Automobile Review | Bajaj Pulsar NS 160, NS 200 get more exciting

HYDERABAD: As Bajaj Auto likes to put it, there is a Pulsar for everyone… There is one very popular Pulsar amongst the young, and that is the NS. The NS comes in two variants, the NS 200 and the NS 160 and both of them get the much awaited upgrade in 2023.

After riding both the variants, one thing one has to admit is that there is now way the rider does not fall in love with these machines, especially the NS 200.

The NS series, which is hugely popular in the Latin American countries, is easily one of the most delightful set of Indian motorcycles to be ridden around in cities. The raw power they have on offer to glide through the city traffic is next to no others in the segment.

Let’s get into the details now…

What are the upgrades?

Both the NS 200 and the NS 160 get upside down (USD) forks and bigger brakes in the form of the Grimeca brakes from the Pulsar 250s with larger 300 mm front disk and dual channel ABS as standard on both the variants.  

After the upgrade the biggest difference one notices from the older NSs is that the USD forks and the new brake set up help in making the braking a lot more sharper with a good initial bite.

The gear shift indicator and the distance to refuel reading on are the new additions on the newly tweaked semi-digital instrument.

On the looks front, the two machines have always been good looking bikes and USD forks add to their looks and make them look more complete now along with the new stickering.

Engine and Output figures

The NS200 as the name suggests, comes with a 199.5 cc liquid-cooled, single cylinder engine mated to 6-speed gearbox. The engine churns out 24.5 HP at 9750 RPM and a peak torque of 18.74 Nm at 8000 RPM.

The NS160 comes with a 160cc oil-cooled, single cylinder engine coupled with a 5-speed gear box and it produces power of 17.2 hp at 9000 RPM and peak torque of 12.6 NM at 7250 RPM.

Both the engines are now on-board diagnostic-2 (OBD-II) compliant.

Performance

The NS 200 will never fail to entertain!

Revving it hard until the 9000 RPM mark and beyond will really light up the NS 200’s performance and the bike really comes alive post the 7000 RPM mark. It is a live wire on the streets.

Meanwhile, power distribution on the NS160 is linear and it is not the quirkiest in terms of the throttle response, but those rides to your colleges or offices through the city roads will be fun.

Ride and Handling

As mentioned earlier, the upgraded forks are the biggest difference one would notice on the new NS bikes, which Bajaj refers to as “Twins”. The new USD forks are stiff and bring in with them all new stability to the bikes. The feedback on both the bikes feels much better than their respective older versions.

Doing corners on both the motorcycles felt safe and avoiding those pot holes on some city roads also feels safe as both the bikes feel very planted at all times.

Both the machines are amazing in the urban spaces and the NS 200, with that extra zing, can be thoroughly enjoyed on the highways as well.

Pricing

While the NS 160 comes at a price of Rs. 1.35 lakh (ex-showroom), the NS 200 comes at Rs. 1.47 lakh (ex-showroom).