Bajaj Pulsar RS200 Review

We got a chance to test ride Bajaj Pulsar RS200 – the bike which grabbed all the headlines in Indian motorcycles arena even before its launch in April. As soon as the bike hit the showrooms, Bajaj, the Indian automaker, found a whooping 1000 bookings for this motorcycle within a week.

For our readers to explain about this motorcycle better, we managed to get the beautiful looking flagship yellow Pulsar RS200 (ABS version) for the test ride. Incidentally, Bajaj has used the yellow colored Pulsar all over its promotional materials on their official website, banners and promo hoardings. The “RS” in the model name stands for “Race Sport” – The bike happens to be one of their first bikes in “Race Sport” series. The bike is available in 2 flavors – with ABS and without ABS(Standard).

First Impressions – Design and Outer look

Pulsar RS200’s body stands out. The bike comes with a huge full fairing in the front – which differentiates itself from being a normal Pulsar. People who have fantasy to ride bikes with full fairing would definitely applaud the design which RS200 has got. One cannot miss the stylishly written pulsar logo on both sides of the fuel tank in the front . Coming to rear part of the bike, the distinctly designed LED tail lamp is a real eye-catcher. You could notice a total fresh blend in the design language which Bajaj has used for this bike.

Dashboard and Instrument Panel

You can see three prominent things in the front dashboard – the centered analog RPM meter which measures the acceleration rate, the panel in center also includes a display with digital gauge that shows up fuel levels. While the right side of panel includes speedometer, odometer,trip-meter and time values, the left side of the panel holds all critical informational icons like neutral indicator, turn indicators, coolant, oil-level and a battery indicator.

The techno stuff in the dashboard are pretty well mated with RS200’s sensors like low coolant level sensor, low engine oil sensor, fuel cut-off sensor and more. At the same time, it might be overwhelming to see too many things in the dashboard for the rider. We wish there was a gear indicator that could have really increased the intuitiveness of riding the bike, hinting the rider about the current gear which he is riding on.

Handling, Brakes and Suspension

We chose to ride this bike in 2 conditions – one on a straight highway and other on typical city roads. The bike was very responsive and we were quickly able to zip through the roads with good speed in seconds time. We felt like we were behind an highly advanced cockpit. Quick slight turns and cornering the bike was easy and great, however the bike’s huge full fairing didn’t enable us to take that perfect ‘U’ turn which we wanted. If you are used to riding naked bikes and suddenly switch to fully faired bikes like RS200 you can very much notice the change in handling.

When it comes to braking, the bike had well sophisticated Anti-lock braking system, (What is ABS?) that prevents locking of wheels during sudden brakes and prevents skidding as well. In our test ride experience, the brakes reacted very well to halt the bike where we wanted, all thanks to the front and rear disc brakes.

Coming to the suspension part, the telescopic suspension in the front and Nitrox mono shock absorber in the rear helped the bike navigate through the tough city humps and potholes without much pain. In deed, it was easy to maneuver small humps with a great control.

Performance

Bajaj Pulsar RS200 is powered by 4 valved 200cc triple spark engine. It is a liquid cooled, DTS-i engine which is based on Fuel Injection system (FI). Goes without a word, this bike is made for racers, for those who love speed and style. The engine has been mated with 6-speed gearbox that churns out a maximum power of 24.5 PS at 9750 RPM and a torque of 18.6 Nm at 9750 RPM. We were able to touch the speed of up to 95 to 105 Kmph on elevated highway in Bangalore with ease and without any vibes. The bike performs well in top gears – the 6th gear comes for your advantage here. However, on lower gears, the motorcycle when driven on ‘stop and go’ traffic conditions, it is no entertainer.

As it is a 200cc bike, the mileage was less than 35-40 kmpl during our test ride. The bike’s exhaust sounds great matching the “Race Sport” tag and there were lot of onlookers during traffic jam intervals who were admiring the design of bike and for the sound which the bike did.

Fuel tank capacity of Pulsar RS200 is 13 litres. Both front and rear tyres of the bike are tubeless. This aggressively designed bike has a well-designed headlamps in front that comes with low beam and high beam projectors to help you pass through the darker roads at night.

How much does it cost?

The price of Bajaj Pulsar RS200 Standard is 1,19,641 INR and the price of Bajaj Pulsar RS200 with ABS is 1,31,849 INR (ex-showroom Bangalore)

Our Verdict

Apart from difficulty in moving through city traffic, we think it is a good 200cc motorcycle. The company’s claim of “Fastest pulsar yet” certainly matches the product. You can go for this bike if you are in the likes of owning a fully faired stylish sports bike. This bike has that power which you want.

Stylish design, sporty look, latest triple spark DTS-i powered engine with FI system, 6 gears, ABS, Nitrox mono shock absorber makes Pulsar RS200 a good deal for your money. Bajaj Pulsar RS200 is going to take on the likings of its rivals like Honda CBR 250R, KTM Duke 200 etc.

You can find the high resolution images of Pulsar RS 200 on our Flickr photostream.
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