braindead

and i dont mean bowled over.

the p220 ticks all the boxes.
1. contrary to my previous notion, the 220 has forks of modern internal design... metal guide bushes and all.
2. the steering stem bearings are of the angular contact type (like sbks)
3. the fork brace is a genuine item. its stiff in the right places.
4. the swingarm has needle roller bearings instead of rubber bushings. (like sbks)
5. the brakes are quite a good package

so why is the 220 considered a bit of a pudding when it comes to handling?
apart from the displacement advantage over most bikes, the bike does not seem to be obviously better than say... the p180 when it comes to handling.


my thoughts are:
1. maybe the bike may be fine but most riders are not sensitive enough to notice the difference.
2. no matter what tech has been incorporated in the bike, the advantage gets diluted by weight. and especially by the lump of the headlight unit hanging so far at the front.
3. bajaj's lack of racing experience has resulted in a bike designed well but tuned poorly.


considering the 220 has all the hardware in place, the bike seems to have tremendous potential for improvement.

the reason for this post is not to sing praises or run anyone down. i would like to have a educated discussion on this issue.

anyone with track experience on the 220 here?

cheers

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Abhishek

Aryan

Topic Name Edited and Approved.

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kaynmantis

No expert here. Of course, handling can be attributed to a lot of factors, but something that comes to mind especially is chassis/frame. The P220 is still using the double cradle down tube used by all pulsars...Now imagine its using a deltabox frame.

jd666

-The suspension travel and soft setting both front and rear reduce the handling.

- Also the tyres on the previous 220, were a lot less grippier than the new one.

- I feel tighter suspension, at the back, and maybe a thicker grade of oil in the front forks should tighten things up.

- If you compare the height of the bike, its taller than others in general ( im comparing my friends P220 to my R15). A higher COG does affect cornering and leaning im sure..


Yes its a well designed bike, but like all the discussions on the Pulsar, its a platform, a platform thats spawned 150-180-200-220cc bikes with varying front and rear suspension, swingarms etc. So the package is generic.. not specific to one bike.. That further detracts from the potential.

A direct comparision would be the 135LS, a complete package in design..

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braindead

thats a good point.
but here, i am specifically talking of the 220 because some details in its chassis are distinctly a generation ahead than the other pulsars. dont know of the 220 though.

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Abhishek

ajslave

It could be because
-The 220 is front-heavy. as u said the fairing itself adds a lot of mass at the front. as a result= awesome highway stability, poor cornerability.

-The chassis itself- double downtube means a lot more weight than a single downtube chassis like on the FZ, p135, etc. R15 has a deltabox frame-in a league of its own.

-High CoG: there is hardly any mass centralization on the pulsars. like jd666 said the center of gravity is fairly high up and dislocated horizontally as well.

-IMO, the seating position itself is too high to feel confident while leaning aggressively. i can corner better on my kinetic honda than my 220

-double shocks at the rear- not very handling friendly again

-the pulsars are somewhat less 'focused' than the yammies, the pulsars and HH bikes try to be OK in all aspects rather than GOOD in a few

santoosh

Chassis-Its not as rigid as other bikes , it flexes.

Poor suspension- Rather very soft, cos the public demands that for city use . Which makes it go haywire in the handling deptartmen.

I dont think a lot of effort has been put into the handling department.Most of the riders in india are bothered about "pick-up" and other such factors rather than handling.
So an ordinary city rider will not know anything until he rides something better.

Santa

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00 Kinetic Style
04 Pulsar 180 V1
06 Hyosung Comet GT 250
07 HH ZMA-R
08 Yamaha YZF-R15
10 Suzuki Access
12 Hyosung GT-650

dream horse

p220 has been improved in chassis & suspension dept for the reason of flexing. This is a bike for streets & touring not for corner carvings.

The main thing which play's a major role is valving & spring stiffness which is the big key to get a mixture of stiff sprung & docile suspension.

For corner the chassis should be flex free. all the pulsar's are front heavy & froward baised. not only this the longer swing arm is good for stability compared to corner carving.

all this elevates the R15 dynamics which is a race focused breed which shouldn't compared with the street bike.

Note : One more thing R15 doesn't have diamond chassis.

yuv_biKING

I guess Bajaj never claimer 220 to be a track oriented bike .. it serves the purpose more than enough for what it has been designed for...

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Yuv
The Southern Sojourn, ISG2G, The Mega Maharashtra Monsoon ride

santoosh

Not to start a war here , HH never claimed the zma to be a tourer.

It can track , tour and off road with a simple chassis and no mono suspension and all the gizmos .
We aint talking about it being a track bike or not.
Rating on a scale as to why the handling takes a back step as compared to other stock bikes .
hell , Even the HH splendor gives u better confidence on the curves than the 220 .

Santa

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00 Kinetic Style
04 Pulsar 180 V1
06 Hyosung Comet GT 250
07 HH ZMA-R
08 Yamaha YZF-R15
10 Suzuki Access
12 Hyosung GT-650