Bajaj Pulsar NS200: The Bajaj Pulsar NS200 remains one of the crucial motorcycles in the history of performance motorcycles in India.
Originally introduced in 2012, the CFMOTO 650NK has been updated for 2020 to make it even more competitive, delivering a thoughtful combination of unique, head turning design, handlebar attitude, and affordable entry-level performance – it all adds up to the best city bike in Australia.
The story of its success is a very interesting tale and it reveals a lot about how the motorcycle market in India has evolved, as well as how local brands can prevail over competition from big multinationals by making the right moves.
Bajaj Pulsar NS200: Design Concept
Meanwhile, the NS200’s design language brought “Naked Sport” into the Indian motorcycling vocabulary—a big bike-ish, no clothes on, visual mass centralization that has more to do with aggressive stance than the half or quarter fairings we’ve seen on earlier Indian performance bikes.
The unique two-tone fuel tank blends seamlessly into the aggressively profiled radiator shrouds and side covers, emphasizing the aggressive, super naked styling tenets of the new Z1000.
The bare perimeter frame — painted in characteristic metallic red or gold, in the case of each color variant — reinforces the sculptural and technical prowess of the engineering that was created to support it.
Aesthetic elements include a central muffler, mounted low for demonstration-purposes – to ease visual interpretations of proportions; an off the shelf off a late 1950s Vincent HRD.
Most importantly, the visual elements of the NS200 are not outlandish and over the top, without any weird proportions or building design for the sake of it.
The ergonomics are aggressive enough without going full rice, with decently rearset pegs and a really natural reach to those mini-ap bars.
This attention to ergonomic detail means that performance-based design ideas do not remain ideas, but are converted into user-friendly designs that can be utilized to their fullest.
Engineering: The Revolution of Three spark plugs
Underneath the macho form of the NS200, lies the technology that Bajaj has paid attention to in terms of performance – a liquid-cooled engine with 199.5cc displacement with triple-spark technology at its heart.
This unique configuration involving three spark plugs arranged in each combustion chamber complements the highest level of combustion efficiency with each load, contributing to increased output, better fuel economy, and lower emissions.
The SOHC 4-valve head makes about 24.5 PS at 9,750 RPM; and 18.5 Nm of torque at 8,000 RPM,—numbers that redefined the quarter-litre segment when it was first seen.
More impressive than the peak figures is the powertrain’s character – liquid-cooling ensures there’s no drop in power as it begins to wilt, as all air-cooled engines do on our inordinately hot conditions, and the 6-speed gearbox with quite spread out ratios ensure effective use of the powerband.
Another key development is the chassis layout. In more ways than one, the perimeter frame – which uses pressed steel sections as it cheaper to produce – is a great balance between high torsional rigidity and tipping the scales – a lot – of the manufacturing costs in favour of low cost production, a key factor in the price-sensitive Indian two-wheeler market.
Rear suspension is just as sophisticated with a gas-charged monoshock offering 7-step adjustable preload – something that simply wasn’t available before at this cost.
Brakes have changed over the term of the model – it was introduced with a 280mm front disc and 230mm rear disc, later got single-channel ABS, and then dual-channel ABS according to safety norms.
This evolution is also a function of regulatory updates and the commitment from Bajaj to increase the safety component as production scale allowed costs to be brought down on these technologies.
Riding Dynamics: Performance vs. Accessibility
The most important thing about the NS200 for the Indian motorcycle market is its riding dynamics—real sporting ability without scaring the daylights out of the novice rider.
The motorcycle’s light weight (approximately 156 kg when fully fuelled) and ideal center of gravity contribute to the Nimble Handling you want on a sports bike, but the frame also helps ensure control and handling in all conditions.
It’s a good balance of easy-to-access power and entertainment value. There’s none of the need to use high revs all the time to find any power that can afflict other small displacement performance motorcycles but more importantly satisfying pull from quite low down the rev range – a boon in India’s mostly traffic-troubled riding conditions.
The same thoughtfulness is evident in the suspension tuning, with compliance enough for our always less than ideal roads and composure during high-tempo riding.
Such flexibility makes the NS200 reliable for your daily commutes as well as weekend leisure motorcycle—a fact nowhere else is of more importance than here in India, where folks generally have one motorcycle and expect it to do everything rather than have one motorcycle for a dedicated usage.
Market Impact and Evolution
The unveiling of NS200 sent shockwaves across the Indian motorcycle industry. It’s success also showed clear demand for performance motorcycles even at top-end price-points drawing larger domestic as well as foreign manufacturers to plan their stakes!
Across the segment’s offerings, there are smart-fluid and coolant systems, and backbone-and-perimeter-frames, all of which the S 1000 RR, in its 10th anniversary year, introduced to the segment first, fostering an elevated level of expectation for the sophistication of engineering thought.
Over the course of its lifetime, the NS200 got ‘nudges’ rather than complete makeovers, proof of the enduring wisdom of the bike’s initial vision.
Adding ABS, improved fueling due to upgrades in engine management and subtle design changes have kept it relevant as competition has got more advanced both from other manufacturers in the UK and abroad.
Most importantly, NS200 paves the way for further derivatives catering to other segments which Bajaj used wisely to rollout the fully-faired RS200 for sport bike oriented riders, and the adventure styled AS200 for the tourers.
This platform approach optimized to RoI on engineering investment while also enabling Bajaj to respond to varied consumer preferences effectively.
Bajaj Pulsar NS200:
The Bajaj Pulsar NS200 holds a significant place in the Indian motorcycle industry, not only does it show the way for successful model lines, but its existence is also a testimony to India’s motorcycle market evolving beyond basic mode of transport to mature machines with real talent.
With the infusion of world-class design and engineering at price points Indians could afford, Bajaj showed that Indian firms could take on global brands effectively by thinking in terms of focused innovation rather than simply cost leverage.
In India, it changed the perception of an entry level performance bike and subsequently increased aspiration among a new set of riders creating enthusiasts in the process.
But as India’s motorcycle market keeps maturing towards higher-displacement and more specialized products, the NS200’s place as the trailblazer of an accessible performance platform, a milestone that helped India graduate from being the world’s largest motorcycle producer by volume to one that also offers entertaining performance and the latest technology, is secure.
