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Feb 1, 2012

Engine and Transmission on the New 2012 Bajaj Pulsar

The new Bajaj Pulsar 200NS uses a 199.5 cc SOHC - 4V engine that produces 23.52PS on tap at 9500 rpm and makes 18.3Nm of torque at 8000 rpm. The engine is liquid cooled, a first for a homegrown machine and one which is compact, high tech, has all the robustness of design and build to benefit from the new combustion technology perfected with the three-spark plug head

The Pulsar 200 NS comes in with 23.52PS on tap at 9500 rpm and makes 18.3Nm of torque at 8000 rpm

How many times has it been said that the heart of a Ferrari is its engine and just as many times it has been mentioned that if one had to denote the signature Ferrari engine it had to be a V12. Maybe this sort of a geneology could also be applied to the Pulsar because the DNA of this brand is its engine technology – homespun tech that has proved itself in the art of making power and delivering efficiency without being harmful to the environment. The DTSi twin spark digital ignition technology came up through the simple expedient which has remained a Joseph Abraham hallmark to this very day: initiate complete and total combustion as quickly as possible so that no unburnt fuel goes out as harmful tailpipe effluents while power and torque are high without the need to drink more fuel. If that’s not all the obvious benefits to this approach mean not much is needed by way of exhaust after treatment and also the fact that the engine operates at a higher efficiency always.

This is the sort of approach that is carried on in the new motor as well but one that has now been taken to newer heights with the employment of what is indeed the world’s first ever three-spark plug head on a single cylinder motorcycle engine! Again let us not be so simplistic as that in just sticking up three sparklers and hoping it will take care of everything else. There is method in the madness and also another way as to the differentiation of the design and character that Joseph and his team have adopted when configuring the engines for the KTM Duke 200 and the Pulsar 200 NS. While the former is a double overhead cam unit operating four valves, the latter is also a four-valve head but a single overhead cam unit actuates these four valves. The engine is liquid cooled, a first for a homegrown machine and one which is compact, high tech, has all the robustness of design and build to benefit from the new combustion technology perfected with the three-spark plug head.

The engine is liquid cooled, a first for a homegrown machine and one which is compact and high tech

First off let us clearly outline the fact that the bottom end and the reciprocating mass comprising of crankshaft, connecting rod and piston of both the Duke 200 and the Pulsar 200 NS are common. The bore and stroke of both bikes measures 72mm x 49mm making for a 199.5cc swept volume. Apart from that, everything is different and the top end is key to the new Pulsar mill. What Bajaj learnt from the DTSi success was that the people didn’t know much what it stood for but knew it helped deliver power and efficiency so in the new Pulsar 200 NS they decided to skip the techno babble and go straight to the point and term the new top end as the one encompassing the Triple Spark technology.

Again unlike the Duke 200 which runs fuel injection with a large 38mm venture throttle body, Joseph adopted a 33mm venture Ucal carburetor which helps give consistent fuel metering and also with the superbly configured pent roof combustion chamber and slight squish bands designed in, the Triple Spark layout employs a central master plug and two slave plugs on either side. A completely independent mapping system is wrought into the ignition that works on its own using Bajaj Auto’s very own proprietary algorithms to help the flame front propagate completely all over the combustion chamber. Nothing has been left to chance and while earlier Pulsars with the DTSi tech did produce a pronounced engine knock on the top end (happens always when rapid combusting is called for), this time the combustion is even more rapid but the knock is all but eliminated thanks to the water jacket helping to muffle the sound.

Go back to our Special Coverage. Also read the First Ride of the new Bajaj Pulsar 200NS here.

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Design & Style Overview of the new 2012 Bajaj Pulsar

Many a time a successful product is very difficult to replicate and take forward. History has shown more products biting the dust in their second evolved avatars and mind you many rivals would be thinking the same about the second generation Pulsar. Sadly the second avatar is not an evolution but a revolution, probably the nicest of them all, and maybe that�s why the urge to think out of the box yet deliver in time honoured brand strength is what this stunning new Pulsar 200NV is all about, says Adil Jal Darukhanawala who got first crack at this most important new motorcycle of 2012

Design and Style on the 2012 Bajaj Pulsar

A decade of dominance is one way to look at the legacy of the Bajaj Pulsar but an even greater significance of this sporty motorcycle is the fact that it created the sports bike class in Indian motorcycling unlike at any other time in Indian motoring history. The first gen Pulsars were great for their time and truly set the cat amongst whatever one would care to term the competition but today the latter is more evolved, more determined and more eager to break free and try to usurp leadership of the Pulsar class.

Right at the very start I must pour cold water on the above assumption of the competition because the spanking new Pulsar 200NS (the suffix standing for Naked Sports) has redefined what a Pulsar is and stands for while pushing the envelope so further away from the rest that the fact that the Pulsar continues to remain a dynamic target is attested once again. First off there is nothing remotely close about the new Pulsar from its predecessors barring the name! In fact, even the typescript is subtly changed and while the apparent visage is stunning and tightly packaged, the technology across the bike has helped the Indian motorcycle cause leapfrog itself into the next decade! When Joseph Abraham, chief technology officer of Bajaj Auto and head of Stars Ahead, the R&D department of the company does things, he doesn’t do things in half or three-fourths but goes the whole hog and this has been the case with this stunning second generation offering.

ZigWheels.com has not just the complete details about the new bike but we also managed a short riding session aboard this new powerhouse to bring you this exclusive no-holds-barred story of what promises to take Pulsar power to a whole new level and beyond anything the competition has on offer.

It might be very easy to say Bajaj Auto had the help of its Austrian partner KTM to help it design the new second generation Pulsar when the real story is that Bajaj Auto in fact did the whole shebang with the stunning new small capacity KTM Dukes! Also not very well know is the fact that Rajiv Bajaj is very strong on design and knew that his team had to have a top class design team and while he wasn’t averse to getting many international consultants to help out in the past, he then went and hired some of the best in the world to work and set up a truly modern state-of-the-art design studio within the company. Among the many things incorporated within Bajaj Auto’s Stars Ahead set-up was the coming on board of none other than ex-BMW Motorrad design whiz Edgar Heinrich and he worked closely with Joseph Abraham to perfect the overall stance, makeup and proportions of the new Pulsar (Read : First Ride).

As can be seen from the exclusive images of the Pulsar 200NS, the lineage can be made out to a certain extent but then the bike and its stance and proportions are different, radical, wild and appealing in the way the mass centralization has been taken to a whole new level. The most apparent bit about the new bike is its striking style with the wrap around tank shield, the split seat, the Darth Vader headlamp, the colour coordinated theme and sculpted front mudguard, the delectable rear registration plate carrier, etc. The bike is in the streetfighter mould and makes no apologies about this fact of its makeup. In fact it thrives on its aggressive, in-your-face appeal and the extent to how far the stylists have gone to can be found in the rear view mirrors which have been specially drawn and sculpted to carry a homogenous look all across the vehicle.

Courtesy: zigwheels

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2012 Bajaj Pulsar : Exclusive Photos, Technical Highlights, First Ride Impressions

One of the biggest success stories in the Indian two-wheeler industry, over the years the Bajaj Pulsar has continued to become a bigger brand than its maker itself. But if you thought that Bajaj Auto was content with a 50% market share in the premium class of motorcycles, think again. The next generation of the Pulsar is all set to devastate its competition. Welcome the all-new 2012 Pulsar 200NS. Your one stop source for everything you wanted to know about the brand new Pulsar

The most awaited motorcycle of 2012 and one that will set the course of Indian motorcycling for the next decade to come, the all-new Bajaj Pulsar 200NS has made its grand arrival. Expected to be priced under a lakh of rupees (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Pulsar 200NS is as good as it gets! Head to our special coverage of the new Pulsar!

India’s second largest bike-maker Bajaj Auto took the wraps off the next-generation Pulsar today in Mumbai. Revolutionary, radical and realistic, the new Pulsar 200NS (the NS denoting Naked Sports) will be the successor to the country’s highest sold performance motorcycle, the Pulsar. After completing a successful decade long stint and crossing the esteemed milestone of selling over 4 million Pulsars, Bajaj Auto is geared to make its second innings an even bigger success with the new Pulsar and it has all the right weaponry in its arsenal to take on the premium motorcycle market in the country once again.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and world class level of components, the brand new Bajaj Pulsar 200NS is entirely engineered by Bajaj Auto and it is a marvel how its maker has managed to package the best of everything into one motorcycle without demanding a hefty premium for it. Powered by a 199.5cc 4-valve, liquid-cooled single cylinder engine, the Pulsar 200NS achieves the goal of more from less in an absolute modest fashion yet rewarding the rider with all the jollies he desires.

Fed by a 33mm Mikuni carburetor, the engine pumps out 23.52PS at 9,500rpm and 18.3Nm of torque at 8,000rpm. Developed in-house by Bajaj Auto, the new Pulsar once again comes with ground-breaking of triple spark plug for improved efficiency without having to compromise on overall performance.

It is incredible how Bajaj Auto has managed to get absolutely every single aspect of performance (Read: First Ride) motorcycling for the street so right. But when you trace the Pulsar’s development over past ten years, the picture becomes a lot clearer with consistent updates every year, an R&D division that is always on its toes yearning for a faster and quicker Pulsar, teams dedicated to get feedback from online biking forums and motorcycle blogs and to top it all, a visionary like Rajiv Bajaj heading the operation.

This is exactly what millions of Indian bikers and countless Pulsarmaniacs have been expecting from the bike-maker that brought power to the people a decade ago (Read : Ten Years of Pulsar) in the form of the Bajaj Pulsar. And in its newest avatar, it pays a fitting homage to the icon that the Pulsar brand has become over the past ten years and one that will continue to reign supreme for the coming ten years as well.

The new Bajaj Pulsar 200NS is expected to hit the roads by April 2012 but the price for the motorcycle is yet to be disclosed. Although it is expected that the price will be on the higher side of the current out-going Pulsar 220F DTSi, the company has clearly stated at the unveil of the bike in Mumbai that the price will be under the one lakh rupee range.

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Jan 31, 2012

New Bajaj Pulsar unveiling today! Exclusive feature follows soon!


	Ten years after the first Pulsar twins made their debut, Bajaj Auto is now ready with an all-new Pulsar that will be unveiled today in Mumbai. Stay logged onto ZigWheels for an exclusive feature on the new Pulsar. It is meaner, badder, quicker and faster than ever before!

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Dec 24, 2011

HERO IMPULSE: Bike of the Year, 2011 ET ZigWheels

The Impulse is a sensible offering at the right time but what is impressive is the fact that its maker did the correct thing to shod it with the right dual purpose tyres otherwise it would have been a tarmac-only machine

The one big thing which strikes at the very core of the Hero Impulse is not that Honda gave Hero a brilliant parting gift but the fact that the Japanese bike maker knew what sort of machine this country needed, for the masses! I have also held the view that dual purpose on-off road motorcycles are the proverbial SUVs of the two-wheeled world and just as we see the bulk of Scorpios and others of their ilk proliferate in two-wheel drive form, the Impulse is a no-nonsense humble machine packaged not just to look the part but also deliver a most important and welcome new direction to mass-market commuting.

Hero Impulse - ZigWheels Bike of the Year 2011

While the enthusiasts might cry hoarse about the Impulse having the very same and proven mechanicals as found on other 150cc Hero Hondas, this is the key to reliability and usability while also giving much needed excitement and smiles on all those who ride to commute. Suddenly we find better control, a more dominant and comfortable perch on the saddle and typical refinement and ease of use for the everyday bike rider.

The Hero Impulse (Read : Road Test) is a sensible offering at the right time but what is impressive is the fact that its maker did the correct thing to shod it with the right dual purpose tyres otherwise it would have been a tarmac-only machine. This simple expedient along with its robust but simple chassis and sorted out suspension geometry makes the Impulse probably the right tool to tackle Indian roads. By so doing it has also helped its maker get off to a flyer sans the Honda suffix.

Mention must also be made about the two other bikes which the Impulse pegged back. Both the Honda CBR250R sports bike and the large hearted Boxer 150 commuter from Bajaj Auto are stand-out offerings in their respective categories and for sure both are destined for leadership in class. The Impulse though took the top spot given its welcome all-new take on motorcycling which thankfully is for the masses while also satisfying the specialists - somewhat! Hard to fault this approach.

SLIDESHOW:

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Dec 18, 2011

Bikes of 2012 : Special Coverage

Come 2012 and the two-wheeler space in the country will reach the brim before exploding with activity that shall last for a long time. With international players eager to get a piece of the second largest two-wheeler market in the world, the market is surely set for exciting new launches in 2012 featuring everything between the volume segment and the import category of motorcycles. The 250cc and the 600cc segments will play a key role with major of the world's motorcycle companies entering these two classes with a host of products including some localized options as well as imports. All in all, the bikers in India have a reason to smile in 2012 and be prepared to part with their cash for there are going to be plenty of interesting options to choose from. Happy vroom year ahead!

Superbikes of 2012 (1,000cc and above)

The big mommas of the motorcycle world have been around for sometime now and this segment needs to stir up big time. 2012 promises to be just that with Kawasaki bringing in its 1,000c plus monster to India as well as some other exciting launches in the luxury cruiser segment to battle with the might of the Harley-Davidsons!

More on Superbikes of 2012 (1,000cc and above)