Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-i Test Ride Review

[TSIVipul]

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Bajaj Auto ltd. in the beginning of 21st century was nowhere but on the brink of disaster in the wake of the rapidly changing preference of Indian two wheeler buyers. The bread and butter model ‘Chetak’ from Bajaj was also losing its charm among the buyers and the way buyers turned to motorcycles leaving the scooters behind simply stunned everyone including Bajaj – the manufacturer who was relying on the scooters only to stay in market as a mainstream player.
For the first time motorcycles overtook scooters in the sales with Hero Honda(Presently Hero Motocorp) leading this revolution in Indian two wheeler industry with TVS soon to become the second largest two wheeler manufacturer of India. Taken by surprise, Bajaj also tried to join the brigade in late 90’s with Kawasaki Bajaj Caliber 100, which actually added more to the ailment of the manufacturer with a lot of issues in quality and very high warranty costs. Adding more to the ailment was the fact that this motorcycle, instead of getting the buyers to the dealership floors, did more harm to the reputation of the manufacturer by winning a 'high on maintenance and low on reliability' tag for itself.
Although Bajaj entered into 21st century as a struggling motorcycle maker with Hero Honda and TVS leading it in sales. But, Bajaj, which had now decided to face this challenge alone and on its own, under the leadership of its new charismatic leader Rajiv Bajaj had decided not to let it go that easily. Rest is the story – the story of an epic comeback and a revolution they created.

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The entire motorcycling scene in India took a revolutionary leap towards performance biking since 24th November 2001 when Bajaj took the covers off its new offerings which were the Pulsar twins, with 150 and 180 cc engines on offering. These were the street motorcycles which were built towards nothing but performance and style factors dominating everything else. The motorcycle that simply twisted the rules of the game with its brash, individualistic and testosterone fueled style. The buyers simply queued for getting their hands on the Pulsar and Bajaj kicked off its journey with high sales figures in a completely different style, the story continued for years with Pulsar still selling like hot cakes.
On the other hand, the success of the 225cc Karizma from Hero Honda again proved the existence of a market where, although a bit low, but still was the demand for some more powerful motorcycles than merely 150 or 180cc ones, after all there was still an empty void between the 150/180cc and the quarter liter or above class. Bajaj identified the opportunity quite well and once again played its card and introduced two Pulsars in 2007 with 200 and 220 cc engines respectively. Pulsar 200 was soon phased off in 2009, while the Pulsar 220 continued to woo the younger buyers by keeping them ‘Distinctly Ahead’ since the day of its launch.

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Introduced in July 2007, The Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi was not only a Pulsar equipped with a 220 cc mill but there was a lot more then what met the eyes. The motorcycle sported a lot of equipment and features which were never seen in the segment before. Fuel injection, oil cooling, rear disk brakes, clip on handlebars, semi fairing with projector headlamp for low beam and ellipsoidal for high beam stacked above it and split seats were some striking new features. The digital dash stayed the same as of its low capacity siblings with the warning lights for high engine temperature, choking of air filer, insufficient engine oil, and poor battery state.

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This motorcycle was powered by a 220cc fuel injected mill which produced a peak power of 20.00ps @ 8500 RPM and a peak torque of 19.12Nm @ 6500 RPM. These figures were enough to set the hearts of the youth racing but the steep price of this motorcycle made it more of a desired bike rather than a success story. Bajaj soon realized what was missing and soon in 2009 replaced the fuel injection system in the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi with India’s largest Venturi Carburetor, played some trickery on the motorcycle and reconfigured it to churn out a peak power of 21.04ps @ 8500 RPM with the peak torque remaining unchanged at 19.12Nm but now at 7000 RPM. All black theme was now introduced on the Pulsar 220 and remained to be the only visual difference between the fuel injected and the new carb version.

 

[TSIVipul]

Specifications:

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Design and Styling:

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There is no point is calling looks a subjective matter. The Pulsar 220 is actually a seriously good looking motorcycle and moreover it looks more of a motorcycle that is built for performance and a bit more of it. Clearly it is a very bold looking motorcycle with a semi faired muscular front along with the Pulsar signature meaty fuel tank after which the panels start tapering towards the rear. Hate it or love it, but this motorcycle has got a unique look of its own.

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The semi fairing up front houses the headlights with a projector for low beam and an ellipsoidal high beam stacked over it. On the sides of the upper or high beam lamp are the pilot lamps which when illuminated during the dark hours, make it somewhat a wolf look alike. While if the headlight is also illuminated in high beam then you get the sense of a Cyclops look alike. Along with the headlights, the fairing houses a big windscreen which definitely comes handy while doing some serious speeds. The rear view mirrors, though small, are also mounted on the fairing and as a result they also do vibrate with any vibrations at the fairing. In fact, they do pass the amplified vibration to the mirrors through the connecting rods and hence you can easily find them vibrating to an uncomfortable level at speeds, and this affects the rear view a lot. Big indicator lights are well placed and are well illuminated too, as a result the opposite coming traffic can easily notice your indications – good for your safety.
The only issue we faced with the fairing was a well known issue with this motorcycle. The fairing does start rattling as early as 500 kilometers on odometer and rattles at an annoying rate at times. This issue can be resolved by inserting the rubber pieces into the fairing joints. Though this can be done by the owners themselves but it would have been better if Bajaj would have resolved this issue themselves, especially when the issue is known to all and is present in the motorcycle since its launch in 2007.
Side profile of this motorcycle is a combination of new and old. The front half can be easily differentiated from the 150 and 180cc siblings of this motorcycle as both of them come equipped with a bikini fairing, while this elder brother has got a semi-faired styling. Although the fuel tank remains the same as of other sibling, but the fairing adds a bit more character to it. In fact, the fairing is so well executed that the fuel tank looks more of an extension of the fairing itself. The rear half is definitely the disappointing part of the design and only a well trained eye can differentiate the Pulsar 220 from its younger siblings. In fact, it looks so much identical to the Pulsar 180 that except for the rear disk brake, one can’t spot any other difference at all. Definitely the part sharing has helped a lot in keeping the costs down, but it is attained at an expense of loss of image too to an extent.

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What’s even more disappointing than the rear half of the side profile is the rear styling of this motorcycle. Although the wide rear tire and the big exhaust tip do add to the presence but still this motorcycle looks a lot identical to other Pulsars, especially the Pulsar 180, on which an identical tire does the duty at the rear. Unless one knows the motorcycles pretty well, one might be confused over which Pulsar engine the rider is sitting on.

 

[TSIVipul]

Ergonomics and Switch gear:
Front fairing is the distinguishing element which sets this Pulsar apart from its small hearted siblings but it is somewhat more like an additional weight which neither hugely aid the aerodynamics of the motorcycle nor the mirrors housed on the fairing do serve their purpose very well. In fact if one is having a big frame then the mirrors may end up showing one his own belly and chest and for the people with an average frame, only a fraction of the mirror(as shown in the image below) is usable which gives the rear view but that is also mixed with a lot of vibrations if the motorcycle is munching miles at a quick pace.

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The console of this motorcycle consists of a big digital readout on the right with a tachometer on the left. The digital readout shows the basic vehicle information like speed, fuel level, twin trip meters, and warning indicators for vehicle battery malfunctioning, air filter clogging indicator, low engine oil indicator and engine overheat warning indicator. The speed display is the dominating in the digital display with the fonts big enough to be easily recognizable; definitely it is a welcome move by Bajaj.
On the left of the digital readout is the 'big' tachometer with red line at 10k rpm and a multipurpose amber light on the lower right of the tachometer. This light indicates low fuel level by coming ‘on’ at the time the fuel level is below 1/4th of the full tank or below 3 partitions of the 12 partition scale of the fuel level. This light also serves the purpose of an over-rev warning too by blinking once the tachometer needle touches/crosses the 10k mark.

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The palm grips remain unchanged from the 150 and 180cc Pulsar siblings from the early days itself and that is something we would have liked to be changed. The grips are hard and not very much grippy too. In fact one maybe easily get slight pain in hand while negotiating the traffic, also during the summer days, the grips become even less effective when the hands of the rider are sweaty. A bit softer and better grips would have been a welcome move.

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The switch gear on the left portion of the handlebar consists of horn, indicator gear for self cancelling indicators and headlight adjustment switch.

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On the other side of the housing lies the pass light switch which can be operated by the finger. The switches are back lit in white for night use, which makes them easy to use for the beginners. The buttons are ergonomically well placed and work with a crisp feel but the poor fit and finish(as seen in the picture) is a big letdown. A better fit and finish like as seen on the Pulsar 200 NS would have been wonderful though.

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The switch gear on the right hand side consists of engine kill switch at the top in reddish orange color, headlight switch just below it and the self starter button at the bottom. The switches do work well and seem to last long but the fit and finish still remains to be poor.

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The aircraft type fuel tank lid is easy to open and since it is hinged, so it adds to the ease while filling but the net quality and finishing is still not the top notch. Many small details are simply missed on this motorcycle, something that one won’t find on the motorcycles from brands like Yamaha.

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The double tone horns may look small but are loud and effective. A welcome it is, considering the fact that horn is extensively required to be used on Indian roads.

Seating position on this motorcycle is somewhere between sporty and comfortable. The riders do sit upright with the knees pushed a bit back to give the sporty stance. But, the handlebar is a bit high set for the downright sporty position. Seating position is more identical to that of a sports tourer and that is a good thing. Rider seat is well placed and is having good cushioning too, still, the long rides do take their toll and the rider can get painful shoulders and neck. The pillion seat is not a very good place to be on, neither it’s as well placed as that of the rider nor do the suspension does any help.

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The grab rails may seem useless to look at but they have enough space for the pillion to grip them with his/her hands while riding.

 

[TSIVipul]

View attachment 146679​

The foot pegs are still the same old rubber padded ones and that is not a good thing. These foot pegs do offer problem while folding/unfolding them. Added to this are the metallic edges coming out, which make the thing look out of place. In fact, when Bajaj is offering better foot pegs even on some models of the Discover range and the Pulsar 200 NS, this is a big let down on this motorcycle.

View attachment 146680​

The housing under the seat on the left hand side contains the battery. What’s surprising is that the battery is again a lead acid type while Bajaj introduced the maintenance free dry batteries a couple of years back and soon withdrew them due to longevity concerns. Except the battery, this housing contains the fuse box and the seat opening arrangement. The yellow above on the extreme right can be pulled for detaching the pillion seat which has a small storage compartment under it that can be used for storing papers etc. While the blue one on the lower right of the battery can be used for detaching the rider seat.

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The center stand of the motorcycle is good for putting the motorcycle on the stand but poses to be a problem while cornering hard as well as while negotiating the bad surfaces. The center stand is a bit too much low slung and hence easily bruise on the bigger speed breakers or on bad patches and if you have a pillion with you, then the situation even worsens. Also while cornering hard, this stand has a tendency to bruise with the road surface which not only limits the cornering capability of the motorcycle, but also poses to be a threat to the rider safety while cornering as it takes out the grip from the rear wheel by taking some weight on itself. Hence for the corner carvers, removing the main stand is a must.

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The low slung center stand can be observed in the above picture. Even during mild cornering, the stand tends to touch the road surface which not only limits the corner carving capability of the motorcycle, but also poses threat to the safety while cornering.

 

[TSIVipul]

Engine, Gearbox and Performance:

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DTS-i technology has proved to be the trump card for Bajaj in the motorcycle business. This path breaking technology not only gave performance and reliability to the Bajaj motorcycles, but also proved to be exceptionally fuel efficient too. Pulsar 150 and 180 also do feature the same technology with the air cooled engines but the 220cc elder brother has moved a step ahead and is equipped with air and oil cooling for its engine.

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The oil cooling helps cool the engine oil and hence retain the viscosity of the engine oil even after 100+ kilometers of hard riding. This not only helps aid proper lubrication, but also enhances the performance too along with an enhancement in the engine life in long run.

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Bajaj has smartly placed the oil cooler at a position where it gets optimum air supply(and keeps it safe from water too) at any speed for oil cooling.

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While the grille placed just ahead of the cooler is meant to keep the cooler safe from external debris or any other external agent which can puncture or fracture the walls of the cooling coils.

With the peak power output of 21.04ps at 8500 RPM and a peak torque of 19.12Nm at 7000 RPM, this motorcycle has got enough of the performance for plastering a grin on the face of rider. It is due to the ExhausTEC(Torque Expansion Chamber) technology, that the low end and mid range torque offered by this engine is already fantastic, while the top end is already smashing.
The wide torque spread and a quick revving nature of the engine makes this motorcycle seriously quick for its segment with 60 kph coming under 4 seconds and 100 kph coming under 11 seconds from a standstill. The torque is very well spread throughout the rev range this motorcycle simply pulls in any gear if your tachometer needle is hovering anywhere near 2k mark. In fact, this motorcycle has got such a fantastic torque spread that it pulls straight from 30 kph to 130 kph in fifth gear itself(with rider and pillion)without much drama, sounds nice, it is.

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The power keeps on building as the tachometer needle keeps on climbing towards the redline, but it is between the 6000 and 9000 rpm where the real sweet spot lies. The power is smashing at this range and needs a good hand at times, especially if the surface is a bit loose. Only issue is with the engine that feels strained after 9k mark and is not having the refinement or the free revving nature of, say, a Pulsar 200 NS.
The only thing we feel missing is an additional 6th gear. A bit tighter ratios with an additional 6th gear would have given this motorcycle even longer legs as well as a better FE too.
Make no mistake, this engine is not a fuel guzzler. This is a DTS-I engine and is fuel efficient for its size. The motorcycle returned us even above 40 kilometers a liter on highways while riding sedately and around 35 kpl while riding spiritedly. In the city, one can easily expect 35 kilometers for a liter of petrol.

 

[TSIVipul]

Ride and Handling:

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The best part about the way the Pulsars have evolved has been the way Bajaj has improved the handling of these motorcycles day by day. On the Pulsar 220, Bajaj has equipped this motorcycle with MRF Nylogrip Zapper tubeless semi slick tires which have significantly turned this superbly fast motorcycle into a nimble handler. Pulsar 220 has a fairly good grip considering the fact that this is a street-sports motorcycle, but what eclipses the handling of the motorcycle is the low slung center stand that simply eclipses the cornering capability of the motorcycle. Good throttle response aids the handling of the motorcycle and hence this motorcycle feels more confident while exiting corners rather than entering them. Even after spending a lot of time behind the wheel, one doesn’t gain much confidence to take some hard corners, maybe the high set center of gravity and a long wheelbase played the spoilsport here. This motorcycle can also prove to be tricky on wet or slippery surface and can get even handful if anything goes out of sync.
On the wet and skiddy surface the handing can get even trickier, especially when the braking performance of the motorcycle is not very good. Although Bajaj has replaced the older KBX brakes with the Bybre from Brembo for improving the braking performance but a lot is still left to be desired.

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Still with a not so confident braking performance, getting out of the emergency situations can prove to be very difficult. Still when we compare this motorcycle to its smaller siblings, then this one has undoubtedly a better braking and handling. High speed stability and straight line stability are very good due to long wheelbase and the motorcycle is fairly easy to control in the traffic too.

Verdict:
As a street sport, this motorcycle is expected to offer a very fine balance between comfort and sportiness, something that it does quite well. The Pulsar 220 is definitely a performance oriented motorcycle; the torque it offers is simply fantastic and can easily pump one’s adrenaline high any day. If sheer pulling power of a motorcycle is what one is looking for, then this motorcycle is the one to go for. Simply taken, it just pulls and even more of it with a prod of throttle. If one overlooks all other cons of this motorcycle then the ‘Fastest Indian’ is definitely ‘Distinctly Ahead’ of the competition in terms of outright power and performance. The price point this motorcycle is available at, it is a default choice for every performance seeker. The quality of the product needs a vast improvement in various areas to meet the current market standards. This motorcycle is equipped with amazing headlamps, good seating posture and a torque spread that is well distributed along with a good high speed stability and an engine than simply loves to pull, all these make for a good sports tourer. Then Pulsar 220 is one! It’s just that riders need to be ready to fight the stiff backs and aching neck at the end of every tour, or maybe every day.

What we like:

• Powerful and torque engine
• Fuel efficiency and reliability
• Projector headlamps
• Seating posture
• Ride quality and straight line stability

What we dislike:

• Low quality parts
• Poor fit and finish at points
• Brakes
• Sluggish handling
• Missing 6th gear
• Rattling parts like fairing etc

Ratings:

• Engine:
  
• Performance:
  
• Ride and Handling:
  
• Comfort:
  
• Styling:
  
• Ergonomics:
  
• Fuel Economy:
  
• Value for Money:
  

 

[350Z]

Note: Thread Now Live. Awesome review, Vipul.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Iron Rock]

Vipul Absolute QUALITY stuff !

Vibhor this should go to the official section what say ?

Btw can you please comment on the front and rear suspension and ride quality aspect ?

 

[generalmax]

Good review. Taken it out part by part. Would like a review like this for Avenger too .

 

[TSIVipul]

Note: Thread Now Live. Awesome review, Vipul.

Drive Safe,
350Z

Thanks a lot sirji..

Vipul Absolute QUALITY stuff !

Btw can you please comment on the front and rear suspension and ride quality aspect ?

Thanks a lot sirji.
Will get it done for sure as soon as possible, just give me a day or two max.

Good review. Taken it out part by part. Would like a review like this for Avenger too .

Thanks a lot buddy, Avenger is a completely different animal. Noted down, will do it for sure in near future.

 

[cjdavid75]

Re: Front Wheel Drive or Rear Wheel Drive. Your Choice?

Hi
My question for you is
Hows your bike and its FE and maintenance? (im planning for a 220cc)

 

[CarLoverJosh]

Congrats Vipul on owning one of the most capable sports-touring bikes in india. Wishing you many more happy miles.

 

[TSIVipul]

Hi
My question for you is
Hows your bike and its FE and maintenance? (im planning for a 220cc)

Well sorry for replying late, here goes the answer to your question:

1) Fuel EconomyI am regularly getting is around 40 kpl overall. So it is safe to say that the FE keeps on hovering between 35 and 45 in city and highway runs simultaneously, needed you ride the motorcycle sanely without over revving. In case of spirited riding, you can expect 30-35 kpl.

2) Maintenance is a bit on the higher side. There are issues like rattling and all but yes, nothing like headache. A bit of maintenance is there and you can easily expect an average expense of 1000 per service. This motorcycle is knows to be a bit notorious for having the clutch plates gone and getting the tires worn out in short intervals of 15-20k kms but I haven't faced anything like that in my ownership till date. With 31k kms on odo I am yet to get the tires and clutch replaced. Only front tire is nearly worn out and rear one will safely last at least 10k kms more with clutch is expected to go at least 5k kms more as per service station guys. Also my chain sprocket also got replaced at 27k kms on odo. And yes, I am not a slow/snail rider and frequently keep on doing 130-140 kph as well as revving too; its just that I pay a bit of care while doing it.

My take: Reliable machine it is overall, but yes; like any other motorcycle in this segment this motorcycle is also a bit sensitive and hence requires a bit of care bout proper servicing, fuel quality and proper riding habits and you can expect to have a fuss free ownership from this motorcycle. There are no so called reliability issues faced by me till date and it is my second Pulsar 220, first one I rode till 50k+ on odo and a friend bought it forcefully from me.
I'd say, this motorcycle will prove to be a good buy and I recommend it any day.

Any more queries are welcome.

Congrats Vipul on owning one of the most capable sports-touring bikes in india. Wishing you many more happy miles.

Thank you sirji, no doubt this motorcycle is a fantastic sports tourer and I must say that this motorcycle is definitely very VFM for the money it demands.

 

[CarLoverJosh]

Just one more question , what do you plan on doing with the Centre Stand?

 

[TSIVipul]

Just one more question , what do you plan on doing with the Centre Stand?

With my next set of tires, which is definitely going to be grippy-er ones, I'd simply get the center stand removed.
Though it works as a safety too as it never lets me take turns at dangerous speeds and since I am uncomfy with elbow/knee guards or biking jacket(I have them all but never wear them) so if anything goes wrong while doing some serious cornering can simply get me scratching the road surface