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Just wanted to share my experience on a recent trip that I made on my 200 ns.
After 13,000 km and almost 17 months of ownership, I wanted to see how my Blue beast fared on a 1000 + km journey and added to this I also had a longing to see my friends in Bangalore. Then it hit my head. Why not?.. Ride Solo to Bangalore from Mumbai on my NS.
I started preparing for it. Broke the trip into two days as I wanted to ride only during the day and covering Bangalore in 12 hours is next to impossible.
Day 1: (25th Dec)
I fuelled up my tank for 750 bucks the previous night. The actual plan was to start at 4 am and reach my destination Davengere by 6 pm. (Around 750 km, where I had planned to halt for the night). But dozed off for an extra hour in the morning and the actual start time was only at 5:30 am. I was running late by more than an hour. I thought of cutting down on pitstops and breaks to make up for the lost (Slept
) time.
I could not exceed 60 kmph till Sunrise for a large section of Old Pune Highway (till Khapoli), thanks to N number of surprise speed bumpers (positioned without any reflectors). And the other big challenge was to slow down for trucks going in front you, many of which did not have a tail/brake light or even a red reflector. (Seriously why the hell do they even let these vehicles drive on the road
). At around 6:45 am, I enjoyed witnessing the Sunrise at Lonavala. Now I began picking up speed once the Sun came up and reached Pune by 8. (Still behind my planned schedule by 1 hour).
After Kolhapur the stretch was mostly 6 lane, so enjoyed ripping my beast continuously at 100 kmph and with the occasional speed bursts to 120s. My favorite stretch was the two lane stretch between Belgaum and Hubli. This was the only stretch where I encountered traffic Jam on the National highway with Tractors and Trucks slowing everybody down. But being on a bike I could overtake them swiftly, while the other cars and trucks struggled to do it because of their size.
After couple of breaks here and there, I was finally just 80 km from Davangere at 5: 45 pm. The sun was almost down (I estimated that I have only 15 minutes of light before it became pitch black). So decided to cover maximum possible distance under the Sun. Now started riding at 110 kmph.
After sunset, I still had 40 km to cover. Now back to passive mode, driving at 50 kmph on the left lane with cars zooming past me at 100 kmph or so. Reached my Lodge at 7:30 pm after roaming around Davengere town. After checkin, I went straight to bed.
Day 2: (26th Dec)
). Now I continued my Journey, I noticed a couple of Volvo multiaxle buses overtaking me. I was amazed to see that they were cruising with ease at around 110 kmph even with their extra large size and mass. But for the time they wait at each toll gate for the pass, I would zoom past them and reached Bangalore way ahead of them. 
I reached my cousins place (where I spend the week ) by 1:30 pm. (Thanks to Bangalore traffic). Had an awesome holiday week there.
After completion of this trip, I can say proudly tell everyone regarding the reliability of Pulsar 200 NS.
Key Learning (for me):
1. Always carry a transparent Visor as a backup. You never know when it will come handy
2. Beware of trucks without tail lights and Bumps without reflectors
3. Although you can ride at 110 kmph with ease, due to lack of windshield you get tired pretty fast. So the ideal speed on NS (according to me) is 90 kmph for cruising.
4. Never be tempted to catch up with a Volvo bus or a Car. They are awfully powered and have better control at 100 + speeds.
5. If you have to travel in the dark, spot a bigger vehicle which travels at a speed you are comfortable with and follow them leaving enough distance in between. (reaction distance)
6. Do not overestimate the distance you can cover in a day. I should have actually halted at Belgaum which was exactly in between Mumbai and Bangalore. Due to my decision to stay at Davengere, I had to cover additional 250 km which was very strenuous. I rectified this mistake while returning back to Mumbai and enjoyed the ride better
7. Mileage: At cruising speed of 65-75 kmph, my 200 NS amazed me with 46 kmpl but it fell drastically at speeds above 90 returning only 38/39 kmpl. (Used reserve to reserve method) Rider: The bunks on the highway could have hoodwinked me with low quality fuel)
Few Clicks:
1) During a Snicker break near Hubli
2) The two lane stretch between Belgaum and Hubli
3) Sunrise near Lonavala
4) The fabulous ghat road near Satara
After 13,000 km and almost 17 months of ownership, I wanted to see how my Blue beast fared on a 1000 + km journey and added to this I also had a longing to see my friends in Bangalore. Then it hit my head. Why not?.. Ride Solo to Bangalore from Mumbai on my NS.
I started preparing for it. Broke the trip into two days as I wanted to ride only during the day and covering Bangalore in 12 hours is next to impossible.
Day 1: (25th Dec)
I fuelled up my tank for 750 bucks the previous night. The actual plan was to start at 4 am and reach my destination Davengere by 6 pm. (Around 750 km, where I had planned to halt for the night). But dozed off for an extra hour in the morning and the actual start time was only at 5:30 am. I was running late by more than an hour. I thought of cutting down on pitstops and breaks to make up for the lost (Slept
) time.I could not exceed 60 kmph till Sunrise for a large section of Old Pune Highway (till Khapoli), thanks to N number of surprise speed bumpers (positioned without any reflectors). And the other big challenge was to slow down for trucks going in front you, many of which did not have a tail/brake light or even a red reflector. (Seriously why the hell do they even let these vehicles drive on the road
). At around 6:45 am, I enjoyed witnessing the Sunrise at Lonavala. Now I began picking up speed once the Sun came up and reached Pune by 8. (Still behind my planned schedule by 1 hour).After Kolhapur the stretch was mostly 6 lane, so enjoyed ripping my beast continuously at 100 kmph and with the occasional speed bursts to 120s. My favorite stretch was the two lane stretch between Belgaum and Hubli. This was the only stretch where I encountered traffic Jam on the National highway with Tractors and Trucks slowing everybody down. But being on a bike I could overtake them swiftly, while the other cars and trucks struggled to do it because of their size.
After couple of breaks here and there, I was finally just 80 km from Davangere at 5: 45 pm. The sun was almost down (I estimated that I have only 15 minutes of light before it became pitch black). So decided to cover maximum possible distance under the Sun. Now started riding at 110 kmph.
After sunset, I still had 40 km to cover. Now back to passive mode, driving at 50 kmph on the left lane with cars zooming past me at 100 kmph or so. Reached my Lodge at 7:30 pm after roaming around Davengere town. After checkin, I went straight to bed.
Day 2: (26th Dec)
). Now I continued my Journey, I noticed a couple of Volvo multiaxle buses overtaking me. I was amazed to see that they were cruising with ease at around 110 kmph even with their extra large size and mass. But for the time they wait at each toll gate for the pass, I would zoom past them and reached Bangalore way ahead of them. I reached my cousins place (where I spend the week ) by 1:30 pm. (Thanks to Bangalore traffic). Had an awesome holiday week there.After completion of this trip, I can say proudly tell everyone regarding the reliability of Pulsar 200 NS.
Key Learning (for me):
1. Always carry a transparent Visor as a backup. You never know when it will come handy
2. Beware of trucks without tail lights and Bumps without reflectors
3. Although you can ride at 110 kmph with ease, due to lack of windshield you get tired pretty fast. So the ideal speed on NS (according to me) is 90 kmph for cruising.
4. Never be tempted to catch up with a Volvo bus or a Car. They are awfully powered and have better control at 100 + speeds.
5. If you have to travel in the dark, spot a bigger vehicle which travels at a speed you are comfortable with and follow them leaving enough distance in between. (reaction distance)
6. Do not overestimate the distance you can cover in a day. I should have actually halted at Belgaum which was exactly in between Mumbai and Bangalore. Due to my decision to stay at Davengere, I had to cover additional 250 km which was very strenuous. I rectified this mistake while returning back to Mumbai and enjoyed the ride better
7. Mileage: At cruising speed of 65-75 kmph, my 200 NS amazed me with 46 kmpl but it fell drastically at speeds above 90 returning only 38/39 kmpl. (Used reserve to reserve method) Rider: The bunks on the highway could have hoodwinked me with low quality fuel)
Few Clicks:
1) During a Snicker break near Hubli
2) The two lane stretch between Belgaum and Hubli
3) Sunrise near Lonavala
4) The fabulous ghat road near Satara
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