Do you like an RX-100? But it’s so ’hooloigan’.
You like a Bullet too, sometimes - for it’s size and sound?
You think a CBZ is good too? But not perfect. And old.
But you like the Splendor for its mild drinking habits, too.
So you want a new bike and are confused.
Now there is no one bike for all tastes and needs. But if one does come close to being that, it’s - Pulsar. 150. Because 180 gets into a totally different category, and right now I don’t want to get there.
So how come Pulsar manages to please bikers of varied inclinations?
First, just sit on it. It’s large fuel tank curves beautifully (and muscularly) between your thighs (like a WWE diva). The lid looks gorgeous. No other Indian bike (save Bullet and ’Zma) would satisfy your craving for big and beautiful. From the front, the tank looks brutish. And personally I would recommend the round headlight to the fairing.
Then fire her up. Not the thump of a bullet, I admit. But at idle the bass tone hints at things to come. Rev it a bit if you want to show off, it won’t disappoint. The engine does not have the loud scream of a 2-stroke, it is deeper. And it sounds a little restrained. Dare I say a bit like a superbike!
The thing is that if you take off lazily, she sounds almost like a cruiser. And can cruise along till you begining to wish it had large drooping bars like a Thunderbird. And when you want to leap, she’ll roar to the redline in no time.
Now you launch it. The clutch is smooth and precise. A real pleasure. The gearshift is good, though I wish it was 1-down 4-up. And occasionally, especially when revving hard, you get false neutrals - which are embarrasing (but hooligan) when you are trying to overtake and dangerous when you are midcorner. I don’t have a dyno or 0-60 figures to prove torque or acceleration figures, but rev her up to 5-6 thousand and she’ll leap like the proverbial scalded cat. And she does not let up till 80 kph. After which the acceleration is slower. Of course the top whack of 115 (speedo) arrives a lot later. Mildly downhill she’ll do around 120 (speedo), which I guess is a genuine 112-114
Stability is great even at 3 digit speeds with no vibes. May be a badly maintained 2-3 yr old bike may jar your hands a bit. BTW, if you couch down like GP riders above 100 k’s, the resulting aerodynamics actually increase the speed by a few kph - no kidding!
Wheelies are not as easy as say on an RX-100. Even a Splendor wheelies with more ease. I guess you have to be more precise with the Pulsar, may be the front is heavier. Stoppies are possible, thanks to the front disc, but I haven’t tried myself.
So where’s the catch? This machine is not meant to be driven like a CD100 (no offence). So when you are sprinting away from traffic lights like Rossi and dodging oncomming jeeps, you better know what you are doing. Why? Simple - front heavy, front disc, rear drum, 80 kph- 0kph = broken bones if you think you are good.
So respect the bike. Respect the road. Respect the rickshaw-wallah, respect the idiotic minibus driver, hell even respect the cow and the dog crossing the road. We live in India and believe me, forget about Dukes and Kawkers, even a 150-200 cc can be too fast for our roads and traffic. Enjoy the Pulsar, but it can be a handful. With a bike this heavy, the rear drum is pretty useless. If you graduated from a 100cc, the speeds appear much slower than they are, so you have to be cautious.
The Pulsar can cream the CBZ, the Bullet(apart from the thump), Unicorn guys are to smart to even try, and as for RX, they will create a big ruckus, but eventually you’ll whip them too. And in more ways than one.
So, go ahead and buy one. And not a black one (unless you intend to add lot of chrome). The red one is best.
(What, you are thinking of an RD? How old are you son...)