Pulsar 200NS bike review

I was reading through the question and answer session of a popular bike online site and though compassionate (am i ? ) i couldnt help laughing .. Question was .. Sir , I have a wife and a small daughter and which one should i choose KTM duke , Honda CBR or pulsar 200 NS .. I will be using it mainly for city commute with occasional highway ...

Anyone can buy any bike but this question was too much . Unlike a lamborgini its not safe for a 2 year old to be wedged between husband and wife in a sportsbike which is designed primarily for single ride and if at all a medium built agile rear passenger ..

Thanks to bajaj company and pulsar series now we have affordable bikes which can be used sportily yet can be used in day to day use . After some review searching as usual i bought a bajaj pulsar 200NS where NS stands for naked sports . Just like family name it is to show that it is designed primarily for sportiness , naked cos its not fully fared with all the extra plates on the side .

The bike is tall and looks beautiful with the contours oozing sex appeal rather sports appeal . With the big fuel tank and sloping rear seat and the liquid cooling mechanisms it definitely turned attention especially when it passed the sports enthusiasts territories in the city . Its a tad bit difficult to climb in compared to my previous bike pulsar 150 but thats expected considering its difficult even to climb a horse :)

The engine with its 23 bhp and sub 20 Nm torque is really good . I was especially impressed by its low end torque and it pulls effortlessly . I often felt the roads were inadequate for its acceleration . It has 6 gears compared to pulsar 150 (which has 5 only ) . Gear shifting is smooth though not ultrasmooth . Dont have to downshift too much unless speed is very low . Mainly because i dont speed in busy roads and also because its run in period of engine i drive fairly sedately now .

But when a KTM duke and Honda CBR came close yesterday i just gave a small unleashing (of course within speed limit ) and was amazed at the response . At 2/3 of price of a honda or a KTM duke its a real bargain especially if you are using it for sedate driving also ..

The suspension is stiffer but nowhere as stiff as KTM duke and thats important in indian driving conditions . I sometimes think about pulsar 200 NS like a presentable aishwarya Rai who both walks the ramp as well as goes shopping for you in weekdays .. KTM is like marilyn monroe .. Sorry .. its a bike review so back again ..

Tachometer is analog and speedo is digital .. Front and rear discs are pretty good . Mileage didnt check so far as its new but should give around 35 km per litre . Forgot the handling . With a small knee recess , the lack of central stand , the silencer shifted down and weight kept within 145 kg uniformly handling is superb .

In short for the excellent power to weight ratio and power to money paid ratio pulsar 200 NS is a good bet . My limited experience of less than a week . Again compared to my older bike this bike has a high pillion seat which is also fitting only an agile rear passenger . .. I donno whether to test the hard braking with a pillion rider or solo ride .. Time will tell :)