Friday, March 29, 2024

2017 Bajaj Pulsar 150 BSIV Review, First Ride

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Pulsar 150 in the 2017 avatar gets a lot of changes mechanically to make sure it now has more refinement, rideabiltiy and economy

Enchanting –

  • Engine high on refinement, low on NVH
  • Sports and Muscular evolutionary styling
  • High on fuel efficiency and performance
  • Value for money

Unsatisfying –

  • Clocks could do with more information
  • ABS Missing, Period.

If you have been always eyeing a premium commuter to upgrade from a smaller motorcycle, you most likely considered a 150cc motorcycle as the ideal upgrade. The next logical step would be looking at market hits and at the top there has been always one motorcycle which has been doing exceptionally well in the entire range of 150cc motorcycles. Let it be called anything, but it has been the Pulsar which always felt like the right jump into the premium motorcycle segment. The motorcycle offered a lot since day for the money you spend and today the proposition stays the same.

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Bajaj has been working on its 150cc engine for quite some time and it has plonked it in various tunes and formats into various bodies, but the motor came from here, the Pulsar 150. The BSIV engine is not just emission friendly but Bajaj stays the chassis along with other changes make it a substantial change and is one of the two motorcycle which get drastic changes in the family of 2017 Pulsar’s. We rode it at the Chakan track like other Pulsar models and today we present to you the review and tell you what has changed and what has not.

Design

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Styling wise nothing much has changed. The same muscular fuel tank, biking fairing, wolf eye headlamps, side and tail panels remain the same. The exhaust is now beefier but the design of it remains the same and so does the heat shield. Paint options are new and the decals are laser edge format. The pinstrips are now dynamic units and the overall look of the motorcycle remains unchanged and yet continues to grab attention thanks to new paint and graphic scheme.

Ergonomics

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Ergonomically, the motorcycle continues to offer lower set clip-on handlebar, a low seat height but despite that riding position is commanding as you sit higher. The mirrors do a good job of showing you what is behind, the seats are soft and fairly supportive and the rear set footpegs give you a feel riding a sporty commuter motorcycle.

Switches and Speedo

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The switch on the right side is now devoid of the headlamp button as it now has AHO feature. Engine kill switch and other features as before continue to exist, which does include back-lit feature which is now in blue color. Speedo surrounds get faux carbon fibre finish, the meter showcases a host of information such as two trip meter, odometer, fuel gauge, speedometer and side stand warning. The clock continues to be missing and the back lit is now blue as well. The usual LED tell-tale lights below the speedo are showing warning lights. Fonts now used inside the speedo are also new which make things look fresher.

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Engine and Gearbox

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The highlight here is that the bore and stroke, piston and crankshaft have changed and made way for newer stiffer, stronger and efficient parts. The bearings, the connecting rods and everything has been strengthened to make sure the NVH level are in check. The head has received changes to make sure combustion is efficient. The CDI is running 5 maps just like other 2017 Pulsar’s to make things more efficient. There is a secondary air chamber to make sure emissions are in control.

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The DTSi motor now makes 14 BHP of power and 13.6 Nm of torque. The power is gone down by 1 PS but the torque is up by 1 Nm. All of this means the motor is now more rideable in the city and offers even more punch in the low and mid range. Tall gearing means that you can expect a bit of top-end power but that takes time to extract. You can easily see 100 km/hr now on the speedo and when we compared to the old model, it does reach faster and is far more superior at controlling the NVH levels.

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The engine is far more smoother, linear, free revving and the exhaust and intake noise are throaty and much more pleasing with less moving parts noise coming. Overall, we would love to road test the vehicle for confirming numbers but we given the change we saw in both bikes provided by Bajaj which is an older one and newer one for comparison, we are almost convinced that the Pulsar 150 has changed quite a lot in the 2017 avatar.

Dynamics

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Dynamically, the motorcycle engine mount areas and the head of the tube has been strengthen and that means it allows more rigidity from the chassis and yet offer nimble character for city riding. We did get to sample the motorcycle at the track doing slow speeds maneuvering for photos and high speed banking, slow speed corners along with a long straight and the motorcycle was poised in all of these scenarios and inspired more confidence than the previous motorcycle kept for comparison.

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The chassis does feel a lot more poised when compared to the older bike. Ride quality is excellent and is well damped now. MRF tyres offer very good grip too. Overall, a neat job by Bajaj to make the motorcycle far more superior in every way as the chassis was a weak link for the manufacturer till some time back.

2017 Bajaj Pulsar 150 BSIV Review, Verdict

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Bajaj is very confident of the Pulsar 150 this then ever. A comparison model from the past makes things so obvious that we are in a right position to tell you that the motorcycle is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. Despite the fact that the UG 4.5 was already a big change for the Pulsar 150.

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This new motorcycle goes way ahead and offers a lot of refinement in engine and chassis department, continues to be well built and does offer good bang for your buck. The Pulsar 150 should help the manufacturer clock more sales which it seems to be loosing a bit from rivals and should claim more share yet again in this category, where it continues to lead in the first place.

Price: Rs. 74,603 (ex-showroom, New Delhi)

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2017 Bajaj Pulsar 150 BSIV Review
  • Design
  • Performance
  • Value
  • Comfort
  • Feature
4.7
Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)
Mohit Soni
Mohit Sonihttps://www.thrustzone.com/
NOT A Commander, Director, Editor-In-This/ That, CEO, MD, President, Entrepreneur, etc etc. Just a first employee at Thrust Zone with a team of enthusiasts who love car and motorcycles more than anything else in the world, just like I do. Hashtag blessed

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