Thanks buddy

Extremely well written review, guys. Exactly what I was looking for!

I have one silly question for you fellas, though. I see that you have repeatedly said the engine is rev happy. So how do you compare it with the R15's engine, strictly on the rev happiness. Is it as easy to rev or, in other words, as intoxicating?

Phew!!

Finally finished uploading all the pictures and formatted both the posts. For everyone's reference I've edited the thread name so that no one misses the second post (Post No. 30) where all the pictures are uploaded.

@OF Sir - Thanks for the kind words. Its been a long time since I caught up with you but very soon we will meet as you might be knowing that I will there at the xBhp stall during Auto Expo.

@outworldly maniac - I for one always prefers a hard suspension over a softer one be it for cornering or offroad riding but since the ride report was made keeping in mind the class of buyers who will go for the bike I felt its better to mention the point. And regarding your question of whether it will be as hard as P220 I will say 'No' to that although I'm yet to ride the bike in day to day riding condition.

aha as i was thinking , brilliant

But only downside i felt again is STIFF SUSPENSION
MG , NIRANJAN same kinda stiff like the new 220 ? .
Less travel and uncomfortable on pot holes . I understand u tested on a track but just a guess from experience ? .

And yea thanks a lot to you both for wonderful review .
You both kinda complemented each other . Some small points which one missed was covered by the other . Guess you both should always go n check all the bikes out .
Sincerely as one mate said earlier , does not seem a biased review at all .
Fair enough .

Nice write up NV! and sooper pics MG!

OF Sir, these words coming from you, I am deeply honored. Thanks!!

Thank You for your valuable inputs, I shall definitely incorporate them the next time that I write a review.

Ya, I am eagerly waiting to feel the enjoyment as you felt riding the bike.

Great review by any standards!

Niranjan: Your thoroughness and eye for detail is commendable. A job done not just with a professional mind but with the heart in the right place. Unbiased.

Going by your experience, the bike is a definite improvement parameter for parameter and I personally am waiting to see what the 4-valve head and geometry changes tried with the LS would do to its beefier siblings. Apparently, the commuter/fun bike demarcation is beginning to blur and that's great news for us bikers. It a virtual dream to be able to pick any bike and enjoy riding it the way you like to and want to.

The performance spread across the RPM band validates the dual advantage offered by the twin plugs and 4-valves. Things sure are looking up for the performance hungry riders.

One small suggestion: Do sectionalize your reviews for ease of comprehension. A format followed by auto-journos across the globe has a lot going for it.

MG: Your enthusiasm for the bike is infectious. And it shows through in the write up. Another wonderful review. The 4-valve takes the cake yes. Even from the engineering point of view. An engine head poked with so many holes through it is a design nightmare, both for the metallurgist and the production engineer, considering the magnitude and rapidity of thermal changes the component will encounter all the time. And as you both rode (or rather thrashed) the bike around Chakkan over a considerable period without any apparent deterioration in its performance shows it is a thoroughly well engineered product.

Thanks for the efforts and the wonderful photography.

OF

Thanks DK

We are glad that you liked the review. It was written most honestly and we tried to cover as much as possible on the LS. Your suggestion is a nice one and maybe MG could look into that.

Congratulations YoungBoy, I am sure that you will enjoy riding this bike as much as I did.

Overwhelmed by review and a good news to share

Finally got it ! ! !
Very Very Excellent review by NV and MG. Thanks to both of you.
But, still waiting for more pics.

In the mean time, there is a good news that I want to share with you all.
My father has already booked the bike for me . And the Dealer said he will be able to deliver it by this month's last week. Bajaj has not sent a single piece for display here . So, impatiently waiting for this new and marvellous machine.
And, after reading NV and MG's review, I am like ..... My father did the best thing for me. I will be the first to get my hands on this tiny beast in my city and that too with a proud feeling .

Text: MG

Not wasting any time on the intro part (Covered very well by Niranjan) I will talk only business.

Style: Sharp, muscular with the freshness of youth

Complaints/excuses normally heard about the styling of the Pulsar family of bikes.

“Too common”, “Seen anywhere and everywhere”, “No exclusivity”, “Same age old tank shape”

Familiarity breeds contempt. Right?

One look at the Pulsar 135LS and it becomes clear that one can’t complain about it in the same breath now. The traditional tank of the Pulsar has been replaced by a sleek, compact yet muscular looking unit with smartly executed tank extensions which thankfully do not appear as an afterthought. This new tank also has also been designed to provide for knee recesses.

Thanks to the sharply shaped front visor, at first glance the headlamp unit does appear quite similar to that of the Hero Honda Hunk. But a closer look will reveal that it has got its own character. The glass area is encased by a flaring side-burn like design, which gives it a menacing look and makes it appear like a mini transformer bike.

The rear portion of the bike with the spilt seats is pure pulsar. The silver finish split grab rails now also provide for a proper grip. The R6 inspired rear number plate holder makes the rear portion look sleek. The “Spiderman Eyes” like rear LED tail light is borrowed over from the XCD 135 and so are the almond shaped turn indicators, which actually gels better on the P135LS. The sharp theme is also carried over to the sharply shaped clip on handle bars and the new design switchgear which by the way are also “backlit” like the other pulsars.

The “all black color theme” made famous by the elder Pulsar 180 DTS-i UGII and presently found on every other bike, has been given a visual relief. The engine block and engine crankcase is now finished in silver. I also loved the detailing done on the crankcase covers.

The front fender also is an interesting design with dual finish surfaces with the front portion in glossy paint and the rear in black matt plastic. The 240 mm front disc brake has the same design as the bigger discs found on the P180 UGIV and the P220.

The only think that looks a bit jarring to the eye is the rear mudguard cover. I am pretty sure that removing it (along with the saree guard) would be the first thing that prospective customers would love to alter on their P135LS. Also an exposed chain with a half chain cover would have gone better with the Light Sports theme of the P135LS.

Ergonomics: Roomy and brings the best of both worlds.

The P135LS dimensionally is almost of the same size as the P150 DTS-i. In fact at 1325 mm, the wheelbase of the P135LS is 5 mm longer than that of the P150 DTS-i.

Swing a leg over the seat (800 mm high) of the P135LS, place the foot on the slightly rear set foot pegs and reach over to that clip on handlebars which are positioned at a comfortable not too high and not too low position. The riding position is neither too aggressive nor commuter like but somewhere in between to give the taste of both worlds.

The front seat is comfortable and so is the rear seat for the pillion (we tried that out too). The 135LS is also comfortable for vertically blessed guys and one is not cramped for space on this one.

The digital meter console is similar to the ones found on the Discover 135 DTS-i, XCD 135 DTS-Si. Even though tachometer has a new sober dial design, a white colored dial background could have given it a better contrast and sportier look. The LCD display is legible even in broad daylight but the same can’t be said about the tell-tale warning lamps (neutral, high beam, turn indicators), which are not bright enough to be seen properly during the sunlight. A digital clock still continues to elude the P135LS display.

Clutch & Gearbox: Near perfect!!
Engine: Its all in the Head!!

One of the aspects that the Pulsars have improved over the years is in its Clutch and Gearbox. Till the UG II variants the Pulsars used to have a notorious reputation for its transmission with a jerky and grabby clutch and false neutral infested notchy gearbox. The gearbox on the P135LS is a smooth shifting unit and we encountered no false neutrals at all and felt almost perfect.

The USP of the P135 LS is its 4 Valve DTSi engine. Apart from the Yamaha R15 (and excluding the exotic imports of course), all other Indian bikes feature the 2 valve per cylinder layout. Theoretically a 4 valve (2 inlet, 2 exhaust) per cylinder layout improves the engine performance as the engine is capable of sucking in more amount of fuel and air mixture and also able to exit the burnt gases “at a much faster rate” than a 2 valve per cylinder layout. Practically it means that the engine is capable of revving to higher rpms without the engine getting too stressed and harsh.

This setup gives the engine character of a true sports bike with the torque spread over a greater rpm range unlike a typical commuter bike with the torque available only at low and mid rpm and running out of breadth at high rpm. On the flipside, one might need to downshift to stay in the meaty rpm range for that quick getaway at low speeds. The P135 LS (like the R15) has an engine where the Stroke is longer than its Bore. The engine does not exactly spin as quickly as an over square (Bore bigger than the Stroke) engine, but one can make up for it by revving and quickly shifting through the gears. The 4 valves makes its presence felt post 5000 rpm with the engine pulling eagerly to its 10,000 rpm redline.

Guys, who might want to write off this new bike for its engine capacity, might be in for a rude shock. I managed to register a top speed of 121 Kmph (Speedo Indicated) on the Pulsar 135LS on the Chakan test track!!!

It’s not just the top speed but how the bike makes it that makes it interesting. Almost any other 2 valve engines beg for mercy at around 8000 rpm with the torque tapering off at that point, but not this bike. At about 8000 rpm this baby would be cruising around effortlessly at 95-96 Kmph. But push a little bit more and the cruise party is interrupted by tingling vibrations which are felt on the foot pegs and the handlebars.

Despite the vibrations, the engine still feels healthy enough and continues to pull easily till a speedo indicated 110 kmph. Get into a crouch and with an open patch of straight road, the speedo should reach indicated speeds of 120 kmph. All the while the 4 valve engine doesn’t feel strained and doesn’t feel harsh, but yes vibrations do ruin the run post 100 kmph. But then the way the engine feels healthy and eager till its 10,000 rpm redline is intoxicating.

So much for guys who thought that this bike would dilute the Pulsar brand name.

Ride and Handling: Traffic Cutter cum Track Tool

A high revving bike won’t be fun if it doesn’t get a chassis which let it exploit its full potential. Pulsars have been notorious for its heavy front end and skittish handling around corners. The humble single down tube frame on the P135 not only helps the bike weigh a light weight 122 kerb kgs but is also engineered well enough to give it very good handling characteristics.

The P135LS is very flickable at slow speeds and equally stable at speeds of 121 Kmph. Around corners the handling is very neutral as well and the bike feels very eager to go into corners.

What spoils the spirited corners is that the front foot pegs gets scrapped if the lean angles become a bit extreme (which is by the way possible only on a proper race track). If only it was positioned a little bit more rear set, the corners could have been much more extreme and crazy. In one sentence, the P135LS is “The best handling and agile Pulsar so far”.

The bike we got had the rear suspension at it's second softest setting, which makes the rear suspension setting a bit stiffer but in turn aids in a sporty and sharp handling. It definitely adds to the stable handling and great for the ones with a sporty intent.. enjoy..!!

For those who might want a softer rear end can set the rear suspension to the softest setting.


Summing up:

The Pulsar 135LS has a Jekyll and Hyde like dual character, keep it under 5000 and life is pretty civil like one might expect from any other 125-135 cc. But post 5000 rpm one is bound to shake his head in disbelief as the tachometer keeps on moving towards the 10,000 rpm redline.

The Pulsar 135LS has raised the benchmark for bikes in the 125-150 cc range. Not only does it comfortably overshadow any other 125 – 135 cc bike currently in the country but also probably out runs many other 150 cc bike.

More pictures




































A small session with the elder brother

MG pics are awesome but plz upload more and fast
and only 5pics
we want more

You guys are so much better....

Well what can I say, you guys have done a better job in testing bike then what most other journalists do! I mean you have covered every minute detail of bike testing which most other mags miss out or dish out. Why don't you guys do it more often then? It would be jolly good to see reviews of all the currently available bikes from major players in the first impression section. This will give us common reference point for comparing various bikes. Say what chaps?

Finally

Nice review MG & NV....

both of you are finding a nice way to compensate the lack of track in Mumbai/pune

Thanks...ask MG, he would tell you what all I was doing on the track that day!

@abhijeet080808: Yes, even I was surprised.