[Mpower]

How bout the 17 inch alloy wheels? Older one had the regular 18" spoke wheels.

[veyron1]

How bout the 17 inch alloy wheels? Older one had the regular 18" spoke wheels.

the new pulsars with the alloys, (or v2) also have gas-charged dampers and a longer wheelbase, alongwith revised 1st and 2nd ratios (and a reduced capacity 15-litre tank). but then, the 180 dts-i v1 was a scorcher, good for rippin'. the new ones have revised gearing due to the reduced size rims (resulting in a shorter final drive), which enhances in-city driving capabilities and the 'torque'-factor....

Front Fork travel on DTSi was a bit more than classics

you forgot the rubber gaiters, techno (those black covers on the upper part of the front fork- the classic had naked forks)..he..he..
and also, the classic had the speedo marked upto 140, whereas the dts-i's (v1 & v2) have the speedos marked to 160...

Karizma is a cruiser meant for highway cruising at high speeds

enlighten us then...would the RD be a cruiser too...??? c'mon dude, the zma is a pukka sports tourer, a'la the bandit (the styling of the zma though, is typical VFR)- and the bandit ain't no slowcoach...and trust me, the zma's faster than any production indian bike...forget O.D's test reports, and come up to the real world; and techno and i aren't talking from the den- we have proof, and we've experienced both the bikes...dude, we ain't kiddin'...

[Mpower]

The wheelbase increased due to a longer swingarm I think. Thats why the bodywork and chassis on the V2 dosent blend very well.

The 1st generation Pulsar was more flickable due to its low steering head angle and short wheel base. (which people loved).
But the fact is Bajaj is trying to make the Pulsar's handling more and more like the Karizma........and hence the longer wheelbase/swingarm
and the revised geometry. Wonder where they are getting the market feedback from.

[devarshi84]

I meant to say its more for cruising. I never meant to say it is one. I agree that its more of a sports tourer and HOnda leads in making one.

though the mags are correct I have myself driven both. topped 130 on a pulsar(run-in for 10k) and Karizma(run-in for 5786) was around 125. But I used to keep a but of higher tyre pressure at 35 for the rear tyre on the pulsar.

Pulsar is a roadster meant for city drags while Karizma is like own it and go on long trip on the highway.Its like I would love to own a Karizma but Its the pulsar to hunt down the prey.

[Mpower]

Need to pit them on the race track to see which one emerges with a quicker lap time.

[devarshi84]

been there done that. the bikes are so close that the results will keep on changing and hence I draw my verdict from mags.

karizma and pulsar are both excellent buys.

I will buy the pulsar just coz its 99.99% made in India.

[veyron1]

The wheelbase increased due to a longer swingarm I think.

yup, the swingarm has been extended, with box-section arms.

though the mags are correct I have myself driven both. topped 130 on a pulsar(run-in for 10k) and Karizma(run-in for 5786) was around 125.

i've taken both (run 10k each) on the highways, and redlined them. both had speedo reads in the region of 140 kmph. in fact, the 180 dts-i v1 topped at around 138 (approx) and the zma at 142. and this was on a bright sunny day, in the morning, at around 10.00 a.m- the air density is just about right, so proper induction will occur (i.e, the air will be of right temp.; try ripping any bike, at the crack of dawn, afternoon, evening, etc.- and there'll be a noticeable difference in the performance).....

the honda is a better built bike- which it has to be, because of it's higher sticker tag. but regarding the performance, i know for sure that the zma will cream the 180- just check out the earlier versions of O.D, and in the motorsport section, you'll find zmas and 180's fighting it out on track, in the four-stroke category- and from what i can recall, all the races have been won by the zmas....

like i said- the 180 is a VFM ripper- it has the zing, spare parts are cheap, and easier (and more frequent) to maintain. but, the zma is for those who do not compromise on quality.... agreed, both bikes are great- but at the end of it, someone has to emerge the winner....

p.s- and i'm not getting partial on the zma- the 180 classic and the dts-i have been my original faves- but when compared, the zma is simply better- ever so slightly, but better nevertheless...

[BUSA]

Nice write Veyron1

Accoding to ACI its the 180 DTSI which outruns the ZMA in many speed aspects. Like 60, 100 and top speed.

[merve_extreme]

i dont agree that the Zma is better build than the P180.Maybe true for the earlier version but the p180 v2 is much better build.yes they do suffer from some vibration's but they dissapear as the vehicle run's in.Also till date i have spent ZERO rupees for maintanence of my 9 month old P180 V2.

recently after the price-cut the zma's quality has dropped.the worst aspect is the paint job.it is bad(not very smooth) for a 70K+ machine.

but the Zma's engine paint job is much better and also the Zma looks better especailly after putting full fairing.Pulsar's suffer from paint chiping on their engine(specially cylinder) block(maybe because it is iron(or cast alloy) block while Zma's is alliminium).

But i am not going to pay 10-15K more for 5% performance advantage.

[Technocrat]

@veyron1: hehe thx for the addition but now taht u have mentioned these I'll add one more there is agreen on the tacho more mileage concious people on the DTSI's

@devarshi: I agree the performance figures are pretty close so it will be the rider who will decide which bike wins coz both of them are capable of wining

@merve_extreme: LOL no offence dude but ignorance is always bliss & i dont blame you coz even i had similar views when i had ridden the ZMA for a short distance but it was after i saw it perform & now after almost 6k on the odo & a trip to hyderabad I know for sure that its a superior product.

One more thing try the speedo of ur pulsar with any other bike at say around 60 kph & 80 kph & then let us know what you observe :-) I know you would be surprised.

As about BAL its the company I respect the most they are the one who are consitently bringing upgrades making changes to their bike even when they are selling well unlike HH which keeps running their old single engine in N number of bikes with $hit like Quantom Core & what not. I bought the ZMA coz it is a Honda & performs like one.

As about the paint job quality i disagree both pulsars & ZMa have excellant paint jobs my 27k old Pulsar is yet to see any peel off from either tank or engine.
p.s. I really laugh when i see people with full fairing on their ZMAs or if they ask me to put it LOL

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

@merve_extreme: LOL no offence dude but ignorance is always bliss & i dont blame you coz even i had similar views when i had ridden the ZMA for a short distance but it was after i saw it perform & now after almost 6k on the odo & a trip to hyderabad I know for sure that its a superior product.

One more thing try the speedo of ur pulsar with any other bike at say around 60 kph & 80 kph & then let us know what you observe :-) I know you would be surprised.

As about BAL its the company I respect the most they are the one who are consitently bringing upgrades making changes to their bike even when they are selling well unlike HH which keeps running their old single engine in N number of bikes with $hit like Quantom Core & what not. I bought the ZMA coz it is a Honda & performs like one.

As about the paint job quality i disagree both pulsars & ZMa have excellant paint jobs my 27k old Pulsar is yet to see any peel off from either tank or engine.
p.s. I really laugh when i see people with full fairing on their ZMAs or if they ask me to put it LOL

what has KM clocked got to do with the build quality impression.paint job and fairing plastic quality needs only one look at it to tell the difference.though the switchgear is great i have seen brand new Zma's with their Karizma stiker on the tank already starting to peel off + the safety instructions sticker on the tank having air bubbles on it.

speedo error has nothing to do with performance of any vehicle.if there is any error it is the mistake of the speedo manufacturer.By the way with which vehicle did u check the pulsar's speedo.i have compared mine with a CBZ upto 100kmph and both were within 2-3km of each other.

FIY on the best quality honda unicorn 100Kmph indicated on the speedo is 88Kmph true speed.

[Technocrat]

Km clocked tells u that even aftre so much time there is no peeling of the paint, 1st you talk of paint quality then tell about poor sticker work LOL. Anyways I agree the sticker work is not what it used to be. Also may be in V2 they ahve corrected the error coz in the V1 at 100kph on Pulsar the cbz/zma speedo shows 90kph. And this thread was all about comparison between the 180 V1 & the ZMA.

btw u said you have said you spent zero rs on maintainance :O You havent change oil yet :o

j/k man

All i want to say here is that both are good quality product & if you have some extra dough & can do with less mileage you should go for ZMA else its the 180 for you heck I did the same But dont write comments like 'i am not going to pay 10-15K more for 5% performance advantage.' when you dont know what are the major changes, again you'll have to ride the zma for quite some distance before you would appreciate it.

Peace

[BUSA]

Pulsar's suffer from paint chiping on their engine(specially cylinder) block(maybe because it is iron(or cast alloy) block while Zma's is alliminium).

You ought to see the New Pulsar V3 or watever which have Black Paint Job like the ZMA for the engine and Mag wheel!

[veyron1]

You ought to see the New Pulsar V3 or watever which have Black Paint Job like the ZMA for the engine and Mag wheel!

the new 180-dtsi v3 has a matt black oil shade for the alloys and the entire engine assembly (external) including the crankcase covers, block, head, and the exhaust header pipe and the muffler(tail can)- like the kinetic GF. the zma has the ash-black finish only on the alloys, and the exhaust header pipe. the end can is finished in steel or golden yellow...

@veyron1: hehe thx for the addition but now taht u have mentioned these I'll add one more there is agreen on the tacho more mileage concious people on the DTSI's

ha..ha..good one...

merve, even i used to think that the zmas weren't worth the moolah- that was when the bike used to cost close to 90 G's (on-road). but now, it's extremely good value for money. and no, the quality of the bike hasn't deteriorated after the price cut- in fact, i have found the engines of the newer lot to be more refined, and the paint job remains as good as ever, if not better. i can't comment on the sticker quality, as the earlier zmas had badges on them- and i haven't seen any new zmas with their logos and names peeling off.

also, this comparison was not about thrashing bajaj- bajaj is a great company; and i'm sure that their new 250cc offering, which should be out sometime in early next year, would be a real scorcher. but all i am saying is- hh guys are not genius enough to price the zma 10G's more than the pulsar and get away with it; the indian public has begun to think logically, and sense has begun to prevail. yes, they did price it stratospherically high initially, but they realised their mistake, and now, things are getting back on track...

and just for reference, why do people prefer honda or toyota to tata or mahindra? it's beause their products are thoroughly tested before launch, leaving little room for error. tata and mahindra products are launched without much r&d, and as a result, their initial products are plagued with problems, which they improve upon with time. same is the case with HH, honda, bajaj, etc. throughout the three years since the pulsar's launch (late 2002), we have seen 4 different variants of the pulsar. and since the cbz's or zma's launch, there hasn't been a single additional/improved variant....

all i'm saying is, the pulsar is a great bike, good for short term ownership-but for long term, it doesn't make as much sense as the zma...

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

btw u said you have said you spent zero rs on maintainance :O You havent change oil yet :o

please oil change is regular service item.all of us have to spend on it.

But dont write comments like 'i am not going to pay 10-15K more for 5% performance advantage.

that is what i feel.Veryon maybe we should meet up 2morrow.