After months of anticipation and teasing, Bajaj has finally revealed an all-new Pulsar 150 today with almost all the parts of the motorcycle receiving substantial upgrades while retaining the classic Pulsar silhouette. There are three variants now, SD Single Seat, TD Single Seat, TD Split Seat. The latter two variants get a 5-inch TFT instrument cluster and an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG). All three models also get a crawl mode to make navigating traffic easier.
- Gets three variants, top variant gets Google Maps mirroring
- New gearbox with easier lower end tractability
- ISG and crawl modes to make low speed riding even easier
Gets meaningful updates everywhere
With a bunch of new features
Starting with the 149.5cc, single-cylinder, air/oil-cooled engine which at first glance looks similar to the existing one, with the same 14hp power. However, the engine has two major changes. The peak power is now delivered at 8,000rpm, 500rpm earlier than the existing engine. And peak torque has gone up to 14.1Nm; 0.9Nm more than before, though it is delivered at the same 6,500rpm. Bajaj has also given the motorcycle a new gearbox with specific focus on low speed tractability. The frame too sees an upgrade with a new single-cradle frame replacing the dual-cradle frame. The engine now acts as a stressed member of the engine, which Bajaj says improves overall ride and stability.
The next big change is that the rear suspension is now a monoshock, as opposed to the conventional twin-shocks setup. The front continues with a right side up (RSU) telescopic fork with 33mm diameter with 125mm of travel and the rear suspension travel is 110mm. Stopping duties are handled by a 260mm front disc and a 230mm rear disc (130mm rear drum on the base variant). All three variants get single-channel ABS as standard. Rounding off the ride package are the tubeless 80/100-17 tyres at the front and 100/90-17 at the rear.
On the features front, the classic Pulsar now gets a brand-new 5-inch LCD cluster with the top two variants stepping that up to a 5-inch TFT instrument cluster. The cluster also gets other features like call and SMS alerts and an option to store your vehicle documents for quick access. However, the top variant gets WiFi support which enables Google Maps mirroring, a feature first seen on the Pulsar N160 SS. There are also three ride modes and a crawl mode. Both of which were also first seen on the Pulsar N160 S and SS. The existing model had a USB type-A port for charging with the new one swapping that for a modern, type-C port on all three variants.
Bajaj has also equipped the top two variants with ISG, which has a stop-start system that can automatically turn the motorcycle off during traffic stops, to conserve fuel, and also enables silent starts. There are minor upgrades to the lighting department as well. Though the class B LED headlight itself is shared with the outgoing Pulsar 150 that received an update last year. the fairing on the new one has been redesigned for a more aggressive look with the top two variants getting all-LED lighting as standard. Bajaj has priced the base SD Single Seat variant at Rs 1.15 lakh with the fully loaded, TD Split Seat variant costing Rs 1.23 lakh.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
