Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Bajaj Pulsar

Bajaj Pulsar is a motorcycle brand owned by Bajaj Auto in India which was developed by the production engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with motorcycle designer Glynn Kerr.Currently there are four variants available -with engine capacities of 135 cc, 150 cc, 180 cc and 220 cc. Previously it was also offered with a 200cc DTS-i oil cooled engine, which now has been discontinued
Before the introduction of the Pulsar, the Indian motorcycle market trend was towards fuel efficient, small capacity motorcycles.The Pulsar was the bike responsible for the rebirth of the performance oriented bikes. Hero Honda was in fact the first manufacturer to come out with India’s first 150 cc 4 stroke, the CBZ in 1999. But it was the Pulsar (launched in 2001) which actually went on to set the benchmark of a 150 cc 4 stroke motorcycle.During the initial years the Pulsar did suffer from a few quality issues. But over the years Bajaj has been continuously improving the quality and adding new and innovative features in the Pulsar.
                       In a way, the Bajaj Pulsar revolutionized the market for motorcycles in India, leading riders to expect higher performance and power ratings even from modest, entry-level bikes.

First Bajaj Pulsars

The initial Bajaj Pulsar was available with either a 150cc or 180cc engine. Both were single-cylinder, air-cooled engines. The Bajaj Pulsar was very simply designed, using only springs as shock absorbers and a single spark plug. Optional features were few, but included an electronic ignition system. Disc brakes, standard on the Bajaj Pulsar 

Pulsar came with a 150 cc air-cooled, single-cylinder, petrol, spark-ignited four-stroke engine which made 12 bhp of maximum power. They featured a single spark plug to ignite the air-fuel mixture fed from a carburetor, simple spring shock absorbers, round headlamp dome and 1,265&mm wheelbase. Disc brakesas standard equipment was a novelty in Indian motorcycles of the early 2000s. Other standard features were parking lights and an aircraft-type fuel tank lid while The 180 cc version made 15 bhp of maximum power and came with a twin-tone horn, which was optional equipment on the 150 cc version. Electric Start (ES) was offered as standard feature in 180cc model and optional on 150cc model

2005

In 2005, Bajaj launched another upgrade of the Pulsar. The bike was offered with 17-inch (430 mm) alloy wheels as standard option, and the stance was also lowered by about 12 mm. It was the first time any bike maker in India had offered 17-inch (430 mm) profile wheels at the rear. The fuel tank now had a capacity of only 15 litres. The power output was now further increased to 13.5 bhp (10.1 kW) @ 8500 rpm for the 150 while it increased to 16.5 bhp (12.3 kW) @ 8500 rpm for the 180. The rear shock absorbers were now gas-filled Nitrox absorbers.


2006
Bajaj introduced another version of Pulsar. New features included: pilot lamps separated from the main headlamp, turn indicators with clear lenses and amber bulb, self-cancelling turn indicator switch, flush LCD screen with digital read-out of key vehicle data, non-contact speed sensor, non-contact backlit switches, twin-stripe LED tail-light assembly and side panels altered for a sharp, tapering-towards-the-rear look. The engine had increased torque availability, reduced vibration and improved gear shift feel. They also introduced the 1 down 4 up variant of the gear box for the first time on sub-150 cc variants


2007

In July 2007, Bajaj began selling the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi and Pulsar 200 DTS-i, the former featuring fuel injection and oil cooled engines, a digital dash, and modern styling. This bike has some features which are totally new to the Indian market, like the fuel injection itself, rear disc brake and clip-on handlebars (the first two only available in the 220 model).


2008

It’s also the first bike in India to feature both front and rear tubeless tires, which besides offering superior stability are safer than conventional tube types and in sync with the offerings abroad for similar applications. The rear tire is the broadest in its category to ensure better road grip and stability.
The new digital console is an advanced version of the latest Pulsar family. Apart from the Digital Odometer, Digital Speedo Meter, Digital Fuel Gauge and two Digital Trip Meters, the console on the 200 cc Pulsar DTS-I has indicators for Air filter condition, Engine temperature, Battery voltage and Oil level, all of which contribute to enhancing rider info for trouble-free riding.

Bajaj released the UG IV  versions of the Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 180 in April 2009. 

 Pulsar 150 included an all-black theme, a 3D Pulsar logo, and a changed electrical system. Power also increased from 13.5 bhp to 14.09 bhp (at 8,500 rpm). Electrical enhancements like auto head light switch-off after few seconds of turning the engine off to protect the battery, self cancelling turn signals ,icon illumination (horn icon, indicator icon, engine cut off icon, etc.), side stand warning light, duel digital trip meter, low fuel warning light  and low battery indicator are common features among all the variants.
The Pulsar 180 received upgrades like wider tyres, split seat, tank scoops, clip-on handlebars, 3D Pulsar logo, swing arm suspension borrowed from Pulsar 200, and thicker forks. The power was increased to 17 PS.

Bajaj launched a carbureted version of Pulsar 220 on June 2009, tagging it as "the fastest bike in India". It also discontinued the production of Pulsar 200 on July 2009.
Bajaj  Pulsar 135LS the light sports version launched, contain 4-valve DTS-i technology i.e consists 4 smaller valves rather than 2 standard bigger valves, styling also is changed and looks become more aggressive. The bike is ARAI certified for 68.5kmpl and weights only 122 kg.

2010

Bajaj released the UG 4.5 (fifth upgrade) versions of the Pulsar 150. The upgrades for the Pulsar 150 included an clip-on handlebars like those in Pulsar 135LS. Power also increased from 14.09 bhp to 15.06 bhp (at 9,000 rpm).
A naked version of Pulsar 220 is also launched, named as Pulsar 220S(Street Fighter) which retains everything from Pulsar 220 except the front fairing. Front fairing is similar to Pulsar 180/150. Old Pulsar 220 is now named as Pulsar 220F.

About DTSi  Technology

 DTSi stands for Digital Twin Spark Ignition, a Bajaj Auto trademark. Bajaj Auto holds an Indian patent for the DTSi technology. The Alfa Romeo Twin-Spark engines, the BMW F650 Funduro which was sold in India from 1995 to 1997 also had a twin-spark plug technology, and the Rotax motorcycle engines,more recently Honda's iDSI Vehicle engines use a similar arrangement of two spark-plugs. However very few small capacity engines did eventually implement such a scheme in their production prototypes.

ExhausTEC
ExhausTEC stands for Exhaust Torque Expansion Chamber, a technology patented by Bajaj. The technology involves use of a small chamber connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine to modify the back-pressure and the swirl characteristics, with an aim to improve the low-end performance of the bikes. The ExhausTEC technology is claimed to be highly effective in improving the low- and mid-range torque
Specifications
  • The five engine options in the Bajaj Pulsar have been rated as high as 14 horsepower for the 150cc engine, 17 horsepower for the 180cc, 18 horsepower for the 200cc, 20 horsepower for the 220cc, and 21 horsepower for the 220cc in the DTS-i configuration. All Bajaj Pulsars use tube tires and five-speed transmissions. Front telescopic forks and a 52-inch wheelbase are also common to all models.

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1 comment:

  1. If we compare on the grounds of looks and power,no doubt Bajaj Pulsar 220 scores high but if we talk about dirt bikes KTM Duke is a right option.

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