Bajaj has launched the Pulsar NS 160 in India, priced at Rs. 80,648/-.
Another day, another Pulsar? You could say that as the Pulsar 160 NS becomes the 7th Pulsar to go on sale while the 10th Pulsar to have been ever launched (we are counting Pulsars with different engines here, not generations of the same model). A fitting replacement to the Pulsar AS 150 in the Indian lineup and Pulsar NS 150 otherwise, the Pulsar NS 160 is priced at Rs. 80,648/- (ex-showroom, Mumbai, post GST).
While there already is a 150cc Pulsar on sale, the good old Pulsar 150 which is the second most selling Bajaj motorcycle currently, having sold 36,118 units last month, the Pulsar NS 160 is a premium offering in the same segment. The Pulsar 150 competes against the likes of the Yamaha SZ, Honda Unicorn 150 and 160, etc. while the Pulsar NS 160 will rival the Suzuki Gixxer, Honda CB Hornet 160R and the segment best-seller, the Yamaha FZ.
However, the Pulsar NS 160 isn’t armed with the hardware of its rivals as it misses out on wide tyres and a rear disc brake, running on 100 section front and 110 section rear tyres while the rear brake is a drum! The bike does get a perimeter frame and a 4-valve engine with oil cooling, becoming the cheapest Pulsar to feature an oil cooler.
The bike weighs 142 kgs and has a fuel tank capacity of 12-litres. The ground clearance is 176 mm. The Pulsar NS 160 is powered by a 160cc powerplant that generates 15.5 HP at 8500 RPM and 14.6 Nm of torque at 6500 RPM. On paper, it seems to be powerful but our experience of riding the old Pulsar AS 150 pointed to a lack of punch in the low-end, hopefully, the NS 160 offers compelling performance in the city.
Pulsar NS 160 Price
* Pulsar NS 160 – Rs. 94,853/-
* Pulsar 150 – Rs. 87,650/-
* Honda CB Hornet 160R Std – 95,770/-
* Honda CB Hornet 160R CBS – 1,00,764/-
* Suzuki Gixxer Rear Drum – 91,865/-
* Suzuki Gixxer Rear Disc – 95,035/-
(all prices on-road, Pune)
