2017 Pulsar NS 160 Review
Bike Tested: 2017 Pulsar NS 160; Road Test No. 872; Test Location: Pune
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 95,132/-
The Pulsar NS 160 replaces the AS 150 and has its soul in the Pulsar NS 200 attire
Time and again, Bajaj Auto has been introducing excellent motorcycles in our market with affordable price tags. The 2012 Pulsar NS 200, or the second gen Pulsar, was an important product for the domestic player. It was a wave in the motionless sea of performance street-fighters, and a strong one at that! Now that the 200 NS has been revived, the Pulsar maker has carved its facsimile and named it the NS 160. The NS 200 was a pleasure in every way – to look at, to race, to tour on, to corner and what not! The lower capacity NS follows its footsteps to come across as an equally promising product with a slight compromise in performance balanced out with a reduction in price. Well, most people are of the opinion that the Pulsar NS 160 is a low-key NS 200, but is it so? An enthusiastic session astride the Pulsar NS 160 was enough to find out.
Motor Quest: Akin to the NS 200 in appearance, the Pulsar NS 160 is mechanically based on the AS 150. Bajaj recently pulled the plug on the Adventure Sport range which was introduced with high hopes in 2015. The NS 160 makes use of the AS 150 derived engine and frame but retains bodywork of the NS 200. Also the 7th Pulsar currently on sale, the NS 160 is Bajaj Auto’s first foray in the 160cc space.
Pulsar NS 160’s underbelly exhaust is a segment-first!
Styling – One of the talking points of the Pulsar NS 160 is its appearance. Dressed in similar clothes as the NS 200, this is among the best street-fighter designs our market has seen in this price range. Starting with the front mudguard, everything seems thoughtfully designed. Wrapped around the chiselled tank neatly are the sharp shrouds which bring out the masculine design effortlessly. Two parking lights below the headlight unit look really nice and the short and squat visor adds some muscle. The sculpted tail section houses Pulsar-trademark vertical LED tail-light units which get a slight kink in the middle as seen on the larger NS. Split seats and grab rails are carried over from the NS 200 while the flowery alloy wheels are shared all the way upto the RS 200 which costs roughly 40% more. Overall, the bold and aggressive design language is very appealing and coupled with the laser-edged colour scheme, the NS 160’s tall and mean stance is definitely worth a second look.
The beautiful console misses out on a very useful gear position indicator
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The semi-digital instrument console with analog tachometer is the same as we have seen on its elder sibling, save for the fact that it is now backlit in orange. This unit is well-equipped and is divided into three parts. On the left are the various tell-tale lights that light up to aware the rider of irregularities in proper functioning of the motorcycle. However, we are told that the blue Bajaj logo does not indicate any abnormality, neither with the motorcycle nor with the brand, in spite of being lit all the time! There is a useful side-stand warning icon and the tachometer needle does a full swipe on turning the ignition key.
Fit and finish levels are great for a Bajaj motorcycle
The right side of the console gets a digital display that has readouts for time, speedometer, two trip meters and a service due reminder as well. A part of that display has made its way into the analog tachometer pod to digitally display the fuel gauge. Neat! There is an uber-cool shift light which is positioned perfectly above the tachometer. Everything looks well laid-out and is easy to read, while the minimalist chrome surrounds add to the feel-good factor. Switchgear quality is decent by segment standards and the backlit buttons are elementary to use. At the risk of sounding finicky, I would point out that the two small buttons for fiddling with the information display on the console feel crude to operate.
Integration of the side step and saree guard is commendable
Ergonomics – Tall saddle height, wide clip-on handlebars and perfectly-positioned footpegs lend the Pulsar NS 160 a very comfortable and commanding riding position. Just like its elder sibling, this motorcycle can accommodate riders of all sizes without any issues due to its practical and spacious seat. We can term the seating position as a good compromise between the Gixxer and Apache 160. The pillion seat is also very well contoured and the grab rails are sturdy and function as expected. Handlebar controls fall right into place and the recesses of the sculpted fuel tank offer firm grip while cornering. The mirrors are wide and offer a good field of view to the rider even with a riding jacket on!
As compared to the Pulsar AS 150, power figures have gone down while torque output has been increased
Performance – The NS 200 is known for its intoxicating performance levels. Bearing the NS nomenclature, it was quite expected for the Pulsar NS 160 to carry similar levels of thrill albeit on a smaller scale. The Twin Spark DTS-i oil-cooled motor packed under the Pulsar NS 160 doesn’t come from the NS 200 but is a bored out AS 150 engine which now displaces 160.3cc. Also the most powerful air-cooled motor in its class, this one produces pretty impressive power and torque figures of 15.28 BHP and 14.6 Nm respectively. Quite a performer? No. The low-end isn’t that impressive, power starts to build up early around the mid-range and holds up decently till the 10,000 RPM redline. Being a small displacement motor, progress after triple-digit speeds is painfully slow till its top whack of 114 km/hr (VBOX tested).
This BS4 compliant motor is oil-cooled and has the best power output in the 160cc segment
The NS 160 is enjoyable at city speeds because of its strong mid-range
What’s more surprising are the refinement levels! This engine feels so refined that you’d almost confuse it with a Jap. There are zero vibrations at idle and the motor feels very smooth on the move. A slight hint of vibrations can be felt around the footpegs and handlebar when you near the redline. Since the powertrain isn’t as responsive as you’d want it to be at lower RPMs, there is an unavoidable need to wring the throttle open a little extra to keep pace with fast-moving traffic. The exhaust rewards you back with the typical Pulsar cacophony in this process but what’s even better is the fuel efficiency of around 45 km/l on an average. Gearshift quality is where Bajaj needs to work upon as the shifts aren’t smooth enough and clutch action isn’t light either.
Perimeter frame gives the NS 160 much better poise than the Pulsars of yore
Riding Dynamics – Underpinned by the same Perimeter frame as the NS 200, this motorcycle offers decent levels of handling and on-road dynamics. Decent, I repeat, because the NS 200 is decidedly more superior in these aspects due to its fatter tyres, larger swingarm, bigger brakes and fatter front forks. The 142 kg Pulsar 160 NS is stable on straights and handles well for the most part but doesn’t inspire the same confidence on corners as its rivals mainly because of the tyres (80 and 110 section at the front and rear respectively). Even though they offer a good amount of grip, they look absolutely horrendous on what is a positioned as a premium motorcycle. However, the suspension is tuned perfectly for our road conditions and the NS 160, riding on front telescopic and rear monoshock setup, takes most road irregularities in its stride. The brakes do a decent job of shedding speeds and despite its small size, the 240 mm front disc offers a progressive feel and good stopping power. A rear disc version is also on cards but is nowhere to be seen yet.
Even the inferior hardware doesn’t come in between ‘Pulsar’ and ‘Fun’!
Verdict – With the launch of the 2017 Pulsar NS 160, Bajaj has done a Honda! Not because of the refinement but rather the strategy. Wider tyres have become a norm in the small displacement premium motorcycle segment. A trend which was started by the top-selling FZ and followed by the promising Gixxer. However, Honda always looks at things from a practical viewpoint and doesn’t go out of the way to follow the herd. Bajaj Auto has done the same thing by stripping down the NS 160’s mechanicals way too much in the interest of cost savings and practicality. Like Honda, they have robbed its street-fighter of the basic segment characteristics which really won’t go down well with the target audience. Beauty of the NS 160 is only skin-deep and the toned down hardware goes on solidify the fact that this one isn’t a true-blue NS 200 derivative!
176 mm of ground clearance is enough to tackle diverse Indian road conditions
What’s Cool
* Looks absolutely brilliant in Laser Edged colours
* Most sorted-out ergonomics and ride quality
* Engine refinement can easily put some Japanese rivals to shame
* Impressive mid-range grunt
* Fuel efficient and practical for city riding
What’s Not So Cool
* Not as engaging to ride as its rivals
* Severely toned down mechanicals as compared to NS 200
* Skinny tyres by segment standards
* Notchy gearshift quality
* Small front disc, rear drum brake
Alternatives: Yamaha FZ V2, Suzuki Gixxer, Honda CB Hornet 160R, TVS Apache 160
In spite of a few flaws, the NS 160 comes across as a propitious product
2017 Pulsar NS 160 Specifications
* Engine: 160.3cc, Oil-Cooled, 4-Stroke, Single-Cylinder
* Power: 15.28 BHP @ 8500 RPM
* Torque: 14.6 Nm @ 6500 RPM
* Transmission: 5-speed Manual
* 0-100 km/hr: 16.93 seconds (VBOX)
* Top Speed: 114 km/hr
* Fuel Consumption: 44-48 km/l
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Frame: Perimeter
* Suspension: Telescopic Forks (Front) Nitrox Mono Shock Absorber (Rear)
* Tyres: 80/100/17 (Front), 110/80/17 (Rear)
* Brakes: 240 mm Disc (Front), 130 mm Drum (Rear)
2017 Pulsar NS 160 Dimensions
* Length x Width x Height: 2012 mm x 803.5 mm x 1060 mm
* Wheelbase: 1363 mm
* Ground Clearance: 176 mm
* Seat Height: 805 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 12-litres
* Kerb Weight: 142 kgs