Reports earlier this year suggested that Bajaj was working on developing fuel injection technology for the flagship Pulsar 200 NS. However, while the technology did come to the 200 NS, the bike has been restricted to the export markets and was launched in Turkey recently. India on the other hand will continue to get the current spec carburetted model instead. What essentially the fuel-injection technology does is improve throttle response and fuel efficiency, helping the rider utilize maximum performance out of the same amount of fuel.
But don’t be disheartened, Bajaj Auto has saved up the fuel-injection technology for the 200 SS motorcycle that is scheduled to be launched later this year. The 200 SS FI will be sharing its underpinnings with the 200 NS; however, the bike gets a full-faired design, better build quality and improved performance from the same 200cc engine. As the recent speculations suggest, the 200cc engine will produce around 26 BHP of power, while the fuel efficiency is claimed to be around 48 km/l. Although not official, the figures have set to come from inside sources of the company.
The 200 SS will be the new halo product for Bajaj Auto and is expected to sport ABS as an option, it will be priced at around Rs. 1.50 lakhs, while the non-ABS version will be priced around Rs. 1.35 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai). Playing the value for money quotient yet again, Bajaj will be offering a lot of power for lot less money than competition. Also, the absence of fuel-injection technology helps justify the pricing and technology better between the 200 NS and 200 SS models in the manufacturer’s lineup.
Betting big on the launch of the Discover 150 twins, Bajaj has been losing market share steadily against the competition and is aiming to fill in the gap with the new set of products that will be launched in the coming months. The next year is also equally crucial for Bajaj as the automaker plans to bring the Pulsar 400 SS in the country, while its sister concern KTM is all set to launch the RC 200 and 390 models later this year. Apart from Turkey, Bajaj will also launch the 200 NS FI in Indonesia.
