Almost exactly a year after we saw the bike in Delhi. we finally logged significant real-world saddle time on the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi. And it feels good. But not that fast. The first time I went around a corner, though, I discovered why. While I am yet to as certain exactly how the bike manages this, it feels slower than it is. Which means when you go through a corner and classify it as a 63 kph corner, you actually just blazed through at roughly 88 kph (digital speedo, heh heh).

It's a strange feeling. Until you blow past 110 kph or so, you don't actually feel the speed of the DTS-Fi. After that. the wind blast lets you know how fast you really are going. Of course, in light traffic, you do notice that many machines get left behind a little too quickly and a little too easily. Perhaps the biggest reason is that this is the most refined of all the Pulsars so far. It still isn't quiet like a Karizma (l'm not complaining) but it is completely without any peg or bar vibes, has no harshness except just before the red lig ht on the dash enforces a gearshift. It sounds like a Pulsar - familiar. At idle, I thought it was a bit louder than the Phantom or the 150, but that's about the only audible difference.

Visually, the biggest break from the past is the fixed half-fairing. Unfortunately, almost everyone who approached us with a query (no, they weren't the most clued-in motorcyclists we've ever met) first thought the fairing was a quality mod and only later grasped thattheywere looking at Bajaj's biggest bike yet. Their eyebrows, however, rose satisfactorily as we rattled off the long list of firsts and features in a faintly bragging sort of voice. But it did bring up a few interesting asides. For instance, one chap pointed out that if the tyres had a different tread, many more people would notice that they weren't just fatter, but tube lessas well. Another pointed out. and I agree partly with this, that it looked too much like a smaller Pulsar with a fairing and a 220 sticker think I'm a little disappointed that two of the biggest visual treats, the digital dash and the LED tail lamps, appeared first on other Pulsars, rather than on this one.

Thankfully, everyone was clear that from certain angles, the bike looked great. Everyone thought it looked big. Which, truth be told, the bike is. I already told you that on its own, the 220 belies its own actual speed. This is why the outstanding feature on the motorcycle, for me, is the dynamic package. This isn't saying that its performance isn't great. but that the handling, ride Quality and braking leave a big impression. Despite the extended wheel base, the bike feels very good in comers and among all the Pulsars, this one feels the most neutral and the most natural.
It will basically race off leaving everything else on sale (not counting the imports) in the country right now in its wake. find a fast floWing road and prepare to totally trust the P220, and there is little any other Indian machine can do.

The 220 tells you what is going on, does what you want it to do and isjust amazing. Especially downhill, when the sensation of velocity comes into its own. flowing downhill sections are pure pleasure. Thankfully, it sheds speed with the same confidence and ability and braking hardhard-hard even on bumpy or mildly distressed (Levi's style) surfaces will not generate any dramatic moments. One should not forget the ride Quality either. This too is extremely flattering. It approaches a gliding like Quality, but returns feedback. When you suddenly find a bump covering the apex, you don't have to back off Our test bike did have one niggle though. You will notice how close to the ground the center stand is. It decked out repeatedly, constantly and way, way before the feeler bolts had a shot at it. Raising the preload to full reduced the instance but did not cure the problem. I am told that the issue has already been taken care of.



Now to the engine. As I have said, it doesn't feel as fast as it is. Performance aside, I've told you already that refinement levels are up high. Gearshifts are as light as a great souffle, neutral is as easy to find as cows in the middle of the road and the clutch release is as progressive as Sweden. On the move, the 220 is good to 60 kph (4.38 seconds), great to 100 kph (12.79) and will hit 120 kph without breaking into the proverbial sweat. There is more speed to come, but it needs a lot of space and time. fuel economy is whacking great too. It only dropped below 40 kpl once, and steady 60 kph running will return a ludicrous 48 kpl. Amazing.

For those who came in late, and then were incarcerated in a dark room, blindfolded, gagged and tied up, here is a short. staccato list of features: digital dash w'th two trips, two stage dash illumination, low fuel-cum-rev limiter light; grippy tubeless lyres; powerful projector low beam; LED tail lamp; split seat (mysteriously, the seat release is not a key, you have to take off a side panel and yank on a loop of wire); fuel injection (marvellous throttle response and feel); elliptical section swingarm; O-ring chain; rear disc; no kick start (finally); oil cooler; self-cancelling indicators (which take a bit of getting used to); engine kill switch (why brown); cool folding mirrors; maintenance-free battery it's a fairly long list.

All of this means that the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi is an impressive machine Which essentially means a hell of a lot of motorcycle for the money. I can see the motorcycle being a great mount for long rides, slow or fast. Its 4500 rpm composure at 70 kph is as great as the sense of urgency when booming along at 110 kph. It's unexpectedly frugal. effort¬lessly fast and feels very natural. In short. I think it represents a shift in the way we look at Indian motorcycles. The DTS-Fi also introduces a whole bunch of features we haven't seen on our bikes yet. and uses almost all of them to great effect (as opposed to having been added for brag¬ging rights).

The arrival of the even more expensive Yamaha R15 does give the P220 buyer pause. But here's the thing, of the two, the P220 is the motorcycle designed with an eye on appealing to a wider range of riders, while the Yamaha, while similar in performance, is intended for a committed, sportier experience.