[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

No such fancy frills like dual discs or stuff

Calling dual discs fancy frills is new.

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

...Of all the above categories Pulsar 200 NS either excels in one or more category or at least comes close second...

I agree with your views.

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

..I have seen 10s of Pulsars which are oo-soo-good in the first two years but then I don't know what goes wrong with them but their engines and gear shifts turn quite rough and unrefined. While, Unicorns and even ZMA's stay the same butter smooth (with only bare minimum maintenance) even after 5-6 years of riding.

I agree with what you've said about P-180 vs Unicorn.
The refinement a Honda provides is way above anything Bajaj is capable of. No doubt.

On the other hand, the P200NS has displayed good catching up skills by Bajaj. It's much better than any other Pulsar I've ever ridden. It gives extra frills as well.

Let me put it this way. To an ex-Bulletier, I think what would matter most is comfort. Next would be a decent amount of power in the low & mid range.
Reliability factor is pretty decent with Bajaj, even if compared to Honda.
Refinement would need to be mid way, and may not be the top priority.

Maybe giving the Pulsar 200NS a second look wouldn't be such a bad idea, vroom.

Sam

[balenopower]

I think the GS fits the bill perfectly and i dont think it looks too bad either. here's mine

[apachelongbow]

Its funny when people compare 12-14bhp bikes with a 23odd bhp liquid cooled bike. I mean what is the comparison except maybe the price point (below Rs 1lac)?
No offense but people are talking about butter smooth engine and how it is good for touring, but with only 12 odd bhp, will it even qualify for touring? Mantaining an avg speed of 60kmph is herculean on such puny machines, making them quite unsafe on the highways.
Please leave the 150cc machines where they belong, for rides within the city. For touring purposes please buy machines which are capable of sustaining atleast 90-120kmph all day, you will cover decent distances and will not be tired.

IMO proper tourers start from 250cc onwards, example being the CBR/Ninja or even a bullet. Pulsar 200 is higher powered no doubt, but it is very oriented towards city riding with close ratios for good pickup, inspite of the 6th gear. Also best touring positions are either a cruiser or a faired mid sportser, any track oriented bike like the R15 is a big pain for long rides.

However for city rides and the occasional 150-200kmph outside city rides, any of the above mentioned bikes are good enough, its upto the buyer on which interests him. Cheers.

[Sheel]

That is entirely your perspective of how you look at things.

The way I prefer, I would rather ride (tour) a FZ than any of the *RE's available. That is my perspective, lets not throw our opinion on others

A Unicorn can tour all day long at 90 and do occasion bursts to 110 w/o any stress to the engine. Same can be said about all the 150 air-cooled Motorcycles out there.

I ride a CBR currently & used to ride an R15. There is very slight difference at arrival timings & the difference is because of the suspension (I don't slow down on the 250R). The R15 was far more involving though.

Yes, a bike having bigger cubes & bhp will be more effortless.

And some are just not comfortable with the idea of touring (riding) on RE*, I know it is sacrilege, but I do fall in that category & enjoy my Motorcycling.

*RE = Royal Enfield aka Bullet

[apachelongbow]

For me touring is only via SUVs. Bikes are meant to drive down to the local market. But thats my perspective. I wouldnt do 500kms on any bike in India, too much dust, pollution, bad drivers and what not.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

For me touring is only via SUVs. Bikes are meant to drive down to the local market. But thats my perspective. I wouldnt do 500kms on any bike in India, too much dust, pollution, bad drivers and what not.

Thanks. Now it is easier to infer your stated post below.

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Its funny when people compare 12-14bhp bikes with a 23odd bhp liquid cooled bike. I mean what is the comparison except maybe the price point (below Rs 1lac)?
No offense but people are talking about butter smooth engine and how it is good for touring, but with only 12 odd bhp, will it even qualify for touring? Mantaining an avg speed of 60kmph is herculean on such puny machines, making them quite unsafe on the highways.
Please leave the 150cc machines where they belong, for rides within the city. For touring purposes please buy machines which are capable of sustaining atleast 90-120kmph all day, you will cover decent distances and will not be tired.

IMO proper tourers start from 250cc onwards, example being the CBR/Ninja or even a bullet. Pulsar 200 is higher powered no doubt, but it is very oriented towards city riding with close ratios for good pickup, inspite of the 6th gear. Also best touring positions are either a cruiser or a faired mid sportser, any track oriented bike like the R15 is a big pain for long rides.

However for city rides and the occasional 150-200kmph outside city rides, any of the above mentioned bikes are good enough, its upto the buyer on which interests him. Cheers.

[Octane_Power]

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

I was of your same perspective before I had ridden the 200 NS. I myself stayed away from a Pulsar while purchasing my own bike the same reason as you stated. But I think the technology now is far ahead of the earlier pulsars as its been borrowed over from KTM. Coming to the grr sound it might be one off, because I have not got similar feedback from other owners. Please get that bike checked at service station!

Amit Sir, yes you are right perfectly. Power is more than welcome on highway rides which gives the 200NS a big big hands up above the Unicorn or ZMA. It's miles ahead of previous gen pulsars too. Tremendous braking power too.
This is what I have to say when I ride my friend's 200NS : "Dude everytime I ride your bike it says to me : You moron go faster or go home and weave sweaters" Insane feedback from the engine.

Originally Posted by balenopower

I think the GS fits the bill perfectly and i dont think it looks too bad either. here's mine

Good job there by removing the rubber front suspension cover.
And you've maintained it quite well !

Originally Posted by Sheel

The way I prefer, I would rather ride (tour) a FZ than any of the *RE's available. That is my perspective, lets not throw our opinion on others

A Unicorn can tour all day long at 90 and do occasion bursts to 110 w/o any stress to the engine. Same can be said about all the 150 air-cooled Motorcycles out there.

Sheel, I couldn't explain better. Thanks!
All 150cc motorcycles these days are quite competent and I know bike groups which have bikes like R15, ZMR, 220 but there are also 150 ones like FZ, Fazer and the Dazzler.
When they are cruising on highways at 80-90 kmph it isn't that the 150cc ones are left behind. They all are heading together.
So in contradiction to what some are saying, I would say it is quite wrong to say that 150cc bikes should be only circumscribed to city limits.
You can cruise all day long on a Unicorn at 80-90 kmph without any problem.

-Bhargav

[ezhil_18]

According to me
I have driven all except HH Karizma

Both GS150 & unicorn more of commuter type - GS150 mileage is better than unicorn and more refined too. But one drawback in GS150 is chain often tend to get loose.
Both Pulsar and Apache is good but I feel the handle bar feels too heavy for city traffic.
Fazer is good but I felt quite bumpy nature at the time of TD so I went for R15, its almost two years from now no issues so far.. I skipped even couple of recommended free services. Especially its light and torque nature good even for city traffic. Now its settled with mileage of 35 to 39.

[balenopower]

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Good job there by removing the rubber front suspension cover.
And you've maintained it quite well ! -Bhargav

bhargav i havent removed the suspension cover. This is the 'new' GS150r..its recieved a lot of changes over the earlier bike. As for the well maintained bit, the pic is when the brand new bike

[vroom77]

Mod Note: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!

Guys,thanks a ton for your perspectives from practical experience with the whole lot of brands and models we have here. Its been very confidence inspiring to look at all that you have said and think about.

So far by observing one thing which is very clear is that not all the requirements can be met and from my side there is a strong inclination towards the look of the vehicle as a priority.

200NS could be an ideal logical buy but somehow the quality build of Yamaha bikes and the Suzuki's linger in the head and makes me feel that quality of build and refinement is on the top of the list.

Again its back to Fazer vs GS150R, and this time I have decided to push the envelope of price point to 1.3. Rode a CBR250 and felt that yes this is the kind of responsiveness that I am looking from a a bike. I am fine with a sports riding position too. Should get used to as all the fellow bhpians have mentioned in their ownership thread.

So now its come down to R15 50th anniversary white special edition. For refinement, handling and occasional long rides max 300kms.

Go or No go ?

P.S: ZMA/ZMR is skipped after seeing the vehicle. Not too inspired owning one with the outdated design and somehow didn't feel right.

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

Bang on Post. Straight from my heart and a very honest opinion indeed.

@Vroom:
To cut it short (For everything below 1 lakh INR):
If you want a bike with refined engine : Suzuki GS 150 and Unicorn/CBZ extreme. I would now like to add Pulsar 200 NS to this.
If you want a bike with refined engine with good Power: ZMA.
If you want a bike with refined engine and good pickup and below 1 lakh: There existed none until Pulsar 200 NS was born.
If you want a bike with excellent pickup and ready to compromise on the refinement: RTR 180 No Doubt.
If you want a bike with excellent touring capabilities (Both On and Off road): ZMA no doubt. (Not ZMR)
If you want fuel efficiency: Unicorn and only Unicorn or you did be better off with 100 cc bikes.
If you want mediocre refinement,mediocre power and pickup,low fuel efficiency and with good handling and grippy tyre: Fazer/FZ.

Of all the above categories Pulsar 200 NS either excels in one or more category or at least comes close second. Its an all-rounder and you will really no more be disappointed by its inspiring handling,brakes, engine smoothness, butter shift gears and the grip levels provided by the fat tyres.
Below 1 lakh none other bike beats Pulsar 200 NS Period! And as some one has said it can no more be compared to earlier Pulsars.

Very nicely summarized bro, thank you. Cleared up my mind quite a bit and hence Fazer is out. Mileage also skipped as a preference and budget raised to 1.3L to own a R15.

Originally Posted by balenopower

I think the GS fits the bill perfectly and i dont think it looks too bad either. here's mine

Great click. My choice with GS150R too was a white. Somehow wanted to go a bit more on the looks dept. Otherwise liked the way it rides and handles. Had one of the best consoles I have seen in similar bikes. Thanks for sharing your ride's pic.

[amit_purohit20]

Originally Posted by vroom77

So far by observing one thing which is very clear is that not all the requirements can be met and from my side there is a strong inclination towards the look of the vehicle as a priority.

For a New Yamaha R15:
What you would like
1) Looks looks and looks! No doubt a great aesthetic design.
2) Excellent build quality and switchgear.
3) New R15 has that bigger bike look thanks to the rear Fat grippy tyres.
4) Excellent handling and sharp brakes.
5) Fuel efficiency is good too.

What you wont like:
1) Poor low end torque so driving in city would be a pain as you need to change gears quite often.
2) Climbing steep ghats you will have to keep the engine on boil at high rpm (as its a rev happy short stroke engine) to maintain the speed which other bikes can maintain.
3) Riding position is too sporty, putting a lot of strain on your wrists and they will pain a lot if you take it over bad roads or long tours.
4) If you are planning to tour or even do short rides with a pillion forget this bike. The pillion will have the choicest expletives for you! The rear seat is cramped,too short, very high as like sitting on the top of a skyscraper. If you ride pillion some part of pillion weight comes onto your wrists during braking cornering etc which again is unbearable for long runs.

My choice would definitely be a CBR250 if you are in touring over smooth tarmac and if you travel over bad roads/off-roads KTM Duke 200 is the bike to go for!
You can go through the following link and decide:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...hip-story.html

[Sarvodaya]

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

Bang on Post. Straight from my heart and a very honest opinion indeed.

@Vroom:
To cut it short (For everything below 1 lakh INR):
If you want a bike with refined engine : Suzuki GS 150 and Unicorn/CBZ extreme. I would now like to add Pulsar 200 NS to this.
If you want fuel efficiency: Unicorn and only Unicorn or you did be better off with 100 cc bikes.

GS 150 to gives more mileage thanks to the sixth gear. Even after 85,000 KMS my bike gives 50 KMPL. And it is more refined than Unicorn. And Yes it is better to stretch the budget to Pulsar 200 NS.

[vroom77]

Went to Orion Motors today and they lived up to their name of poor customer service. None even bother to ask why I am there for almost 15 minutes and with some difficulty tried to make an eye contact and initiated a conversation. It was like please I want to buy from you feeling.

Then comes the statements from the SA, you will get back pain and this bike is not meant for long rides above 30kms or take frequent breaks. Forwarded me to service manager for expert opinion and he said its perfect bike for long rides go for it. Even introduced me to a customer who has R15 v1.0 who confirmed yes its a good ride for long journeys. Approx 300kms.

Checked TBHP on phone and here comes Amit confirming that yes back pain is a chance.

Now back to start with Suzuki GS150R, 200NS and may be RTR ABS. I will read everything from start and make a decision. Looks like at this point, I have to compromise on the looks dept as much as I can and give importance to,

Handling, Refinement, Power and Mileage in the order of preference.

[Octane_Power]

Originally Posted by balenopower

bhargav i havent removed the suspension cover. This is the 'new' GS150r..its recieved a lot of changes over the earlier bike. As for the well maintained bit, the pic is when the brand new bike

Originally Posted by vroom77

Checked TBHP on phone and here comes Amit confirming that yes back pain is a chance.

vroom , a riding position involving you to stay continuously "bent-over" the tank definitely carries the risk of back pain.
A friend of mine used to do monthly long trips (300-400kms) on his r15 but now he has stopped because of the same problem.

-Bhargav

[0xTKB]

The cons of FZ/Fazer is that the rear seat isn't designed for humans. But the looks are damn impressive. IMO, you should go for Suzuki GS-150R because it has a super-refined engine coupled with the 6th gear which will do wonders to efficiency.

Regarding Karizma/ZMR, the handling is good, no doubt about that, but the spares are on a higher end. Moreover, you can't really compare Karizma to Fazer or any other 150 cc bike as most of the members say (barring R15 & CBR150R).