Bajaj Pulsar NS 200 First Ride Review | Has the latest update made a major difference? | Times Drive

Now, the Bajaj Pulsar NS 200. Now, when this bike was first launched, it was known as the 200 NS. It was in the market for a long time. It got discontinued and then came back. Periodically, Bajaj has been giving updates like LED lighting, upside-down forks, Bluetooth connectivity. But still, the bike was showing its age. To address all of that, Bajaj has now once again relaunched this, updated the motorcycle, the NS 200. Now, over here... How has the riding experience changed, what new features have been added and ultimately what the difference is going to feel like. These are things we are going to talk about in this video. Hi, my name is Dhruv Palewal, you are watching Times Drive, let's get rolling. Now before we move ahead with this video, I have a small request to make of you. If you like the kind of content that we make, please hit that like button so YouTube also knows the same. If you know someone who is a Pulsar fan, has been wanting to buy the NS 200, And has been waiting for an update? Well, share this video with them and subscribe to the Times Drive channel for more such engaging automotive content. Let's start with the design of the NS200. Now, if I talk about the design here, really not a lot has changed. In fact, the visual identity is just like the old NS200. Immediately, you will be able to recognize that this is a Pulsar NS200 if you're someone who knows what their Pulsars look like. But let's take a look at it. Some neat touches over here. Well, as you can see, it looks like a carbon fiber finish. It adds a little style. That visual headlight, that visually bulky headlight still remains here. The front face hasn't been changed at all. And that's something I think Bajaj has kept intentionally. Because this look of the Pulsar works really well for people. It's a brand identity and they do not want to move too far away from it. At the rear, there are typical roadster naked bike looks, there's a fuel tank, it sits right in the middle, it's not too chunky, not too small, it's not got too many cuts and creases on it, but it does have some visual appeal to it. It does look a bit neat to look at, if you talk about the seat, you've got a long seat for the rider and there's a longer seat for the pillion as well. The design of the rear is a bit tapered and at the back also you've got those two pulsar The tail lights, the visual identity of the two lights looking at each other from a distance, you can understand that this is a Pulsar motorcycle, that story remains the same. Now, honestly, I would have preferred a little bit more change, but it seems like the people who are buying the Pulsar really love the visual identity that's come with it, so not a lot has been changed. One thing that really does stand out though are the alloy wheels. Now, as you can see on the model that we have with us, you've got red alloy wheels. They lend a great contrast to the motorcycle. It looks a bit off in this regard and that is one detail about it that I really like. Now, this was about the design changes. What has changed on the engine front? Well, it remains a single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine as before, 199.5 cc, but... Power has gone up from 24.5 PS at 9,500 RPM to 25.5 PS at 10,250 RPM. So, the additional RPM that went up, you got to see one more PS extra here. 18.74 Nm of torque was there earlier and still is, but there was a mechanical throttle body earlier, now it has become an electronic throttle body, due to which Bajaj has been able to add ride modes to the NS. Last but not the least, one more thing that will change your riding impression of this motorcycle and that is the sprocket. Earlier, the back sprocket used to have 40 teeth and the front sprocket used to have 14 teeth. Now that has changed and the rear sprocket has 42 teeth and the front still has 14 teeth. With that, now let's take a look at the features that have been added to make the NS200 a bit more modern. Now, in the name of modern conveniences, first of all, there's a new 5-inch TFT display. Earlier, there used to be a reverse LCD cluster. Sir, I got that. Now, this... The colourful TFT display adds a lot of functionality, feels a bit modern as well, you've got these buttons on the side to control it, basically you get to see different features here. You've got information about the motorcycle, your trips, you can connect it via Bluetooth and do Google map mirroring and stuff on this, you can definitely select ride mode, you can change your settings and you've also got an option here where you'll get some notifications on the screen. The screen over here, the new TFT, definitely makes it a bit easier to interact with the motorcycle to change settings on the go. Things like ride mode, you can change while riding the bike. Along with that, here you will also get to see adjustable levers. There is a USB Type-C port that has also been added next to the screen to keep, Your phone is charged, although the hinge will rest on your wire. That might break the wire, but at least you've got this functionality that if you want to use it in an emergency, you can definitely do it. Along with that, you've also got a hazard lamp switch here. And if you brake really hard, basically if you do a panic brake, in that case, the tail lamp lights up and you've got a panic brake alert. This feature is coming in a lot of new cars and bikes. It's now been added to the NS200 as well. Now we've spent some time riding the Bajaj Pulsar NS 200, let's talk about what it feels like to ride. This engine, well, it's for the enthusiasts, for those who like that peaky power delivery. Because, honestly speaking, it doesn't feel much torque in the low-end and mid-range. It really only feels enough to just stay moving with the traffic, but if you want to get a move on, if you want to make overtakes, or if you want to catch some speed, There, you have to open the throttle fully and take it towards the redline and the NS 200 becomes really exciting to ride then because the engine note builds up, it all kind of gets a little exciting, so in that sense, it is quite an addictive bike, I would say, but you do have to be willing to compromise that low down, you have to see a lot of performance here. Now the quick shifter that is on board also works decently well, it works better on higher speeds, on lower speeds it can sometimes fumble up. We've spent about an hour riding the motorcycle so I would not like to draw final conclusions but for what it is, the purpose, it is quite a good bike. Let's talk about the suspension setup, nothing special to ride home about. On regular tarmac and in small potholes, the bike feels regularly stable. It's only when the potholes get very big and you go at a very high speed that it feels like maybe it is going out of shape a little. But for most parts, the suspension on board over here handles everyday Indian riding surfaces quite well. Brakes left me a little disappointed, braking power is good here but brakes feel a bit numb. Problem is when I'm getting hard on the brakes, I'm getting the stopping power but I'm not really realizing what's happening, there's no feedback coming to me and that saps a bit of confidence. Especially on surfaces where the traction is not optimal. If there are smoother surfaces, then you don't understand what the brakes are doing. That's one thing I would like to see improved on this motorcycle. Now it's time to sum up my views on the Pulsar NS 200 and quite simply, it's a peaky motorcycle. It's going to appeal to a younger crowd. This is a motorcycle that likes to go Fast from lights to lights it's that motorcycle where your college son who's just entered his second year will really feel like yes this is the kind of motorcycle that gives me a nice image. Ultimately priced at 1.6 lakh rupees there are other options like the N250SS which you could go for but that's a bit more mature. If you want fun, if you want speed, if you want adrenaline Then the Pulsar NS200 is making a great case for itself but if you're someone who's looking for a motorcycle that is easier to ride, maybe look somewhere else.