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New Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSi - Warlord!

Photography: Kunal Khadse      8 Mar 2010

Buying a Bike ? Get Best Deal
Bajaj-Pulsar-220_1

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R does 0-60 in less than 3.5 seconds. The new Pulsar 220 from Bajaj Auto is close on the Ninja's heels. Varad More tries to figure out, how close...

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Road test: Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSi

Sunny days are back again and there can't be a better time to grab your bike keys and head-out in the twisties on a bright Sunday morning. I do that quite often, weather conditions not being the deciding factor. But when it's an all-new naked streetfighter hooligan like the new Pulsar 220 DTSi parked in my garage for the weekend, there is little ambiguity about what my plans for Sunday are going to be. A brief stint in the city on the new Pulsar 220 DTSi clearly indicated that this bike was a madhouse on wheels - just the thing I needed for the weekend ride.

The Akurdi-based bike maker has plonked in the carburetor-fed 220cc DTSi motor from its flagship model into this latest iteration of the far-famed (now discontinued) Pulsar 200 DTSi bodywork and it does wonders as to how the bike feels and performs. Without the weighted fairing, the bulky headlight and other body panels of the Pulsar 220F DTSi, this new streetfighter from Bajaj Auto feels quick, agile and intense to ride. Well that said, it's a good thing as well as bad. That's because those who haven't ridden the older generation Pulsar 200 DTSi, this bike will throw them off their rockers without any shadow of a doubt. But if you have been astride the Pulsar 200 DTSi, then you will be left wanting for the stance and aggressive poise of the 200. The dropping down flat handlebars of the 200 and ergonomics ideal for a streetfighter motorcycle complimented by its strong mid-range made the Pulsar 200 feel like a parkour artist high on crack running amok on the streets.

Bajaj-Pulsar-220_2

However, the Pulsar 220's power-packed performance and new-age equipment like two-piece handlebars, rear disc brake and fatter forks, which translates into a better setup and speed, more than makes up for the deficiency of character as compared to its predecessor. Nevertheless, this is still the best and only performance streetfighter motorcycle available in the country, yet. While thrashing the new Pulsar 220 DTSi through the mountain roads near Pune, the bike felt extremely sure-footed and well-heeled as she ate over bumps and other road undulations with aplomb. The 220 attacked corners precisely and exited them with a lot more aggression than the older 200 ever managed. Although, the rear suspension did feel a bit squishy, which was probably because it has been tuned more towards better ride quality and comfort than sport-riding. It also resulted in the main-stand grounding too quickly on almost every other corner. Not quite in line with the bike's hooligan image then...
 
 

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User's Comments
  • ALOK (02 September 2010 12:44)
    i think bajaj is having good understanding of indian consumer mindset, but i still think pulser220 id great fun at the same time some quality issue, they need to work it , after tie up with KTM and KAWASAKI we can hope good bikes.. | Reply
  • Niru (27 August 2010 15:47)
    The P 220 I is a gr8 bike , I had a couple of speed run with the modified FZs | Reply
  • niranjan (06 August 2010 09:31)
    i own the new pulsar 220 dts-i and its superb.very good pick up n performance...it gives around 38kmpl in city conditions and tats not bad at all for 220cc..who ever is plannin to buy it jus go for it without a second thought..its a kickass bike to ride... | Reply
 nishant (02 September 2010 15:50) Reply to niranjan
hey u sure bout the mileage thing bro? | Reply
  • shannon (01 August 2010 23:10)
    bajaj may produce good bikes,bt trust me their service is crap....i have a pulsar 220 dts-fi ....when i asked them to clean the air filter they just disconnected the sensor wire so that the warning sign would not blink on the display....moreover they took two months just to replace the clutch cover when i meet with an accident and did not put two bolts that hold the clutch cover causing an oil leak.....guys its better to buy a yamaha or a honda if u want quality service and if u want to buy something good with ur hard earned money.... | Reply
  • Bigguy (03 July 2010 15:42)
    Hey brothers... I bet if bajaj wants they can overbore this engine and make it 250 cc. they can crank the power upto 25 bhp easily, but just imagine will you be happy with 20-25 mileage? the current petrol price here in bangalore is 58rs. I personally feel bajaj has done a good job finding a balance between power and mileage. ps: I've just bought myself a pulsar 220 today! | Reply
 Achiever (05 August 2010 17:04) Reply to Bigguy
this is already a bored engine from 150cc. The same 150cc engine has been bored to 180, 200 and now finally 220! I think there is no more space left to bore it to 250. Otherwise they would have done it long ago because boring from 150 to180-200-220 has been quick. But it has been more than 4 years since they are clinging with 220. | Reply
 Sandeep  (06 July 2010 21:46) Reply to Bigguy
Hey Bro,Hows the Bike. I mean the New model.... Whats the mileage it gives..? Even im planning to buy one.. Any comments or suggestion..? | Reply
 Ankur Khasa (02 August 2010 02:13) Reply to Sandeep
just go 4 it today ....it will give nearly 40kmpl.I bought one just 7 days back | Reply
 Akshay jain (07 August 2010 20:24) Reply to Ankur Khasa
hey is bike is giving average of 40 exactly my brother bike is giving and average of 20-22 an nw i am plannig 2 buy it but by seeing my bro bike average i dont want 2 buy and the new model is also without fi tecnology so it also give less average can u plz solve my problem......my no is 9968012820
 ankur khasa (12 August 2010 21:52) Reply to Ankur Khasa
it depends on how you ride it .... the more roughly you ride, the less you get.i m gettin constantly between 37-40.just go 4 it..... u will not regret ur decision
  • Bigguy (03 July 2010 15:42)
    Hey brothers... I bet if bajaj wants they can overbore this engine and make it 250 cc. they can crank the power upto 25 bhp easily, but just imagine will you be happy with 20-25 mileage? the current petrol price here in bangalore is 58rs. I personally feel bajaj has done a good job finding a balance between power and mileage. ps: I've just bought myself a pulsar 220 today! | Reply
  • sAgAr  (17 June 2010 20:15)
    this byk is just awsomeeeeeeeeee ............... | Reply
  • tate (13 June 2010 16:12)
    Save the money and buy a RD 350 or a bullet and use the spare cash for fuel for a year!! these bikes are goods for new bikers or teens within city but serious bikers who do long routes would not even consider these plastic babes. there is nothing unique about them. | Reply
 achiever (05 August 2010 17:06) Reply to tate
You're RIGHT! I don't understand what these idiots are screaming about these useless bikes. | Reply
  • pravin dabholkar (25 May 2010 21:07)
    may i know the price of this bike. | Reply
 Ankur Khasa  (02 August 2010 02:14) Reply to pravin dabholkar
79k on road delhi | Reply
  • sharique (11 May 2010 19:14)
    Baja should try to push Top speed of 150 kms/hr. | Reply
 crap (25 May 2010 16:59) Reply to sharique
go to hell | Reply
  • Mahmoud (21 April 2010 12:18)
    Does anyone have 2010 Bajaj 220 Pictures ? also See www.SoftWareMile.com | Reply
  • Bullet is still the king (20 April 2010 12:00)
    hey every body cool down...every 1 here is biased in some ways...mine is a biking family..my father and uncle own bullets, my brother has a karizma and i have a pulsar 220 dts-fi, cousin owns an R15. Il give u straight unbiased opinion.The R15 has super quality but the initial acceleration suck..and if u r tall like me 6 feet plus...dan just forget the r15 not worth d back pains.the karizma is an excelant tourer, very compfy seat and a smooth engine...so if u have touring in mind, the karizma is better but the performance isnt great and there is no fun factor in the karizma, which d pulsar 220 and the r15 have. The pulsar is probably the best bike out of the 3 in the perfomance stakes. Its the most fun and wont coz much back pains but the quality isnt great.But the most important thing in india is the price, which the pulsar beats evrybike...i have been driving my pulsar for about a year( mine is the fi) and the only prob it caused was some vibes after 5000Kms which got fixed in 15 mins.Overall if you have money to spend dan go for the R15, but only if u r not tall, my bro is 6'2 and the r15 has caused him lots of back probs.In the end all 3 r gud...karizma is the worst. and you decide between the pulsar and the r15. Btw also have to add that the new 220 without fi has shown quality issues. Bajaj reduced the price as well as the quality with the new pulsar220.BTW @ Ninja please dont compare a ninja which costs about 4 times a much as the pulsar 2 the indian bikes. Its totally unfair. | Reply
  • madanshinh (19 April 2010 12:51)
    well its fair enough | Reply
  • anand (08 April 2010 00:40)
    to good yar | Reply
  • Vikash das (07 April 2010 13:04)
    This bike is tooooooooooooooo good. | Reply
  • Alok (26 March 2010 03:44)
    PULSAR - GOD OF BIKING IN INDIA.Yes it is tru, i'hve been using the Pulsar 150 since last four years. I crossed almost 1Lakh KM from that bike and that bike is superb. Not had a single problem yet, I ride the Pulsar in the worst to worst condition but the result is amazing. In fact some time I was not even changing the oil for couple of months still that bike delivers the average of 50 KMPH till date. Really Pulsar is real king of the Indian Roads. | Reply
  • Karan (24 March 2010 09:02)
    I don't understand ,how people write anything out of envy against Pulsars.Pulsars are cheap,but at the same time powerful and beautuiful beasts.That is why they sell like hot cakes.And i read some moron saying that,pulsars would not succed in international markets.I am currently in singaore, and have been there for last 1 year,and am surprised to see that only indian company which has got presence in Sinagpore is Bajaj,and the two best selling bikes there are Pulsar 180 and Pulsar 200 (discontinued in India).Yes Pulsar 200 is still sold in Singapore.If you stood there on highway then every 5th -6th bike one notices is pulsar.I am proud of Bajaj for making us visible in international markets. | Reply
 rahul (15 April 2010 01:48) Reply to Karan
yes bro you r right ... pulsars rock .. there r used as delivery bikes here in dubai to deliver pizzza's etc etc ... | Reply
 NinjaTwoFifty (14 May 2010 14:53) Reply to rahul
Ha ha..cool :) Pulsar sucks... | Reply
  • Rahul (23 March 2010 22:31)
    Pulsar 150, 180,200,220fi,220Carb,220half faire, 220 no faired.Are they totally nuts? continuously producing similar looking machines!!Where the hell is product differentiation gone(aesthetic) ??They should spend sometime refining the technology they have..And guys you dont have to be a Phd in rocket science to understand that bajaj bikes sells cheap and components are cheaper in comparo because their quality is not upto market standards. every component is less in quality compared to their market rivals be it HH, YAM, HON or SUZ or TVS.But I guess they know the mindset of Indian bike customers well. In a bit more matured market bajaj bikes will be considered as scrap metal. | Reply
 NinjaTwoFifty (14 May 2010 14:57) Reply to Rahul
That's right. Bajaj bikes are made of cheap quality materials. That's why they can sell 220CC 'sports bike' (they claim so) for 90,000 Rs. It is selling well because that is exactly what people here wants. Where else in the world will you get a "sports bike" for that price??? | Reply
 rontgen (06 April 2010 19:24) Reply to Rahul
thats all. No other comments | Reply
  • MishMish (23 March 2010 16:23)
    This sucks, we can't tell if the 2010 pulsar 220 is good or bad, compared to Ninja 250 or Honda 250cc, please see www.SoftWareMile.com | Reply
  • sujit (18 March 2010 16:50)
    Can I upgrade my 200 with this! cool byk Pulsar rocks! | Reply
  • NINJA (17 March 2010 15:47)
    "..............and the cherry on the cake is the pricing of this new Pulsar which is retailing at Rs. 69,425 (ex-showroom, Delhi)!................ " I wonder how long this cheap crap will last for this price!!!! | Reply
 suraj (17 March 2010 20:22) Reply to NINJA
cheap crap ? i wonder how people bla bla without knowing ? | Reply
  • NINJA (17 March 2010 15:41)
    "The Kawasaki Ninja 250R does 0-60 in less than 3.5 seconds. The new Pulsar 220 from Bajaj Auto is close on the Ninja's heels. Varad More tries to figure out, how close"...!!! OK. what a big deal !!!! Who needs 0-60 figures!! Every ugly indian 'sport bikes' will do it in a 5 sec range!!. So i suggest you to try a 0-100 in both bikes. Then you show the results. | Reply
 Raj (26 August 2010 05:56) Reply to NINJA
Are we here to race on busy Indian roads???????????q | Reply
 Rahul (07 April 2010 09:53) Reply to NINJA
yes you found the thing which could come to work. try 0- 100 you crazees. dont forget Mr. Ninja RD 350 could also Cover the pick up of Ninja which you are thing king...? | Reply
 Dushant (29 March 2010 12:42) Reply to NINJA
my dear Ninja buddy, the specifications of the Ninja clearly demand it to justify the sort of performance that she delivers. liquid-cooled, fuel-injection, DOHC, 4-valve, parallel twin (two cylinders) and a successful history of over twenty years of development of the EX250 engine. No doubt the Ninja is fast, quick, better handler and a great bike. But, the key is the Pulsar with a 220 SINGLE cylinder engine with 2-valves, SOHC, carburetor-fed clearly is posting such times and according to zigwheels magazine, it does 0-100 in 10.5, which 2.4seconds slower but still a commendable time.Peace. | Reply
  • Game (16 March 2010 19:07)
    What is the maximum Speed of the New Pulsar 220 Street fighter...Is it really fast as the 220 DTSsi F model | Reply
 K Ninja (17 March 2010 15:19) Reply to Game
Why you are getting mad over 2 or 3 kmph difference???? At most it may do a 135 kmph with a strained engine. These pulsars (or almost all indian 'sport bikes' in general) are cheap craps. If you want a fast bike, go for a K ninja 250. It will be a different experience. | Reply
 Avinash (17 March 2010 13:33) Reply to Game
its faster than that model cause it lost 4kg weight so power to weight ratio i better | Reply
  • I hate pulsar (16 March 2010 13:29)
    I think bajaj makes one of the worst bikes in India. I had CBZ 2003 2006 earlier and sold off to buy pulsar DTSI in 2006 and I think it was one of my worst decision in my life pulsar sucked | Reply
 Ninja (17 March 2010 15:23) Reply to I hate pulsar
No doubt about that. Pulsars are cheap craps branded as 'sports bike'. If it is so good, let bajaj sell them in international markets and make it a success. | Reply
 sanjiv (07 April 2010 09:37) Reply to Ninja
i have been working in singapore ..... Bajaj sold a lot of Pulsars there, why not this is an international market holding model. | Reply
 Ninja (25 May 2010 16:38) Reply to sanjiv
Yes, pulsars are used as pizza / bread delivery bikes in Singapore and Dubai.
 tarun (16 March 2010 15:14) Reply to I hate pulsar
don u think u suck???pulsar is d best byk in india.... | Reply
 LALWANI (20 March 2010 16:16) Reply to tarun
DUDE BAJAJ REALLY SUCKS.WHETHER U ACCEPT IT OR NOT BUT IN TRUE SENSE HERO HONDA'S KARIZMA IS D BEST INDIAN SPORTS BIKE FOR ROUGH USE | Reply
 faisal (26 April 2010 01:06) Reply to LALWANI
When abused karizma is expensive to maintain than an alto.4 of my friends owns karizma.Lot of abuse and then mileage they get is only 24-30 km.Now no matter how u ride it the max efficency it gives is just below 30km/l.I own a pulser 180 since 4 years which gives 50km/l on sedate driving and 40-43/l on spirited driving.YA the parts fails some time but they are cheap so no worries there too. Pulsers are poor man's sports bike. Also check the on ride price of ninja 250 and then check the pulser 220s price. Now check there performance figures u will understand what i means.If not bajaj we will be riding that 100 cc or 120 cc crap looking bikes as sports bikes.
  • Raam (15 March 2010 11:39)
    Glad that the ugly looking half fairing is ditched in favour of the bikini.But the projector lens headlight should have made it's way into this.Good performance to price ratio makes P220 a worthy contender. | Reply
 Ninja (17 March 2010 15:25) Reply to Raam
mmm..in india, any cheap 150cc bike with a fairing, fancy graphics, other cheap gimmicks are branded as 'sports bike'. Its really shame!! | Reply
  • prabhat r mahato (12 March 2010 16:12)
    FE of 51kmpl......is this POSSIBLE ??I think u people are INSANE !! | Reply
  • Dilip (12 March 2010 11:19)
    This is really, confusing to the consumers..we are at 21 century, and people are more aware of new technologies. I was very eager buy Pulsar 220, if they would not changed its look. we like fairing bike, like ZMR | Reply
 FAISAL (26 April 2010 01:10) Reply to Dilip
ZMR is all show no go....No real difference in performance btw Zmr AND ZMA ...But ya definitely looks better than pulser. | Reply
 ninja (17 March 2010 15:26) Reply to Dilip
in india, any cheap 150cc bike with a fairing, fancy graphics, other cheap gimmicks are branded as 'sports bike'. Its really shame!! | Reply
 abhi (15 March 2010 17:15) Reply to Dilip
Oh really??P220 comes both in Faring and Street!!!actually people like you with half knowledge confuse customers.....please check twice before you speak... Will help your career in future buddy!! nothing personal here!!! cheers!! | Reply
 avinash (12 March 2010 20:44) Reply to Dilip
they hav both faired and street | Reply
  • Microman (12 March 2010 08:57)
    New Bikes all perform very well. The real test of quality comes over an extended period of time and that is where the Bajaj falters, every time. Hope they have put in the extra effort on the quality front as well ! | Reply
 Spankster (12 March 2010 20:34) Reply to Microman
Hope the same bro...they're the only guys doing something for performance with affordability, and all the good work is getting wiped out by reliability issues. | Reply
  • prabhat (12 March 2010 03:19)
    bajaj didi it again !!!!!(fooled its customers).. same old style, reassembling the old parts and engine to make a new so called bike ... | Reply
  • Akki (11 March 2010 20:26)
    what about bajaj bringing in the naked version of pulsar or do they call this naked | Reply
 Groobhy (12 March 2010 20:32) Reply to Akki
Oye what else is remaining to take off yaar?? You relaly must like Full Monty....hihi... | Reply
  • VJ (11 March 2010 16:19)
    Buy a Yamaha FZ16 or R15, I am sure you won't regret | Reply
 FAISAL (26 April 2010 01:19) Reply to VJ
VJ.... R15 is a real sport bike .....That is it makes all it power high on the revv band.Low and mid end sucks big time .There is no real use in 0-100 figuers in real life situation.What really matters is in gear acceleration time or roll on time in each gear.Pulser220 has an excellent mid range and top end.It will be quicker in our traffic condition than r15.Even in road rage situation ,some one comes from behind shows fancy things to u and u just smokes him.SO if u want styling just look no more than r15.If U WANT USABLE POWER THEN LOOK NO MORE THAN PULSER 220S .Look at the price of r15 man ....its a little too expensive than a pulser 220s | Reply
  • VJ (11 March 2010 16:14)
    Buy a Yamaha FZ or R15..I am sure you won't regret. | Reply
  • Mitul (11 March 2010 12:32)
    Again quite disappointing. Same old design and engine...when will we see V-Twin engines and mono-shock absorbers at the rear? This bike is...REDUNDANCY at its worst! | Reply
  • Maan (11 March 2010 12:19)
    My cousin purchased Pulsar 220 DTSI in November 2009. I had the opportunity of riding the same frequently and following are my observations: 1) Rear brakes are horrible with lesser braking power than drum brakes ... sometimes squeaks like an overloaded truck trying to stop 2) The cornering is not confidence inspiring (may be due to it carries on front wheel. The bike has tendency to resist going into corner. TVS RTR is much better. 3) All pulsar's more or less share the same type of speedo. 4) Gearbox has started playing tricks. This is dangerous as you may meet an accident due to a false gear 5) Worst part is that the service interval is just 2000 KM! This is really too low for a performance bike. With technology improving and mechanical tolerances getting even finer, I expected it to be at least 3000 KM. | Reply
  • Nick (11 March 2010 10:35)
    The Bajaj Philosophy below:Invest on one single bike design. Spawn 5 different engine capacities working on the same engine with mino tweaks, make million of $$'s and make idiots of us who are still buying their products. The only reason they are able to do this is because we consumers still buy. Let them make a new design something original, then atleast we can buy with a knowledge that we are buying a new product.. | Reply
 Ivan (16 March 2010 10:09) Reply to Nick
Ok thn which companies byk shall we buy???Hero Honda for its great innovative stickers and alien coloured bikes...Or Honda for its "Pay high price for no fun" bikesOr Yamaha for "Big tyres but no power to pull" bike.. Only two companies are doing their bit for indian bikers Bajaj and TVS...Rest all are just re rolling there obsolete models | Reply
 pansome (30 April 2010 01:29) Reply to Ivan
u said my point dude...so waiting for a good 4 valve performance bike...in india... | Reply
  • Sid (11 March 2010 08:31)
    Now for a decent 600 cc cruiser from Bajaj to complete the stable. Its a shame how we still offer Bajaj still makes engines the size of pocket bikes in the name of cruisers. | Reply
  • akshay (10 March 2010 22:30)
    oye rokda tho batao.... | Reply
 bhushanremo (10 March 2010 23:42) Reply to akshay
a baba malapan rokda kiti sanga | Reply
  • primaswala zuzar asgar (10 March 2010 18:58)
    can it possible for exchange, i had purchase just 2 year before bajaj pulsar 180 cc. | Reply
  • Sandy (10 March 2010 18:06)
    I think new pulsur 220 should have some new design also... | Reply
  • sunny (10 March 2010 17:17)
    oh one more 220.how many more r coming.making fool of consumers and people r being fooled themselves!wat is bajaj upto? | Reply
  • Rahul (10 March 2010 16:12)
    I liked the looks of the old 220, but the new one will definitely be faster and smoother! | Reply
 sarvesh (12 March 2010 17:23) Reply to Rahul
hy rahul ,but the old version is definitely much quicker than new one see its performance pamphlet its its looks is different than other pulsars like180,200,150 | Reply
  • hemraaj (10 March 2010 12:25)
    Bajaj can up its market sales a lot by giving pulsar the ultimate sport bike look (fr eg: yamaha R1)Its difficult to diiffrentiate the new 220 from its older sibling, the pulsar 200. i guess its time for Bajaj to enter the Sports bike market, moreover the common problem that Pulsars have is the weight, the momentum which makes it the pulsar difficult to slow down. with people having more disposable income, they are ready to shell out more money for a bike that gives it all.i guess its time for bajaj to give the sports bike look to its product. | Reply
  • Babloo (10 March 2010 03:33)
    Good overall effor by Bajaj.. I sure does increase this beast's performance...But is it better than the faired one, in terms of speed? I guess the faired one is a tad faster than the the SF... Can somebody help? | Reply
 anukool (10 March 2010 18:30) Reply to Babloo
Hi babloo, the SF version is infact quicker than the faired variant. Read the full story to get the performance figures. | Reply
  • ram (09 March 2010 15:41)
    its super. i wl by | Reply
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