I bought my charismatic pulsor 200 some two months back and I am fully satisfied with the style and performance. I have driven Hero Honda Splendor for almost 7 years but this is a mean machine. The looks are great and it zooms like a rocket. If you have courage, nothing can beat you. The bike is very stable even at speeds like 110 kmph and breaking is very good. As nothing can be perfect, I will give you pros and cons based on my experience.
Pros:
1) Superb power. It gives great pickup even at higher speeds (80 kmph and above). I have never felt the sound that comes when you slow your bike in higher gears and suddenly tops the speed. Company claims the top speed as 130 kmph with 67 kg rider. Though I have touched a high speed of 118 kmph only. May be sometimes later I will get the chance to touch 125 kmph or more mark.
2) Looks: The looks are awsome and no doubt its the smartest bike on Indian roads. It is really mean in looks and style.
3) Pulsor 200 has most of the advanced features like digital speedometer, oil cooled engine, tubeless tyres etc. The big rear tyres gives you some extra grip on the road.
4) Balance: The bike is very balanced and recalls the movement of Bullet bikes. Though at speeds more than 85-90 kmph, it start with light vibrations but overall stability remains good. At higher speeds (80 and more), it gives you the sweetest growl of racing bikes and that feels amazing when you drive the bike.
5) Pulsor 200 comes with ignition start only in line with racing bikes. Infact one could never expect a racing bike to start with a kick.
Cons:
1)- Cost: Power charges money so is the bike. It cost you around 76.5K on roads in Mumbai. Though if you compare with its peers like Karizma and Pulsor220, its a lot cheaper.
2)- Fuel Efficiency: This bike is strictly not for people who look for a good mileage. Mine gives a mileage of 37-38 kmpl in mumbai traffic conditions. I would expect the bike to even perform better in smaller cities with mannered driving habit and could give you around 40-45 kmpl but expecting more than that from a 200cc engine is a misery.
3)- Comfort: Here is an alert for people who travels too much on bike or have to be on bike for longer durations. This bike is absolutely for racing experience and not designed to provide comfort. So if you want comfort, you should be looking towards other bikes like Honda Unicorn or Splendor. Again it is not designed in a manner that two persons can sit comfortably. Sitting to rear is a risk as the seat is high and lacks support for holding.
4)- P200 dosen’t come with a kickstart option. For some it may be a thing to consider. But as per my experience, the kick start is not at all required.
5)- Though tyres give nice grip in dry conditions, they are not very efficient in wet surfaces. So there is a word of caution for riders when they go on a wet surface at high speeds.
Hope this may help. Thanks.
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Dear readers,
After 15 moths of riding the bike, I am back to share my experiences with you guys.
As many of you are skeptical about the bike not having kick start, I assure you that you are never gonna have this problem if you get your bike serviced at right times. Even if you don’t use your bike for 10 straight days, it starts easily. Only once or twice, I had to pull the choke to start it otherwise it has never given me any problem.
Now coming back to certain issues that will definetely help you.
The bike is a lot heavier so don’t ever try to mimic the stunt man (as we have seen in Dhoom) when you are driving. I skidded once and got my fuel tank damadged and it doesn;t come cheap (approx 4k). So my advise for every reader is to go slow and be safe.
The fuel economy hasn’t changed and its giving 35-40 kmpl in city. Never had a chance to go for a long ride so couldn’t tell you the mileage on highways.
The performance is still great. I still feel my bike just a month old. Though there is virtually no maintenance cost (only except the charges of engine oil and servicing).
The grip on wet surface is not great and I am standing by my previous review.
Hope this can help...