[Delta9]

bought myself a nice agv helmet from alibhai premji's in grant road (Rs2250/-) white, blue and grey combination. looks good, the thing is that wearing a helmet gave me a new confidence (first 150 kms were without a helmet and was scary :P .
i am enjoying my bike .. rode it for 70 km from 11:45 pm to 1:15 am at night... nice fun. total kms clocked till now 350 kms. want to get over with the the first and second servicing and ride the bike above 50kmph. lol
dunno why people dont go for the grey (titanium silver) colour, its the only colour which comes in metallic type rest of the colours are solid.
will post pics soon (both of the bike and the helmet).
people call me crazy as i went for a bike after a major car accident . but i am LOVING IT !!!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Always ride with your helmet.

I had two falls with my pulsar 180 DTSi. Both times, leg was protected completly by the crash guard (I think its fabulous in terms of functionality), and both times, main impact was the head on the road, which was saved by helmet.

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

Hi ,

I have a P200 from the first lot - infact my bike was only the fifth to be delivered in Bangalore.

For 8000km ran like a metronome .

Since then -

1. Erratic digi meter - the delays in showing speed and RPM have increased from 0.5sec or so to more than 1 sec now .

2. Carb replaced at 8.5K after it could not be repaired - dont know what was wrong but with new carb works perfectly . And the old carb looked perfect on the inside - the slide , diaphragm etc.


3. Chain sprocket set replaced at 8.5K - regular use , regular lubing and despite all that the set conked ...dunno ...have three other friends with 200s with same prob and one guy with p220 lost his at 9.5K

Other than that the minor niggles are ever increasing sources of vibrations , general refinement feels a bit below par.

I have ridden the latest lot P200 for a few days last month to see if I got a bike from a bad lot . While the digi console was perfect , the other imperfections in quality and feel still remain .

I think its not a great choice to buy a 200 if you are looking for quality and refinement . I would gladly opt for a ZMA right now . Thats what I suggest - just close your eyes and go for a ZMA .

[hyper123]

Originally Posted by Sandeep_K_Ram

3. Chain sprocket set replaced at 8.5K - regular use , regular lubing and despite all that the set conked ...dunno ...have three other friends with 200s with same prob and one guy with p220 lost his at 9.5K

The life of the various mechanical parts, esp. the drivetrain, depends on the way you ride - the number of burnouts, dough-nuts, traffic-light drags and the way in which you engage the clutch.

I've seen people ride at 60kph over broken tarmac and they expect the bike to be rattle-free!!

I agree that general refinement levels are below par but hats off to Bajaj for the new technologies implemented in their bikes.

[Delta9]

damn scary :|
i hope i got the bike from a better lot.
i have heard they have made a lot of improvements from the first lot .. lets see... only time will tell

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

Originally Posted by hyper123

The life of the various mechanical parts, esp. the drivetrain, depends on the way you ride - the number of burnouts, dough-nuts, traffic-light drags and the way in which you engage the clutch.

I've seen people ride at 60kph over broken tarmac and they expect the bike to be rattle-free!!

I agree that general refinement levels are below par but hats off to Bajaj for the new technologies implemented in their bikes.

I dont think you read my post clearly mate . burnouts ? dough nuts ? drags ? I have no skills in doing these or even a wheelie . I used my bike as a commuter - about 20km min daily . And all the services are done on the dot on schedule .

I dont know why you assume I am expecting the quality to be such like rattle free over broken roads at 60kph. This is sheer exaggeration - nobody has such expectation .

Relatively - its always relative isn't it - relative to the competition i.e ZMA mainly .. if you want an overall better "feel" of solidity and refinement and about par performance ... ZMA wins hands down.

About new tech -

1. Digi meter - nice , pioneering - but buggy - sure you know about the HeadLamp-stall bug right ? and then the oil filter ( fixed with pig tails later , ) and choke air filter icon coming on randomly. And ofc the delay - its not instantaneous . Even after I stop , it takes a sec to show zero .

2. Oil cooler - about the only thing that has been hassle free for me . But others have had leaking radiators , oil seeping from joint etc.

3. No KS only ES - full marks here - no issues.

4. O ring drive chain - on the evidence of 10bikes we have among friends ... a big thumbs down - since it was supposed to be low maintenance and despite following their procedures and service schedule - it let go early.

5. Other New features ? LEDS - great . No complaints though the rear lamps fused once thus far - acceptable.

Tubeless tyres - again pretty good no complaints.



New features are a pioneering effort no doubt and credit to BAL for introducing them but at the same time , a bike is not a reflection of its individual features rather the sum of all such features and put together all the positives and the negatives and the pkg is not as enticing as before for all the above mentioned reasons .

Just a couple of notches more in terms of quality , reliability and standards , and BAL will do a lot better .

The biggest improvement for me over the 180 was the smoother clutch-box (by pulsar std) and the torquey yet smooth engine .

Weigh it all up and consider your choice - I could live without all those latest "features" since I want something that is more reliable and solid ..aka ZMA-esque - ofc the ZMA is not without blemishes but far more acceptable IMHO .

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

Originally Posted by hyper123

The life of the various mechanical parts, esp. the drivetrain, depends on the way you ride - the number of burnouts, dough-nuts, traffic-light drags and the way in which you engage the clutch.

I've seen people ride at 60kph over broken tarmac and they expect the bike to be rattle-free!!

I agree that general refinement levels are below par but hats off to Bajaj for the new technologies implemented in their bikes.

Sorry , dont have skillsets to do all the stunting and draggin you mentioned . HAve not learnt a pop a wheelie in ten years of riding you know

Your reference to expectin refinement beyond possibility is exaggerated . I am talking relatively - as in life everything is relative to something - here relative to its primary competition viz the ZMA , the P200 is not as good as it appears to be enticing . You only realize after owning both bikes.

I ride a ZMA almost 3-4 times a week since last month or so . This bike has run for 28000km in 2 years and the engine still feels fresh , quiet and unstressed and the bike feels like one unit - no strange vibrations and sounds and no rattling of plastic parts .

Compared to my 1yr+ 200 , the p200 engine is noisier despite being smoother and torquey than previous pulsar engine standards . The box is smoother too compared to pulsar stds . Really by pulsar stds the 200 is really a step forward . But compare to ZMA ..and the refinement , reliability and solidity is not matching up .

New features on the bike are welcome - they are a pioneering effort - credit to BAL .

BUT ... digimeter is buggy - surely you know the headlamp stall bug ? then the lag in showing speeds , then the erratic oil level and air filter icons ( pig tail solves the oil sensor warning though )

O ring drive chain supposed to be lo maintenance yet despite following to the dot everything they said and getting all services done on the dot , it let go early - not just on mine but on at least another 7 bikes among my large group of pulsar friends - one on a p220 too ..

The positives that have not troubled me are the tubeless tyres , the LED tail lamps (fused once - acceptable) and the oil radiator ( though MANY ppl had probs with this - continue to have ...) .

Worst part is that there are so many vibrations - from the tank , the fairing , the footpegs -esp rear ...feels crude at times.


Weigh all these up . I would gladly forego all the NEW TECH ..just give me a solid , reliable yet on par performing bike - something ZMA-esque . Ofc the ZMA has its issues too but overall I give the ZMA a over the P200 . ..all things considered .

[arpandiv]

The P200 is a nice bike,worth the money,i like the way it behaves

[phamilyman]

@Arpan: You mean it doesnt have funny electricals with a mind of its own.

@Hyper,

Intersting points, but would be quite baseless UNLESS you know the person, no?
You must further understand a couple of fundamental issues.
The P200 smoothness is due to removal of decompressor (no kick, ma!) and use of FCC RICO clutch plates (same as karizma).

The later harshness is because its STILL a Bajaj engine, and you may change ports, timing, put FI, etc, but you CANT change basic metallurgy. Which is where a Honda is a Honda is a Honda.

Which is why Karizmas run the way they do. P200 is a step forward, but can't be enough.

Why else do you think BAL is chasing likes of triumph and now KTM (unfortunately!)? for the refinement/metallurgy. Rest they can copy everything else. Which is why you have all the fun farkles all around. Cheap toys basically.

PS: I have a thoroughly well ridden P180 DTSi that I quite adore. But you need to call a spade a spade, and BAL is not close to Honda. End of discussion.
PPS: testride an elim/avenger back to back. Difference is apparent.

[hyper123]

I completely agree to what you guys say about the negative points, esp., refinement, of the P200 and BAL engines. What I tried to say is that the bikes aren't as bad as some people think they are. Lets us not start another HH vs. BAL war here and let delta9 enjoy his bike!!

[Delta9]

heard about the r15 Yamaha @1.05 lakh __ 17 bhp 150 cc bike, sure bajaj is still not near the refinement and engineering of Yamaha, still i don't feel sorry that i should have waited for june - july allotment of R15 as i would have had to dole out 33% extra cash for niche market bike hence spare troubles atleast for now.
not that 33% is too much for asking ,, as yamaha would be superb for handling, comfort, smoothness and yes performance too for a 150 cc bike... 6 speed transmission etc amazing.. don't now about the mileage but i am sure that would be also in acceptable limits.
hoping to hear more about the R15

ps on a personal note: bike looks too lanky its as if a thin guy is wearing a mean looking body armour. i think those super thin tyres are the culprits.

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

Well now that he has bought it , no point

Congrats - hope you got a good one

[badboyscad]

Guys, i dont know where exactly to post this but thought some pulsar fans may like this chop job. hence posting it here.

Blue camouflage paintjob:


Headlamp assy and mask lowered to give a sharp look: