Hi All,
I bought a Pulsar 150 DTSi in October 2005. It has done about 12, 000 kms. I use it as my primary medium of transport. There are many things that are exceptional about this bike.
It has got great handling.
It has got a very reliable engine that is again a pleasure to drive.
In looks, its fantastic ... great job Bajaj ... I Love Your Bikes ...
The headlamp has a very good focus.
It gives good mileage and has decent power also.
Has great brakes that give excellent feedback and tyres to support those brakes.
The seating posture and the seat could be improved a little bit though.
The weakest part of this bike is its gearbox. Its very reliable though but nota at all smooth and is very noisy. It gets stuck often especially if you have to downshift in a hurry or after a hard braking.
It wont fall apart though :) so nothing to worry there ... just be forewarned and take adequate precautions with it !
The engine needs to be looked after otherwise it tends to become noisy easily. Though it doesn’t affect the power/mileage yet the noise can easily get irritating. But if you go to a decent service centre regularly and get the valve clearances done properly, you’ll be fine.
he paint also needs a regular teflon coat otherwise it becomes very hazy ... a Carnauba buff a month will help you also.
The rear wheel has a tendency to get locked under heavy braking which can cause the bike to loose its composure ... so please apply both brakes and ease the rear brake if you feel it getting locked ... be advised that if the traction is doubtful ... rainy, muddy, loose gravels etc ... you can easily slip and get injured so please Judge traction judiciously before leaning and/or increasing speed. This is especially important to novices and casual borrowers as you can easily misjudge traction due to the confidence inspiring nature of this bike.
Remember with great power comes greater responsibility :)
Also I do not recommending lending your bike to anybody other than very trusted and sensible drivers as more often than not most people easily think that since its a Pulsar so it can be abused.
Also with a pillion, take care not to go too fast as the wheels get extremely hot especially during summers. So keep the tyre pressure correct and drive conservatively.
I write these points as I have observed that the issues are more with the riders than with the bike !!!
Anyways overall its a great bike to own and know.