Because its worth it! Being the flagship from Bajaj stable it will receive good support and spares will be abundant and cheap. You can keep it for many years and it'll still be a good bike (nobody else is offering such performance at 95k OTR)

200NS is any day better than 220F. And its lot more VFM while offering better performance compared to Honda CBR150R, Yamaha R15v2 and Karizma ZMR.

Because its about time it received an upgrade. 200NS engine, rear disc and tachometer is my wish-list

theirs no point in going for another 150 except r15 or cbr which are not in your price bracket so it comes down to p220,zma and AVENGER,
ZMA is smooth but not unicorn smooth actually even unicorn gives some vibes after 60 and i feel that p220 and unicorn give almost same vibes above 100 or near 90 so dont think vibes will be a concern with p220, actually p220 has the upper hand over zma with headlamps, breaking, power,clipon and slight better fe also spares are not a problem with bajaj coz even we can get speedo for classic pulsar now,
btw even avenger has same engine but dont know why hasnt made any big strides

whatever u buy plz dont buy a 150 cc bike.

Since I am only a long-term user of a P220 and have not taken a Karizma for anything longer than a short TR, I would only comment on the P220 bit.

As of now, in 10 days less than 3 years and almost 39k km, and I am being absolutely truthful, I have faced:
1. Oil leak of <10 ml of oil, once, back in 2010. (because I didn't do what was mentioned in the manual)
2. Zero breakdowns
3. Zero electricals related issues (not even a fused bulb)
4. 1 Dead battery (after 2 years)
5. 2 sets of replacement front disc pads (2nd replacement was <1k km back), 1 set of rear pads
6. 1 set of replacement tires(both front and rear)
7. 1 Puncture, but I rode over 1000km with that puncture, thanks to Tubeless tires and a lazy bum rider.
8. 1 replacement chain + sprocket set
9. Zero Cracked Rims

If you look at it subjectively, considering parts cost and replacement intervals, the Pulsar 220, for the past 3 years, has been the absolutely cheapest 17+ bhp bike as far as upkeep is concerned(ZMA/R15 owners who know the entire facts would agree with this).

Everything is so bloody simple that there is nothing to go wrong. Till now, the bike has given me absolute peace of mind even though I have extended its 2.5k

All said and done, there have been a few new ones launched recently so I cannot say about the future w.r.t. upkeep costs. And Pulsar 200NS is the future. Pulsar 220 may be one of the greats by BAL, but it has already been in the market *almost* unchanged from how it was introduced back in 2007. It is now time to move on. There is a certain old world charm to these motorcycles (P220 / Karizma / Avenger) in the face of newer competition, but thats what these bikes really are, old world.

As Abhi says, I have done riding on both Unicorn and P220 and after a certain speed, the vibes are almost equal from both, but if you want something absolutely vibe free, less vibey than even the Duke or the CBR250R, please stick to Pulsar 200NS.

You might have already read all the material there was to read on the 200NS, but still I want you to read my straight from the heart assessment.

Whats your take if one rides a P220 at 100km/hr on an avg with small bursts of 120-130 km/hr. My concern is vibes & FE.


I am a ZMA user that too the 2004 model. If the 8 yrs old bike is smooth at 90 - 100 km/hr range, I am sure the new ones will be smoother.


Also would like to add every single cylinder bike will have vibes at various range. Like P220 may have vibes lower down the RPM due to its quick accelarating nature, ZMA will have vibes higher up at around 120km/hr due to it low pick-up. If you need vibe free ride go for a twin cylinder (N250 which is way up your budget) or ride the above mentioned bikes a little low on speed ...my take for smooth ride on ZMA would be around 90 - 100km/hr.

I can answer that. I too have used P220 Dtsi extensively for long distance touring. Last couple of tours have been after getting the bike Joeled. We could easily hold speeds of 110-120 km/hr for couple of hours without break with 125-135 km/hr for 20-30 mins bursts in between. The vibes are very less, and after the Mods its more smooth now.

In stock condition too you can maintain those speeds for longer duration, the only difference being now it reaches those speeds much earlier.

The feeling of "Torque On Demand" is the best part of touring on P220. It feels like an American Muscle Car with amazing straight line acceleration.

High Speed stability too is very good and bike stays rock steady. However, it does sway a bit during heavy cross-winds, however thats very little compared to Fully faired bikes like R15, ZMR.

FE was hovering between 33-36km/ltr after high speed touring which according to me is acceptable.

You can do 110-120 all day long and still have enough reserve left to finish off the day with an hour long burst between 135-140. This is exactly what I did on 12th of Feb 2011. At the end of the day, I was over 1160km and 3 states away from where I started off, within 21 hours, crossing the mighty state of Madhya Pradesh end to end in the process.

This above is exactly what I also thought. But that was before I TRed the 200NS. As for P220, it has slight resonance vibes at 4k and 8k RPM. Stay clear of these 2 RPMs and there are no vibes to talk about as such. The speed range I mentioned (108-113kmph) happens to be at around 7k RPM(which also happens to be the peak torque RPM for this bike), and it is enough speed for MOST high speed cruising. In fact, I, as a rule, always try and maintain a cruise speed between 105-110 since both me and the bike stay the most comfortable in this speed range w.r.t. vibes AND FE.

Thank you for clearing my doubt. I am just trying to make up my mind to go for P220(below 1 lakh budget) or CBR250(above 1 lakh budget). Your suggestions would help me a lot to make my decision.

LOL...Certainly sir,would rather try some mods on my uni to make it a lot smoother.
Antz.bin-Thanks a million for your valuable inputs.I believe you have ridden the 200NS.Is the riding position upright and also could you comment on the same for the 220 as well please!I find the unicorn's sea- handle-footpeg geometry almost spot on.How do they match up?


Exactly my take Sid 85.I am not gonna rip it like youngsters.I just wanna cruise at around 90-100 mark with short bursts upto 110 or so and feel relaxed about the speeds with reasonable comfort,especially my lower back.I certainly dont want the engine howling off to glory either.For example back in my 2 stroke days.I always preferred the rx100 for trips bcos of ots relaxed engine,whereas the shogun,eventhough much powerful than the rx100 and fun to ride would sound stretched/stressed...get my point!

Got you sir. My advice would be to go for P220 or the NS. In P220, you get enough power to enjoy hi-speed runs, cheap spares, good low end torque.

NS is the future for Bajaj. Packed with latest tech. But i dont prefer going for any new product since the factory testing is not as robust as real world testing. A new product should get atleast 6 months to settle itself, then only I would consider it(its my thought process, people may differ).

@Sampath - I would suggest you to go for ZMA and this comes from 35yr young man. Good riding posture, good companion for long rides, large wheel base, reliability? I've not faced issues till now (2011 model), Lighting can be upgraded to 55/60w if you love night riding. Fairly good resale value due to Honda engine. Decent power. Spares are bit expensive however, they have drastically come down from what it used to be. I wouldn't think you'll need frequent parts change apart from consumables like clutch plates cables, brake pads etc.

First...welcome to this amazing group...missing my home town now

I would suggest a CBR250 / ZMA, these 2 are the best tourers as far as I know...if you dont have a constraint on budget...try your hands on a Ninja250

These are in my list & wanted to try it out..

Hey Sampath !!

You are very clear that your budget is near 90k approx.

You need relaxed riding poistion.......a tourer requirement!
Crusing over 90kmph without any issues .........a tourer requirement!
Decemt Fuel........... Tourer a again. But decency varies here!! is 40kmpl is ok for you ???

Out of the three Awenger is any time best.
It has excellent riding position, can cruise at 100kmph effortlessly.
Gives an average of 40kmpl all over!!!!


As far as handling is concerned, it's excellent when driven like a crusier!! If you start ZIZ ZAgging the it won't pass as it's not made for that! I have ridden my friends Awenger 200 many times taken for long trips too 500kms+ tours in one day.

I was always happy with the performance, ride it at 115-120kmph too. braking was nice, One has to understand the frame of this bike and how to brake in emergency or what speed and postion will this mamooth handles!!

Now you are very lucky that Awenger comes in 220cc, this engine is a part of p220 which is a gem in its own way!! Maintenance are always what you purchase a bike at what price??

Getting 220cc / 40kmpl/ relaxed riding/ killer chrome looks/ oil cooled in <1L so what else tou expect from it more ????

We indians think to get everything in less cost, will Bajaj pay from his pocket for all this ??? They are giving us a big bike to frame our dreams. so use it.

Blindly go for Awenger!! There are many people who have maintained their P150 with proper maintenance even today!! and it runs like gem today too.

@ Sampath

I have recently bought an avenger 220 DTSI. Infact just a couple of days back. I ridden close to 150 Kms in the two days. Till now it seems comfortable for me. My initial observations are mentioned in this thread (http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/motorcyc...tml#post832483). You may want to check out.

Sriram - Hope you are referring to the old karizma.The bike speaks for itself as a tourer,no wonder its used by most of the long distance riders.I somehow fail to connect with the zma.It might be bcos its aging or maybe i just need a test ride.Will certainly look into it.

rameshmadhavan- How's the CBR250 treating you.Have been through your dilemma and congrats on your new love.Could you comment on its riding position?
Glad to find people of the same age group with a passion for biking.Hope there are many more around.Aaahaa...so you are from cbe is it?Vanakkan naa! I am sure you would accept the touring possibilities around here.

somen1984- Thanks for your pointers.To be frank i would say that my first preference was an avenger.Due to lack of positive reviews from whatever i have read,i had to think of other options.But looks like you have got me thinking again.I need to test ride it.

vibbs- Congrats on the new Avenger.The blue is abolutely stunning.I am going though your thread and must agree that your decision was quick.Looks like you had almost decided and were just waiting for some justifications.Shall look forward to your advise shortly.Wishing u lots of safe and pleasant rides ahead.