kailashnj

Bajaj created history when they launched the Pulsar motorcycles in 2001. I was part of that history as I was one of those customers who had bought the first lot of Pulsar 180.

The performance was great on the bike, but it had so many problems that it did not leave a good taste in my mouth. I vowed never to buy any other Bajaj Product.

Then came DTSI, and I bought one. Again the same old story of quality issues. I again vowed never to take any Bajaj Products. Then came along the current problem bike, which costs us a bomb to buy and is supposed to be the best bike in India, Pulsar 220.

Again the same feeling that I got in my last two experiences. Bike which is a good product but with lot of quality issues. I appreaciate the help that I got from the Bajaj engineers to fix all the issues that were there on the bike after I complained through Autocar magazine.

Then came the ultimate, I got my bike serviced at the SK automobiles in Vashi for the 7500Kms service. I got my bike's rear brake pads changed along with the service at SK. But the brake shoe has developed a problem and feels like it is scrapping the metal. I brought this to the notice of the service engineer there and he did some adjustments in the brake and told me that it will not come again. I took the delivery of the bike and after riding for 100odd Kms came to know that the engine is not as smooth as earlier. I could hear a distinctive sound in the bike's engine, something that has a feeling of the tappet screw not being adjusted properly.

All the problems that I got from the bike has now made me a clear supporter of my vow to not take any other Bajaj Product ever. (I hope I can stick to it this time)

Can anyone help me get all the problems sorted out on the bike and make me feel proud to Own a 1 lac bike.

Regards,
Kailash

Sunny

Query Approved

Aparajith

You should probably try contacting MG on this....PM him. He should be of help to get you in touch with the right people. Also get in touch with Mumbai based 220 owners here. Check the ownership thread and ask advice on the service centres that do proper service.

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MG

How come the brake lever was adjusted and you started facing problems in the engine?

Let some other xBhpian (chetanpulsar,chilled_fire are some xBhpians from your city) ride your bike and see what they feel about your bike.

pranay

Is SK automobiles an authorised Bajaj Service station? If it is not, I recommend you not to service there. If it is authorised, then you are correct in being frustrated.

As MG said, if you asked him to solve the brake issue, then most probably he would have only touched the brakes and not the engine. It might have been a co-incidence that the engine was not smoother exactly after the braking issue.

I don't think there is any product anywhere that doesn't issues. Even a Ducati products or a Honda products have their niggles.

Even if your bike is running perfectly, even if ALL your problems are solved by people, noone except yourself can make yourself feel proud of YOUR 1-lac bike. There are sooo many people, including me who are proud of their 220s (including me ).

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chetanpulsar

Yup... am here to help (as much as I can)..... I had dis-similar experiences at SK Bajaj PBK (I was pretty satisfied), till I got a friend (Ritwik from Pune) to ride my bike. He pointed a couple of things (rough engine/vibes/sounds) which I tried to explain the Supervisor at SK, but as expected, he said no-issues .... everything is ok .

So as suggested by Pune guys, I went ahead and got my bike serviced at Shirode Bajaj PBK (FC Rd) in Pune. And trust me, they literally test ride your bike before the job card is made. They did loads of settings, changed some stuff.... and got the bike back to what it was new, really amazing.

Ok now am not trying to say that you need to go to Pune and stuff, but just a last resort option.

The rear disc pad issue is a big thing now a days.... but as you pointed out, the issue was resolved by doing some setting by the ser. engg.

Now the rough engine part..... that sound, what exactly happens (keep observing)...

1) any specific rpm ?? or random... always ?

2) When you say that tappet sound, I very well know what you mean to say (am riding pulsars for the last 6yrs ). But that sound comes even on idling ?? or when you get the bike moving?? Is it loud enough to be heard while riding in traffic too??

3) Is it just sound or some distinctive vibrations that you feel??

4) If you were standing right next to your bike while they serviced it... what all did they do/touch on the engine part of the bike.

5) Did they also set the CO ??

6) Did you get the engine oil changed too?? The engine roughness has started only after you got it serviced right? Did u ride the bike continuous 100km and then the roughness started or.... after you clocked random 100km in all ??

Please let me know the following so that I can assess the info. and try to find the proper cause/resolution to your issue.

As of what I feel... you need to get the tappet adjusted and/or Balancer shaft overloaded... and/or Cam chain adjusted..... and lastly the engine mountings (which get worn out after many thousand kms).... these are the only major things that could be causing sound/vibes on your bike .

One more thing I would like to point out.... lately what I (and a couple of 220 friends) have experienced that when the CO% is set to 2.5-2.6... the engine becomes rough when it gets hot. So they are now setting it to 3... mine was set to 2.75 in pune.

Hope you get the issues sorted out asap. Btw.. am used to riding pulsars for 6yrs (180V1...180V2... P220)... and would love to say this..... the bikes made are very good.... its the service centres who f**k the bikes bigtime.

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Chetan

kailashnj

Hi Guys,

Thanks a lot for all your help and comments.

I had complained about my bike to Autocar India and they helped me by forwarding my issue to Bajaj. Hence I got a call from bajaj service engineer and he came to Mumbai to sort out things.

As far as the engine noise is concerned, it was the tappet setting that was not done and hence there was this engine noise.

No corelation with the brake issues guys (sorry if the previous message did not provide clear picture). Brake noise still continues even after the service engineer looking into it. I will not try to get some one else to check it. Probably some one from the xbhpian who know their stuff much better than the mechanics themselves, probably chetan or ritwik.

I have also been riding pulsars since its inception. My first pulsar was the 2001 classic 180, then v1 then v2 with alloy wheels. Then this Pulsar 220. I second your thought chetan when you say, Bajaj make very good bikes - its the service engineers which f**k our bikes and ensure that we are dissatisfied. They ensure that the customers never return back to buy any more bajaj bikes. This have been tried with me for last 7 years but never succeed, I can't say the same about the future though.

Also I am planning to change over to synthetic oil. Which Oil is recommended for use. I am thinking of using Shell Helix Ultra 4w40. Is that a suitable oil to use?

Regards,
Kailash

ashwin208

dude congrats on your engine sound ... I also have a 220... completed 8 k kms.. if the rear disc brake sounds like a big lorry making a loud screeching/grinding noise, then its a pile up of dust. All the bikes with rear discs are of the "open case" type... so small bits of brake dust and general muck ( we live in india and dust is not uncommon ) tend to get stuck between the pad and the disc and get rubbed against each other when you brake.
I get this often.
A simple solution ( works well for me ) is to use slightly pressurized water ( put your finger over the hosepipe outlet ) and direct it at the small opening you can see on top of the rear disc brake casing. that flushes out some of the newly collected dirt and dust.
I do this once a week when i wash down and detail my bike. That has helped a lo.
Hope it helps

gautambagchi

i am also a veteran of many pulsars.
my first bike was the p180 classic, it blew me away by its performance (then), mechanically it gave me no trouble ever except for 2 battery changes (no other parts changed). but it was a nasty handler , had quite a few crashes. rode it for 25000 km.
my second bike was p180 dtsi v1. lovely bike, i abused the hell out of it (rode it non stop for 1000 km in 14-15 hrs 4 times from delhi to ahmedabad and back). no trouble ever except for an alternator change, battery change, clutch plates once , brake pads once and chain sprocket once.
only once it broke down and that was due to a broken clutch cable. rode it for 48000 km.
third is the p220 dtsi. it has given me the most trouble already(comparered to my earlier bikes), issues faced are fork noise, cracked high beam glass, starter clutch ,cdi replaced. 13000 km and counting....

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pulsar 180 classic - 2001-2004
pulsar 180 dtsi v1 - 2004-2009
pulsar 220 dtsi - 2009-