I have been away for MS for some time now. Many asked ’What kept you from signing in?’. The answer is well... My 6000 km old p180 DTSi... Bought it early this year, and I continues to delight me each and every day...
Colour:- Wine red - fear the black combo... (see pics below)
Booking and delivery;- I had a few problems with the delivery of the bike, cause the wine red was in veru much demand at the time. Had to wait for almost a month... But.. the bike was worth it...
Performance:- 180 cc engine churns out 16.8 bhp... Accelerating hard gives a real dose of adrenaline. The performance is on the best for a bike in this country... As for the ZMA v/s p180 debate. The DTSi and the ZMA have two charecters... The p180 accelerates harder till 80 kmph. But the ZMA rules after that. As for me, I couldnt afford the ZMA cause it costs 10k more, and the mileage is so low (on given full throttle), my father asked me to take our car instead of buying a new bike... But am very much happy, that I took the p180.
Fuel economy:- Everybody has this one question for me... ’whats the mileage?’ But to be frank, this is one area where am extremely happy with the pulsar. During the run- in period, where I kept the speeds round 50 kmph, the mileage figures was around 50kmpl, and went up to 56 kmpl once. But, now, I get averages around 45 kmpl, cause of my changed driving style. The worst figure I got was 33 kmpl, which was druring the highway run, with a heavy pillion andspeeds in excess of 100 kmph.
Top speed:- The top- speed that i could acheive was 113 kmph. Was on the NH 47, with a pillion. Couldnt sustain speed beyond that cause of the traffic. Felt like the bike could do around 118-120 kmph...
Handling, ride and balance:- The p180 has a stiffer suspension set- up compared to the p150. this enables it to lean even more, scraping the front and back foot rests. The ride is comfortable enough for the rider. Whereas the pillion may find the set-up a bit too hard. However, the rear set- up is adjutable gas shocks. So, no worries...
Comfort:- The seating position is sporty, which allows good control to handle easily lean the vehicle. But, this might cause a bit of pain in the hands, during the long rides.
Looks:- For many, the pulsar has become too common. But somehow, my bike still manages to turn heads with polish on it. Specially, the fear the black theme has made it look different from the p150. And with the new upgrade, it looks very much different.
Negatives:- The biggest negative about the pulsar is also the biggest positive it has. It is always upgraded to keep it way ahead of the competition. With the new upgrade, it has LEd tail- lamps, new headlamp assembly, Electronic digital metres, self- cancelling indicators and a new gear-box. Am proud that the pulsar rocks, but also sad I couldnt have all this... Hi hi... Then, there is the gear-box, which is not so perfect, though is much much better nowadays.
Service:- The one area where I had a few problems, the service is not that good. There are 3 service centres in trivandrum, so, finding a service centre is not so hard. The centre where I gave my bike for the first and second service sucked... They even gave me the bike back from service without filling even a drop of engine oil. On complaining, Bajaj really took up the issue. One thing I know, BAjaj cutomer service is exceptionally good. You just have to contact them, in case the dealers or the service screw up... Now, I have moved on to another centre, and am satisfied...
Value for money:- The p180 DTSi is one of the best value for money bikes out there. AT 64k on road, it is a full 10k less than the ZMA, and with the new upgrade, has become exceptional value for money...
Reliability:- Am slightly concerned about this. But, Bajaj quality have really gone up after the days of the original pulsar. So, am looking forward to see what happens...
Overall, I have to give 9/10 for my dear bike... Am highly satisfied with it, and would recommend it to anyone... And with the new upgrade, only three words... GO GET IT.