Pulsar 150

July 2003: This has to be the iconic Pulsar 150. How can I write about bikes without first evaluating my own wheels? Well, it wasn't known as the classic 150 when we brought it that time. When my brother inquired which bike he should get in 2003, when he was shopping for a bike, the term Pulsar 150 immediately sprung to mind. I think I was about twenty years old at the time. Yes, I still carry this bike, and the photo you see below was shot not too long ago. We have had the devoted old man with us for over 17 years. For the past several years, this car has served as our everyday driver.. This vehicle has been our daily driver for these many years. It has truly been a blessing to have this vehicle in our life.  

You may be wondering how, as a mere 20-year-old, I came up with this analysis in 2003. I recall being really attracted by cars and bikes at the same time. The Pulsar 150 was the most sought-after bike back then. When the Pulsar 150 entered the market in 2001, it was a direct competitor of the 150 cc Hero Honda CBZ.  First launched in November 2001, Pulsar 150 was returned to Earth in July 2003, just before the monsoon season. I can still clearly recall that day I went to the showroom to pick it up. 

Despite my legal driver's licence, the showroom manager expressed doubts about my ability to operate the vehicle, given that I was a novice driver. My first motorcycle was a Kinetic Challenger, which had a 100cc engine and wasn't quite like the Pulsar 150. I had a completely different perception after sitting on Pulsar 150. In comparison to the rivals, splendour, and calibre, this bike was larger and heavier.  Because they were fuel-efficient, these cars were the most popular 100 cc models at the time.

The Indian motorcycle market was trending towards fuel-efficient, small-capacity motorcycles (those in the 80–125 cc class) prior to the Pulsar generation. Larger, more powerful motorcycles were practically nonexistent (well, maybe the 350cc and 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet). In my perspective, Pulsar is the model that has been in production for the longest—17 years—and this was the biggest risk that Bajaj took when they introduced it. Other variants, such as the Discover series, were introduced but were discontinued and merged under the Pulsar brand.

The 150/180cc, two-valve, air-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine of the original model Pulsar produced a maximum power output of 12/15 horsepower, respectively. It had a large 18 L gasoline tank, a 1,265 mm wheelbase, circular headlamp dome, simple spring shock absorbers, and a single spark plug to fire the air-fuel mixture provided from a carburettor. In the early 2000s, disc brakes were a revolutionary feature on Indian motorcycles.

I brought my bike just before the DTSi (DTSI stands for Digital Twin Spark Ignition System) technology was released. 

What was this technology all about? My model only had one spark plug and the newer model came with a twin spark plug. Digital Twin Spark ignition engine has two Spark plugs located at opposite ends of the combustion chamber and hence fast and efficient combustion is obtained. The benefits of this efficient combustion process can be felt in terms of better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

The second-generation Pulsars featured Bajaj Auto's newly developed DTSi technology, which increased the power rating of both versions by 1 hp (0.75 kW) each and also increased fuel economy. This model also introduced a new headlamp assembly, 1,320 mm wheelbase and standard twin-tone horn and trip meter.

It still rides great after 17 years. Though, in contrast to its more recent counterparts, it struggles a little bit when you go up the hill. Recently, I went shopping to see if I could locate a good substitute for my bike, but I was having trouble locating anything along those lines. I am aware that purchasing a bike is a very personal decision and that everyone has different tastes. I wanted something that would be more of a commuter and have a power displacement comparable to my existing bike. Not very demanding on maintenance.  As a sign of brand loyalty, any devoted customer would return to the first product they purchased.

 

In late 2019, I had the opportunity to take a test drive of the BS-IV version Pulsar Classic 150 at the Bajaj Showroom. The new models didn't exactly satisfy me, especially the 150 cc models because the handlebar was repositioned to offer the rider a more sporty sensation. The Gearing mechanism is another item that I didn't enjoy.  The all-down gearing arrangement was used by the older Pulsar models. However, the current schema in use is one down and four up. 

I'm still not entirely sure why manufacturers employed that paradigm. Personally, I felt that the new models were always difficult for me to change into gear correctly, which must not be good for the clutch plate. This will remain a mystery to me until I discover a satisfactory solution.  

Another thing I found the new models had stiffer seating arrangement which made it uncomfortable to sit on it for a long time. With all these issues I found. I was back in pursuit to find the bike I could spend another 17 years. What I found in my search which came pretty close to my current bike was the TVS apache RTR 160. I enjoyed the ride, the only flaw which I found was comparatively smaller bike when I sat on it and I felt like an elephant sitting on an ant. Another vehicle which I tested was the Yamaha which I found had stiffer suspense and seats were not comfortable for long rides. Yes, this could be fixed with changing the seats to get comfier seats which are off-market seats.

As of now, I am still in search of the bike which can replace my pulsar. I have also thought if I had got enough exposure that I could request Bajaj if they could give my bike an overhaul. I bet there would be many Pulsar lovers who would just jump at that idea of overhaul with newer parts and get it more modern but keep the classic design elements. This definitely would be an interesting project for Bajaj also. 

Hopefully Bajaj gets a notice of this and it would be great opportunity to document this from my end also. I will keep you posted if any such developments occur in the distant future.

Check out my review of the 20 Year old Pulsar 150 on my youtube channel