So you are in the market to buy the latest performance bike. there arent many options for you to choose from. Its bang on, either
the yamaha R15 or the bajaj pulsar 220 DTS Fi. Bajaj realised that yamaha had really eaten up on their tail in the sales chart even
with a rs. 1Lakh plus bike, and decided to fight it back their own way. Thats how the 2009 pulsar 220 DTSi was born. you may wonder
about the new pulsar loosing the Fi letters from its name tag. It is true the new pulsar now makes do without a fuel injection system and in
its place is a 32 venturi CV carburettor. so can this bike really hold a candle to the yamaha’s performance and can it prove
at the right place where it matters the most “SALES”. we present the first comparison test report between indias most wanted performance bikes.
LOOKS, APPEARANCE & FEATURES:
First thing that catches your attention on the new pulsar 220 is the all black treatment. Although now common with almost all of the bajaj bikes
this is the first time it is appearing on the pulsar 220, and it really adds up to the sporty character of the bike. Once seated on the bike you are greeted
by a nice looking digital display with a new carbon coloured tacho.
Other than the small “F” logo on either side of the front semi fairings and golden
finished brake calipers, rest of the bike remains unchanged. One fine thing about the pulsars switch gear are that they are back lit, and it is a very nice touch I must admit.
On the other hand, the yamaha R 15 looks more like a scaled down R1. The full fairing with twin head lights lend it a supersports look. Although the bike feels a tad tiny compared to other bikes, it is sleek for the job it does. The R15 also has the best looking digital speedo in the market, the well marked tachometer and the tell tale lights are easy to read and have a cool blue back lighting.
RIDE, HANDLING & BRAKING:
Sit on the Yamaha R15 and you immediately feel the need for speed. Such is the seating position, low and lean. The sporty clip on handle bars and nicely rear set foot rest give the R15 the most sportiest riding position ever. The R15 is the first and only Indian motorcycle to come out with a twin spar steel frame and a monocross link rear suspension. The front is a twin telescopic unit, which is usual on most Indian bikes. The suspension is set a little soft keeping in mind the Indian road conditions, but the overall geometry of the chasis has been tuned to offer best in class handling. Around a race track the R15 can not be touched in the handling department. Turn in is razor sharp and so is the mid corner stability. The bike feels extremely agile and safe around a fast corner. On the road too the R15 feels at home, except for the crouched seating position, that takes people some time to get used to.
Things are now a little different with the new pulsar 220. this bajaj bike has never been know for its handling prowess. Mainly due to the soft shock absorbers and a chasis geometry which is more relaxed compared to the sporty R15. To handle all this, the bajaj engineers have made the front shocks a little stiffer, by changing the valves inside the telescopic forks. This change really makes its presence felt when u grab that strong front disc brake and haul the bike down from crazy speeds. The older pulsar had a problem of excessive dive under braking, which is almost non existent in the 2009 model. But this has taken a toll on the ride quality as the stiffer shock absorbers don’t really cushion the road undulations as well as the older pulsar. The bike comes with the same broad tyres, although now with a softer compound rubber that helps increase the grip levels. While all these modifications have improved the pulsars handling, it can never compete with the R15 on a race track or even a twisty ghat road. The R15’s handling is simply light years ahead of the pulsars.
Both the bikes come with a front as well as rear disc brakes. Although the new pulsar now comes with a steel braided front brake fluid hose which reduces hose flex and gives a sharp as well as direct feel to the braking.
ENGINE, GEARBOX AND PERFORMANCE:
The R15’s single cylinder 149.8cc engine is filled to the brim with pure technology. Liquid cooling, 4 valve head, fuel injection, diasil coated engine cylinder, forged piston and what not. But the engine still develops only 17ps of power and 15nm of torque much lower than expected. The engine is mated to a 6 speed gearbox, which is well spaced and has a nice actuation feel to it. Once on the move the R15’s 17bhp can be felt only after 7000rpm or so, such is the engines tuning and setup, it makes power only at higher rpm’s. low rpm pull is decent but not good enough to poter around town or for stop go traffic.
On a slight contrast the pulsar 220 has a air and oil cooled single cylinder engine. Fuel injection has been scraped and is replaced with a newly developed UCAL UCD 32 size carburetor, in other words the largest carburetor ever to be used on an Indian bike. in addition to this, other modifications like graphite coated piston to reduce friction, high lift camshaft, bigger exhaust resonator(exhausTEC) has helped increase the output of the engine to 21.04ps with torque remaining the same 19.12 nm. To improve the cooling system bajaj has also increased the size of the oil cooler by about 33%. Now all this translates to unadulterated performance on the road. Touch the throttle and the engine revs like nobody’s business, the amount of thrust in the midrange puts every other bike to shame. Pin the throttle at about 3000rpm and iam not exaggerating the P220 surges ahead like a mini superbike. In 0 to 100kmph the P220 is the quickest in the country, infact 100 kmph comes up flashing on the digital speedo much more often. The 5 speed gearbox felt a bit notchy compared to the R15 with 1 or 2 mishifts in between, but we think the gearbox will set in properly once it piles on some miles. The 5th gear ratio has been made taller to increase top speed and aid cruisability. So out on the highway the bike easily cruises at 110 kmph or even 120kmph without much stress. We reached a speedometer displayed top speed of 141kmph with more rpm left. so we can safely assume the real speed to be more than 135kmph, which is the fastest in the country. But only gripe about the engine is the amount of vibration it produces. Right from the lower rpm’s the bike starts vibrating a lot, mainly surfacing through the front fairing and handle bars, but it is not something that you cant live with. Other than this the engine is a real beauty. The performance simply leaves the R15 in dust!!!
PRICE & VERDICT:
People buying a bike from this segment usually don’t give a second look at the fuel efficiency figure of these bikes, but still both the bikes would easily manage to give about 35kmpl with the R15 slightly higher due to the fuel injection system. So to cut it all short and simple, the R15 costs 1,07,XXX rs , where as the Pulsar 220 costs 79,XXXrs both OTR Chennai almost 30,000rs of difference. The R15 may have a better technology in the form of liquid cooling and fuel injection system and better handling package to justify the 1lakh rs plus price tag, but the pulsar with almost all the bells and whistles and actually better performance than the Yamaha beats it flat on the power to money ratio. All said if I were in the market to get a performance bike I would close my eyes and head to the bajaj showrooms.
Story & Photographs- CRANKSTER aka Badri
hello people, redliners were down without attention for a long time now. we regret it! but now we are back from the hibernation. with the visiotrs list growing higher and higer day by day we have decided to add new columns to the existing website. you can now read first ride reports of cars and bikes and latest news in the indian automotive sector that will be updated time to time. we will be happy to have your support back with us. THANK YOU
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