[Satpal Singh]

@Sam,Congrats and nice review.

I Didnt know P220 gives you around 40 kmpl ! ! Its good to hear about the nice combination of Power and FE, and just wondering why isnt RD 350 called the FASTEST INDIAN(bike) atleast the LT was made in INDIA by ESCORTS ??

[knighthawk]

@Abhinav, Yes i have the same problem as well. The rear discs make a monkey like sound, however, its inconsistent, but disturbing. I noticed it happens when the brake touches around 2cm along the circumference of the disc at a certain point, and not the whole disc revolution.
Iv'e taken it to the probiking chaps here in baroda about 4 times now to get that rectified, but gave me the same lame excuse of dirt and dust. What i think is, if there is sound, there must be excessive friction as well that would be causing the sound, which MAY be hindering the bikes performance. ( Any idea anyone )
The problem is, the PBK here in baroda has been taken over, and the service center is still under renovation. They service the bike 'desi' style with improper equipment.
I think we should ask for a replacement for the whole rear assembly.
Apart from that, the bike's running damn smooth, no other complaints, riding pleasure is simply the best, good mileage ( just calculated yesterday: 44kmpl ) im planning to start my review in a day or two.
Iv'e run 1300kms now, and yeas, today its exactly 1 month old
My cousin is buying a P220 today, will post his experience as well.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by knighthawk

..... I think we should ask for a replacement for the whole rear assembly.

Well, the Service Advisor at the probiking service outlet here said that he has provided feedback to Bajaj R&D about the noise and the issue. He said they have to now wait for Bajaj to get back to them with the solution.

He claims if and when Bajaj R&D come up with the solution, they will implement if for existing customers as well without any extra cost. Not sure how far this is true!!

[sam_sant2005]

Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSi 2009

Date of Purchase :- 10th, July 2009
Color :- Red
First Service :- 640kms (12th August) => Rs.719/- (Teflon Coating incl.)
Second Service :- 2540kms (24th October) => Rs.319/-

Current ODO :- 2700kms


Max Speed touched :- 131kmph (Couldnt go more due to traffic)

Avg Mileage :- 35 kmpl (100% City driving)

For the second time in a row I dint have much to complain about the bike when I went in for the second service. 99% satisfied with the bike and the performance.

• had a few 40-50 kms drives once in a while. This bike is easily manageable at speeds in excess of 110kmph CONSISTENTLY without much strain on the engine or rider! You feel very confident and planted and never gives you a feeling you are overspeeding
• now that the runin period is completed i have started ripping the bike slightly. she takes charge right from 0 till eternity! all thru out thers no lack of power.
• raced with a power tuned rtr160. gave it in his ***. thats when i easily ripped off when i took off to 130 kmph his bike was 'stranded' at 120 kmph probably. i even got time to give him a stare while i was overtaking and he had his accelerator full and i had lots to go !
• CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN is the 1% irritation surrounding this champion. During rains lot of dirt gets into the chain and causes an annoying noise. needs a bit of lubrication once in 1000kms they say, but i feel if road conditions are bad chain starts to annoy even after a few hundred kms. Since the sound of the dirty chain comes more from the gearbox side, people usually tend to mistake it for a 'tortured' engine. Thats where people get MISTAKEN.

OVERALL anyday I would suggest this bike over the RTR 160, RTR 180 or the new ZMR. go ahead guys. My greens!!!

[sam_sant2005]

Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSi 2009

Date of Purchase :- 10th, July 2009
Color :- Red
First Service :- 640kms (12th August) => Rs.719/- (Teflon Coating incl.)
Second Service :- 2540kms (24th October) => Rs.319/-
Third Service :- 4500kms (24th December) => Rs.655/- (Buzzer 120, Engine Flushing 150)
Current ODO :- 4575kms


Max Speed touched :- 135kmph

Avg Mileage :- 35 kmpl (100% City driving)

Dont know whether the Bajaj A.S.S fooled me,they charged around 150 Rs for 'engine flushing'. They say usually they just drain the old oil and add new, but on request they 'flush' the engine and then put new oil. I had said ok, but I never knew they would charge xtra during this 'free' service period.

Two of my turn buzzers had to be replaced since water got into it when i got it washed sometime back. That itself cost 120Rs.

No issues with the bike as such otherwise, third time in a row for service!

P220 DTSi rocks!

PS: But as I always have been saying in other threads, the Gearbox is not prefect. It does miss slot when ripped.

************************************************** ********************
I happened to race with a Bullet 500 Machismo the other day. I was amazed at the way that bike pulled. Oh ma god! Yeah the rider seemed to be a pro. But even with the Fastest Indian it took some time for me to catch upto him! I had test driven the 500 before buying P220, yeah it had power but never knew it could 'perform' so well! I was always under the impression, after all Bullet sucks when it came to acceleration since I myself have owned a brand new Bullet 350 Std for 3 months.
Now I just wonder how the new Classic 500 would perform with the UCE Engine + Fuel injection and 27.2bhp (41nm Torque). Ohhh that might simply rip the Fastest Indian off, THOUGH top speed is still with the Pulsar 220 DTSi. So as of now except from Ninja and RD Iam safe!
************************************************** ********************

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSi 2009

On highways a 120kg R15 in comparison looks funny, although its design makes up for it.

Congrats on your purchase and glad to see you are enjoying the motorcycle, one query though-- How can a motorcycle look funny? and how its design makes up for it, both at the same time?
going by your statistics(i presume) a 1000cc sports motorcycle should weigh at least 350kgs

[sam_sant2005]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Congrats on your purchase and glad to see you are enjoying the motorcycle, one query though-- How can a motorcycle look funny? and how its design makes up for it, both at the same time?
going by your statistics(i presume) a 1000cc sports motorcycle should weigh at least 350kgs

are u seriously a fool or just mocking me ?
Your interpretation of what I said was amazingly blunderfooooool! Great yaar!

Anyways, in case anyone else reads this thread, shouldnt get misled, so guys I just meant that for most of the 'seeminlgy stable' bikes we have seen in India (Im talking about 100cc too 223cc segment not the 1000cc which sheel just pointed out), weight was a major feature. People say for years our RE is quite a stable bike. But on of the other hand the 100cc's are quite unstable at high speeds. Iam talking of speeds in excess of 90's. So we have an impression like around 150kgs+ would be a good bet for a bike. ITS NOT A PROPORTIONAL ALOGIRTHM like people like sheel interpretted! ZMR, ZMA, P220, RE and even for that matter Unicorn (nearly 140+) have proved it! So under the cirumstances suddely a bike comes out and 'performs' amazingly well at speeds over 120kmph which weighs just 120kgs (Yeah the R15)! So I got wonder-struck! So then it had to be the design which helped it!

Hope the 'funny' part is clear to sheel.

[JayPrashanth]

Sam,

Hehe, I'e eaten many 220s with my LB500. Just today, in a traffic light gp a 220 gave a hard chase but couldn't get ahead. I've ridden the UCE500 pretty hard and the 220 will be left far behind.

Cheers,

Jay

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

[ 152 kgs is cool! Feels planted in the road always. On highways a 120kg R15 in comparison looks funny, although its design makes up for it. But any day Bullet owners will agree that weight is a big factor! It handles quite well in city too with this weight though but may be not as much as our old old P180 or the new RTR. But straight line stability of P220 DTSi UNBEATABLE.

PS: Yamaha’s claims of beating P220 Fastest Indian I think is DUMB bcoz any bike can be modified to improve performance.

Handling and straight line stability are poles apart
and i really hope you don't go chasing R15 ridden by a determined rider on hills,

If Bajaj is so much determined, let them come on tracks and prove
rest has been settled on MMST by various magazines

Ride a Libero by Yamaha or CRD100 by LML at 90kmph, you will know how stable they are

and being wonder struck and looking funny are different things,

P.S- its not a Yamaha fanboy or bajaj bash up post, i have ridden P-220 DTS-FI for ~12000kms to comment, most haven't ridden R15 even for some petty distances to comment, you can judge most motorcycles in initial 5-10kms, not the R15, simply because she makes all her power above5.5-6k like all sportsbikes do, shift at 10k for the first 3 gears and you will realize its potential

and no more posts by me on this thread,i wish Mr.Sam many wonderful kms under his belt

[sam_sant2005]

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

Sam,

Hehe, I'e eaten many 220s with my LB500. Just today, in a traffic light gp a 220 gave a hard chase but couldn't get ahead. I've ridden the UCE500 pretty hard and the 220 will be left far behind.

Cheers,

Jay

hey hey hey dude I just dont agree to that piece of note. 220 DTSi (DTS-Fi though Iam not too sure) is too good for a LB500.

The latest offering from RE, the classic I 'heard' does 0-100 in around 13 secs. So all other bullets I PRESUME should be slower viz. the CI LB 500's.

P220 easily betters all that and even climbing above 100kmph also P220 is really really awesome with the 19nm torque it packs along with the 21bhp.

Then finally the topmost speed for any Bullet 500 (be it CI, LB or Classic) has been 130kmph. Most days to office I cross 125kmph quite easily on my P220. It now something like a daily routine for me, so effortless. And I know how tough it is to take a Bull to 'ITS' top speed (Owner of a new std Bull for three months till July 2009).

In that previous post I was just mentioning that the Machismo 500 'rider' was good, very good, but still not good enuf for P220. He was on song but then I wasnt that interested. But when I twisted my throttle, he was a dead duck. But i really liked the way that bike pulled. I was a surprise to me. but on twisting my throttle he just came closer and closer and then vanished in my RVM.

And the very next day same signal, I Killed an arrogant ZMA rider. He was zigzaggin really hazardously with overspeeding and in between came in and 'crossed' me. So i though of making him understand there are better bike on road. We came to the signal .. Two bikes neck to neck. i cud see him twist the accelerator ready for that race. NO EXAJJERATION ==> ZMA DINT COME ANYWHERE NEAR MY P220. Initially i was sceptical since i knew in 0-60 ZMA is no mup, still it was nowhere to be found. I took mine from 0 till 130kmph, ZMA not even in the RVM by the time i reached next signal 3kms distant.

So P220, is indeed a prince, if not king, yeah will bow down to RD and our big bro Ninja, But not to anyone else Classic 500 with respect, but no mercy!

Sam
(One of the Fastest Indians)

PS: I dint take Machismo 500 just bcoz I knew she cant beat the new gen bikes. I haev test driven it, and Iam 100% sure of it. Classic 500 with the UCE engine and FI, well I donno.

[Rollin' Thunda]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

Then finally the topmost speed for any Bullet 500 (be it CI, LB or Classic) has been 130kmph. Most days to office I cross 125kmph quite easily on my P220.

The rated speeds of the REs you mention are the TRUE speed (measured against a known distance). The speed of the P220 you see is the Speedo values. Usually speedos are anywhere between 10-20% 'optimistic' (especially on those bike preferred by younger riders who haven't outgrown the urge to compare numbers ).

[Technocrat]

The RE 500s are very competent & powerful bikes but then they come at a price. The P220 is a cool 30k-40k cheaper with much more equipment & refined engine.

Both are as different as Chalk & Chese.

@Sam- Enjoy your bike but dont take the marketing lines too seriously (Fastest Indian). You will need a longer stretch to overtake a Bull500 as the 500 has lots more torque.

So relax guys & enjoy your machines

[Abbas]

Guys i need to go for HID kit for my bike. Any info as to where to buy this from. Also will it going to affect my warranty?

[parik_ind]

Hi Guys,

I got my Blue 220 just a couple of days back. I have not been too much of a bike person ever since I got my Ikon but before that I truly loved the comfort I had with my Fiero (had her for 9 years before I got the 220).

At the risk of offending a lot of people, I did not buy it because the ad said 'the fastest Indian' or because it was 70 cc and bucket loads of power more than my faithful fiero or because I can now twist the throttle and leave most motorists far, far behind. I got it because I have always wanted a pulsar and did not think that any of the other new ones would make me happy (here the pocket was also a consideration).

So first impressions.......WOW!!!! Love the riding position (split seats zindabad), engine note is awesome, braking is a whole new experience espcially after using drums for close to a decade. It feels like the perfect companion on the road. The advanced electricals, projector lamps, etc etc are added benefits.

Have not used her much but love the way she handles, I get the feeling that I can try anything and the bike will be very stable. Very confident now to brake a little later. I even love the fact that I can calmly start the bike at a signal without kicking it a couple of times while listening to blaring horns behind me. Simple pleasures...

For 9 years I pushed down on the gear lever to shift up so getting used to the 220's shifting pattern took a few kilometers, but after that it seemed I have been riding the bike for a long time. I really enjoy the feedback I get from the engine when I change gears.

I am waiting for the running period to get over so that I can truly experience the 220. I guess at that point I will talk about the extra 70 cc, the bucket load of power and how i left people standing at the signal when I twisted the throttle made me feel.

Cheers,

Parikshith

[sam_sant2005]

Originally Posted by Sheel

If Bajaj is so much determined, let them come on tracks and prove
rest has been settled on MMST by various magazines

If Yamaha is so much determined, let them come on normal roads and prove and rest has been settled on the roads by various riders!

Guy, we are not given race tracks by the govt, nor do we have traffic less roads. So just by claiming that R15 would eat away P220 on a race track is shameful! Be more real, talk of real scenarios. Im not here to downtrade R15. Even initially when I talked of R15's weight factor, I was pointing out its positives (wrt design). I wonder why you took it wrong. Personally Iam a big fan of R15.

Sheel, I dint take R15 due to just three reasons:-
1) My mom and wife found it very difficult to sit on the rear seat 'safely'.
2) 'I' felt Initial grunt is very very essential for any bike. Power at higher rpms, good and great, but on race tracks! Again 'I' feel. Its subjective
3) After spending 1 lac plus, I dint want a much 'cheaper' bike to overtake me , yeah the P220 DTSi.

Had R15 been 200cc, I wouldnt ve hesitated one bit. But then unlike Bajaj, Yamaha and even Honda cant give bikes in that category at 'affordable' prices for the public. For them quality and performance come at a price. Sadly so. So people like me have to rely on Bajaj. High speed Handling - R15 I KNOW is the BEST IN INDIA, AGREE.

************************************************** ******
I forgot to mention something in the 3rd service review :-
In third service, on my P220 some 'modifications' were done for free as per company directives it seems. They said they changed the Carb needle and some things related to the Ignition. I wonder what! But after that my bike has 'backfired' a few times AND has had some 'missing' off late. May be I ll have to take it back to them once more.