Jun 22, 2007

Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi: Owner's Review

I caught new Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi owner, Arpan online and had a bit of a chat with him. As it turns out the lucky dude has just got his hands on his new pride and joy. I badgered him into writing a review at 80 km. Which is very significant, because he was typing while he could have been out riding... congrats, my friend. I've edited the original very mildly, but the thoughts are all his. Remember to congratulate him!

Yeah! I got my Pulsar 220 at 14.45, from Turbhe Pro-biking delivery and service centre. I picked one in silver (Pics at flickr and picasa ) [everyone has so far only seen blue and red bikes, so click away, people]. I booked the bike on June 11, 2007 (my well connected friend helped me and guided me... thank you!)... The bike reached their depot/ delivery centre by night of the 15th. However, delivery was not possible immediately because some minor niggles, like a delay in the arrival of the mirrors and some paperwork problems (this is the first time a P220 is being sold through the Mumbai Probiking outlet). But I must say, the guys at ProBiking Mumbai were very helpful and answered all my queries with honest replies, which I feel is really rare. Thanks to Shabir Motorwala (manager), Rahul and Vinod (the sales guys) and Sharad More (the delivery incharge).

People have asked my why I bought a 220 when I already have a 180 DTSi. I justify my decision with the following points: the 220 has alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, rear disc, fuel injection, far better lights, DC electrics, more comfortable seats, digital speedo... this list could go on... you see what I mean?

I am a sucker for new technology (yes, I know, FI, tubeless etc are all available on bikes abroad), but I can (and will) adopt new technology when it becomes available to me :-) and like Vibhu says, never buy a bike for a purpose, buy a bike which you like. And so the silver P220 was bought.

Delivery Day
The service and PDI time at ProBiking - SK Wheels was awesome. They have been trained well and most importantly, they are enthusiastic and take pride in their work. A very comprehensive pre-delivery talk was given... it was more like a Q&A session, actually, and they entertained all my queries from which fuel to use, to what speeds to use while running-in. The bike was kept ready, the paperwork was complete and I could have just signed the papers and left in five minutes. But the Q&A session was so engrossing that we spent more than an hour discussing the bike, joking around and the chaps at the showroom were than happy to oblige.

Riding position & Ergonomics
Commuting from Turbhe to Kandivali East is a tough task with a lot of bottlenecks and the roads are being concretised, dug up etc. I was a but scared, especially since my legs don't reach the ground when I'm astride the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi. However, all my fears vanished into thin air once I hit the road. The riding posture is really good and it is really comfortable. The centre stand didn't scrape at any time, but I was obviously not pushing the bike to the limit. This is a period when you get to know your motorcycle and establish a bond with her.

Engine/Gearbox
The Engine is beautiful. The response is amazing and the throttle is light and crisp (heck, it sounds like I just described a good pizza). The really, the engine response is something you must experience. The gearbox felt improved also. There are absolutely no jerks from the clutch, it is progressive just the way I like it. And no false neutrals so far, either :-) The starter motor is very much unlike the other pulsars also.

Lights
The lights are not comparable to anything else. A 55 W bulb is standard and I think enough has been written on this subject (projector headlamps etc).

Overall

So far, I am over the moon with the bike! I have attached a pic like you asked... althought a rearset position pic would be appropriate too :-) [Note: this review was written on day 1 at 80 km on the digital odometer]

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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

stone me.. but I don't like the looks of the 220 atleast from the pics, the front fairing looks like something which would fit a larger bike, the engine block does not fit the overall image.. on the whole there is a rather skimpy feel to it.

- Yugesh

Arjun J.P. said...

hi..........keep it posted......dude.....i am thinking of changing my bike.........so i am looking for different options..........

Crew@Ginger Chai said...

Great news on the 220 mate.. Hope you enjoy the riding. The idea is to drop the awe (ok, you can take your time) and start riding hard.
The 220 does have some serious technology going behind it but I really hope that the qaulity of production has not been sacrificed to keep to that proce level.
I have seen a P180 UG3 fall apart in front of my eyes just because it is ridden a lot..
Maintenance costs are crazy and even the entire Piston-ring-cyclinder assembly as well as the exhaust has been replaced!!!
Hope the 220s last dude.. It is that one thing I detest about Pulsars. Keep us posted!

Anonymous said...

Congrats to Arpan! Ride Safe!

rearset: Er..Was a 80km just completed review really necessary? If I were Arpan I'd probably have alternated the word "Whoa" and be done with!

@Arpan: Thanks for taking time off to write the review!

Anonymous said...

This is a review? Crap!

Anonymous said...

hey rearset where is ur blog on new yamaha 150cc the news is like hot cake among bikers

Anonymous said...

After years and years of ‘development’ and zillion lines of media hype what do we get: a 220cc just a few tenths of a second faster than Karizma and with most of the parts borrowed from older siblings. Whatever happened to exclusivity?

Anonymous said...

The new Yamaha 150 !!! That's new, I went for service on Friday and the dealer said there was no release pipelined for at least the next 3 months.

As far as lasting Bajaj go, I have seen the scooters last though they are half dead by the fourth year. I really do doubt Bajaj for longevity.

Kokan said...

hey congrates man.....the review was great.they haven't released the p220 and no one can get there hands on a p200 without waiting for atleast 2-3 months...real sad.Heard the apache rtr is due for release next week....tats wat the online chat service and guys at the showroom said.anyone got any info on tat?

Anonymous said...

Hi rearset,

Maybe its the wrong topic to ask the question. But let me ask it.
I plan to buy a 150. Can I go for the Apache 160RTR?? Do TVS engines have the same reliability as the competition?

Also, I have heard that Oversquare configuration engines have shorter life. IS A160s engine life shorter than a Unicorn's??

I wud like reliability and quality.

Shall I go ahead and book the RTR or should I wait for sometime??

Or Is it better to go for a UNI/CBZ-X??

Hey rearset, help me out...

gr said...

My first impression when i actually got to see the 220 was "Catfish !! :(

Let me explain with just a little bit of imagination, the 220 looks like a cartoon stereotype fish skeleton.

See all the mass is in the front in the triangular head which eventually terminates in an inconsequential tail

If you look at head on, it even has three sets of whiskers viz. the indicators on stalks, the fold away mirrors and the handle bar.

So much for the looks department.

It's got the tech, but ... sorry no louw at first sight happening.

Now what do I do ?

In about three weeks I'll have sufficient cash for a down payment.

and have enuf practice in paying EMIs to handle either the LB500 or the 220.

It's not like I'm comparing the two, but am having fun choosing :)

Any comments/ advice/ suggestions ?

ciao
gr
ps: and if you don't agree with me
here's your challenge
Spot The 10 differences


Anonymous said...

welll , i boght d 220 beast xactly a mnth ago.... now itz around 1000 kms ... da bike is a wonder , d problemx wid it are.. maintaining it, brakes meks noise , crunchy gearbox ,, datz all i noticed ... but all d abv is nuthin agnst itz performance!!!

Nived Sharda said...

hi I'm Nived. I have purchased P220 from Bagga link Karol Bagh on feb 14 2010. This bike is awusome. it has a gud pickup.