Top 5 Things We Liked About the New Bajaj Pulsar 250

Bajaj has launched the much-awaited and quite frankly very late Pulsar 250. There are two versions of it, the F250 replacing the Pulsar 220F and N250 replacing the NS 200. There have been no ride reviews so it is too early to tell anything about it. We all have however seen it in videos and also know the pricing. Here is my objective assessment of the Bajaj Pulsar F250 and N250.

Pricing

The Bajaj Pulsar F250 and N250 are priced at Rs 1.40lakh and 1.38 lakh which is a steller price. For comparison, the Apache 200 4V costs 1.33 lakhs, and while the Duke 250 is not a direct comparison to the new Pulsars, we can make a comparison to it since it has the same engine capacity. The Duke 250 costs 2.28 lakhs.

While Bajaj has always undercut the competition, this new price point is something that could shake up the whole market. It is quite frankly absurd to get a Pulsar with 250CC capacity at this price.

The Hornet 2.0 with 185 CC costs 1.32 Lakhs. Even Bajaj’s own NS200 costs 1.35lakh. That bike would certainly have to be discontinued now.

Design

While the design of the new Pulsars is not earth-shattering or different like the Pulsars of before, it most certainly looks like a Pulsar. No one would mistake it for any other motorcycle than a Pulsar. The news N250 and F250 take design cues from NS 200, AS 200 and the 220F. The characteristic twin rear lights have also been revised to look new and similar at the same time. The fairing on F250 is a good blend of 220F and the AS 200.

With the Pulsar N250 and F250, Bajaj has tried to recapture the essence of a Pulsar and it shows in its design. The new Pulsars are not market leading and cutting edge in terms of designs as all the previous Pulsars have been but an evolution of the old design that makes them look mature and classy.

Lighting

Lighting is something that instantly modernises a motorcycle. The older Pulsar lacked this which is a shame really because even the 125 CC motorcycles now come with LED lights. This time around however LED lights have been added to the new Pulsar F250 and N250. On first viewing, the jury is still out whether it looks good or not, but it certainly is an improvement over the outdated NS 200.

All the lights on the motorcycle have been given LED treatment and they certainly lifting them to modern standards. The lights would not grab your attention at the outset but would certainly grow on you the more you look.

Exhaust

Single-cylinder high revving engines never sound good and neither was the case with Pulsar 200NS and 220F. Though 220F sounded good at low revs, it was very unrefined at higher RPMs. Similarly, underbelly exhaust in the NS 200 sounded very bad in the early version which was later brought up to acceptable in the later iterations. However, it still did not sound good for a motorcycle whose whole identity is to be a sports motorcycle.

Rajiv Bajaj laid heavy emphasis on the sound of the motorcycle and if it sounds anything like what was heard in the video, I’m sold. The new Pulsars have let go of the old raspy sound for a newer deeper and consistent sound throughout the rev range.

Engine/ torque

Pulsar has been a market leader in terms of the engine as well. This engine however is straightforward and simple. People have been complaining about a lack of liquid cooling and a 6-speed gearbox claiming it would be the reason for N250 and F250’s failure. Bajaj however did make an engine with liquid cooling and 6 speed 10 years ago in NS 200 and that motorcycle has not been a great success for the company. The 220F still outsells the NS 200 even after 12 years of launch.

Bajaj knows its customers. It knows that they want a torque filled motor that could be ridden in the city with ease. This is what the new Pulsar engine offers. Bajaj says that 80% of the torque can be accessed around 3000RPM which makes riding the N250 and F250 a real treat in the city. It also has a good top end which is helpful on the highway. The top speed of the Pulsar F250 is around 145KMPH.