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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Pulsar 220 Street Fighter_Hamara Bajaj !

Hookers take a break , now it is time to appreciate one more body .... an Indian engineering first !!

After waiting the minimum possible time,  for a maximum cubic capacity bike I finally rolled out a pulsar 220 cc street fighter edition.Took this one, to get the max power to weight ratio.

No changes, I am stereotyping in my cage.This is the fifth Bajaj in my family, my dad had a penchant for chetaks, he got 4 of them in his lifetime !!

Anyways, back to the review.

All would have heard the cliched term of allowing the engine to break in before you race it........a thousand times??

I did not pay any heed to it !!

I rolled out the machine and flicked the electric starter.It purred to life, then after some gentle maneuvering through high traffic roads I reached the outer ring road Doddenakundi village street.I opened the throttle, and it raced on easily.No vibrations , no hint that I was doing a 100 kmph.

I happened to glance at the digital display and then realized that this is the first night case.You shouldn't be too harsh should you !!

Jokes apart, it is indeed a good engineering piece.The closest YZ , and R 15 look big, but in the end capacity matters.What is the use of adding hoods and side benders when your engine gives a puny 150 cubic capacity? The piston would only have a small distance to move,  so high speed for long time would naturally heat up the engine.

There are some hiccups,in it too.It seems huge and slightly unwieldy.The hood which gives its mean look also makes sitting slightly uncomfortable.Turning radius is good , but I lost track of which gear i was on, it pulls on easily on any gear, with the minimum rattling noise you would associate, when you lose speed on a higher gear.I read through the manual in detail, they allow for a max speed of 65km, till the first 1000 kilometers.It reaches that much in about 5 seconds , and I barley rotate the race !

And it has no kick, so god forbid if you lose battery on a highway.A single lever gear makes it tough to shift up and down, I got marks on my leather shoes. But 2 days later the gear shift became very synchronized, almost moving in on cue, rather sliding into place.

The bike is carbureted,  which is kind of a step back from fuel injection. However this shift back , gives a power output that is raw, high and a bit frightening.Obviously mileage will go for a toss, but not a huge one it seems :)

Long rides will take a bit more time, but I am looking forward to them :)