stood the test of time, since competition has upped its stake in the 200cc+ segment.
I was fed up of approaching Bajaj SVC time and again to sort out the issues on my 200NS but alas, even Bajaj’s western region Service Head Mr. Santosh from Pune failed to resolve the problems despite repeated attempts. He finally gave up saying those famous words – “Arre boss, yeh 200NS model aisa hi hain. Aap vibrations par dhyaan mat dijiye, bas chalaiye.” Post hearing these words from the devil himself (Customer Service Head), I sold off the bike for 72K.
P.S. - Readers kindly note that I am no Bajaj product basher, in fact I hold a great deal of appreciation for Bajaj’s aggressive strategy in the domestic market. In a country where “kitna deti hain” still matters to 80% of the population, Bajaj is doing a good job in offering a blend of performance and fuel economy to the youth. I have owned and appreciated the Pulsar brand right since its inception. I still own a Pulsar 220F DTSi which is serving my purpose adequately both in city and on highways. The Pulsar 200NS needs a good deal of re-working from Bajaj in order to make it a better rider’s bike.
