The Evolution of Bajaj Pulsar

When Bajaj introduced their new model Pulsar in 2001 with a tag line of "Definitely Male", it was just the beginning of a new motorcycling culture in India. Untill the launch of Pulsar, Indian two-wheeler community was limited to 100 and 125cc motorbikes and scooters. Thus, Bajaj Pulsar became India's first sports bike with powerful 150 and 180cc engine.

With the technical support of Japanese bike maker Kawasaki, the Pulsar was debut in November 2001 with 150cc and 180cc engines bearing the Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 180 badges respectively. However, these two models are now referred to as Bajaj Pulsar Classic 150 & 180 due to its classic front stance. Soon after the launch, Indian Army ordered 1500 Pulsar units for the military personnel. The Pulsar Classic 150 came with 150cc, 4-stroke, air-cooled engine delivering a maximum power of 13 bhp and 11 Nm of torque and the Pulsar Classic 180 with 15 bhp and 13.2 Nm of torque. Both the engines were mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Large sculpted fuel tank and classic round shaped headlamps were the eyeballs grabbing features of the Pulsar. It was one of those bikes of early days to bear disc brake and aircraft type fuel tank lid.



In 2003, Bajaj rolled the second generation of their flagship model with a much improved 150cc DTS-i engine. Within 2 years of the time period, Pulsar had already dominated the Indian two-wheeler market by overruling the likes of Hero Honda CBR and TVS Apache. The updated Pulsar was fitted with brand new bikini headlamp with two pilot lamps and a large muscular fuel tank. The newly developed DTSi engine was the main attraction of this bike. This new mill was exceptionally good at delivering better fuel efficiency and performance figures.



After two years of successful run, Bajaj decided to revive their best bike with some major cosmetic as well as mechanical changes. It featured a brand new DTS-i engine with ExhausTEC (Torque Expansion Chamber) which is a patent technology of Bajaj. Within the same model, Bajaj also added their most innovative headlamp design of the period. Those menacing headlamps were so unique that, many Indian youths got anchored to this bike. Moreover, it was the first Indian bike to get 17-inch alloy wheels. The newly developed engine delivered a maximum power of 13.5 bhp @ 8500 rpm in the 150cc engine and 16.5 bhp @ 8500 rpm in the 180cc. Alongside the engine change, 18-litre fuel tank, nitrogen filled rear shock and electric start option were also featured in the 2005 Bajaj Pulsar.

Within the short span of time, the Pulsar 180 DTSi & Pulsar 150 DTSi had become one of the popular and most desirable motorcycles in India. In the year 2006, Bajaj decided to give a cosmetic update to their flagship model. The pilot lamps found inside the primary headlamp casing got separated and positioned as two separate units on either side of the main lamp. Other inclusions such as clear lens indicator, LCD instrument screen, new backlit switches, twin-stripe LED tail light and sharpened body panels were made.



In the year 2007, Bajaj made a hyper jump by introducing a brand new 220cc engine. It was the "Fastest Indian Pulsar 220 DTS Fi" with fuel injection and oil-cooled engine and the standard Pulsar 220 DTSi version.



The 220cc engine churns out a maximum power of 19.79 bhp @ 8500 rpm and maximum torque of 19.12 Nm @ 6500. Moreover, this semi-faired bike featured a large headlamp casing with LED projector lamps and LED pilot lamps within in it. Other attractive features of this bike were totally new to the Indian market, like clip on handlebar, Fully digital instrument console, split grab rails and seats, tubeless tyres and rear disc brake. Bajaj also rolled 200 DTSi in the same year to swap the 200cc segment in India with the similar outfits of 180 and 150cc Pulsar. After some year, Bajaj replaced the ppular 220 series with Pulsar 220F.





The youngest member of the Pulsar clan is 135LS, powered by 134.6cc, 4-stroke, DTS-i, air-cooled engine delivering 13.5 Ps of power and 11.4 Nm of torque. It was introduced in the year 2009 to target the much popular commuter class of India. It also featured the same 5-speed constant mesh gearbox found in the 150 and 180cc Pulsar models. Unlike its elder siblings, it gets a brand new design culture with trapezoidal headlamp without any framework.



When Bajaj decided to give crack on the adventure segment, they decided to customize their popular model Pulsar with some adventure outfits. This resulted in the creation of Pulsar AS (Adventure Sports) 200 and Pulsar AS 150 featuring the most reliable 200cc and 150cc oil-cooled, single cylinder, triple spark engine. The powerhouse in AS 200 delivers a maximum power of 23.2 bhp and a peak torque of 18.3 Nm which is teamed with a 6-speed gearbox. Both the AS 200 and 150 uses a major part from the Pulsar NS 200. It was launched in April 2015 with some major cosmetic outfits like projector headlamp, a tall smoked windscreen and high raised handlebar. It also features Nitrogen filled rear shock and conventional front fork suspension.



The Pulsar 200 NS Pulsar NS (Naked Sports) series consists of 200 and 160cc engines. Both the two variants get the same cosmetic outfits featuring naked headlamp, exposed perimeter frame, LED tail light and a sharp tail section with split grab rails. The NS 200 is considered as the most advanced design change of the Pulsar clan. The Pulsar NS 200 was launched in 2012 with the technical guidance from the KTM motorcycles. The bike comes with a 199.5cc, Type SOHC - 4V - Liquid Cooled engine. It is capable to produce an impressive power of 23.52 PS @ 9500 and stunning torque of 18.3 Nm @ 8000 which is mated with a 6-speed gearbox. Earlier in the year 2017, Bajaj introduced the 160 version of the NS along with an engine update in the NS 20 model. This time, NS 200 were equipped with BS-IV compliant engine by improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the emission levels.





The Pulsar RS 200 drives the entire Pulsar Clan. It is a unique entry-level, fully faired sports bike with an outstanding design. The twin-pod projector headlamp of the RS 200 mimics the head of the 'Transformer character Bumble Bee". From head to tail one can notice many scoops, panels and lines which make this Pulsar a real beauty. Large muscular fuel tank, LCD instrument console, split sports seats and well-positioned grab holders are attractive features of this bike. However, twin curvy LED tail lamp does not gel with the entire body language of the bike. Here, Bajaj has cleverly deployed the number plate hanger as the backlight, which seems to be awkward for somebody I think.