Re: Should I buy a bike?

Topic Approved.

Your car is giving a mileage of slightly above 10 kmpl. It would be good to go with a bike now, but also invest in a good helmet, riding jacket, gloves and boots.


And, I agree with your choice. Pulsar 200NS seems to be more future proof. If you believe yourself a noob, and keep this in mind and ride carefully, than the Pulsar NS is as safe as any other bike. So, don't let that be a deterrent.

I would've suggested FZ for its good brakes, wide tyres, newbie friendly nature, etc. but again its not that future proof, as in few years or so, you might outgrow its 14 bhp figure easily.

But, I also suggest you test ride Apache RTR 180. It can save you some more cash initially.

P200NS is a good choice, but if you are ok with (slightly low mileage & more cost), in exchange for (lesser weight, and slightly higher engine & chassis performance), you can choose KTM Duke 200.... Its the same engine in a higher state of tune with a DOHC Head.

Re: Should I buy a bike?

Thanks a lot for the approval and reply! I did think about RTR 180. But for some reason, I like the Pulsar more. And I read somewhere that the RTR 180 has rattling issues. Bikes like the Duke and R15 might be better but I'm a bit skeptical about spending more money. As you already know, I'm not an experienced biker and I'm yet to know what it really feels like.

I heard some not so good news about the P200 NS too (like the tyres, clutch etc). Any clarification regarding issues like those would be much appreciated. Can I expect a mileage of 35-40 kmpl from it? And I forgot to mention something very important. I'll be riding with a pillion about 60% of the time .

Best regards.

Re: Should I buy a bike?

Hey I just read somewhere that a fully faired version of the new 200, namely 200 SS will be launched soon. Is that true? The bike looked very cool in some of the sketches I saw (they're probably fake ). I don't mind waiting a little as long as the price is not too high since I can use that extra time to polish up my motorcycling skills .

Re: Should I buy a bike?

Ya, you should wait for some time.. Bajaj has said they would launch new bikes.. And these days Bajaj is on a roll

Re: Should I buy a bike?

If you sit for a research, then you will end up with a list of drawbacks of all bikes.

Yes the apache has some vibrations, the P200NS has inferior quality tyres, the duke is not pillion friendly, R15 will make ur pillion hate you for making him/her sit so high... And the list will go on and on..

The point is, whatever bike you buy, it will definitely have some issues. It upto you to decide what issues you can live with.

Seeing ur budget, experience, pillion needs, height, performance p.. I would also suggest the following in order of preference..
Apache 180
P200NS

You may also look into Hero's or Honda's shed for 150cc bikes.


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Re: Should I buy a bike?

Indeed! I think I should wait for a few months .

Hehe thanks for the reply. Like you said I'm trying to pick a bike, the drawbacks of which I'm least concerned about. For eg: I'm not going to maneuver a curve at 30 degree angle nor am I going to ride at very high speeds on wet conditions. So I wish to know if I will need those new set of soft compound tyres for the P200NS. But Apache's case is a little different. Riding a vibrating thing isn't something I wish to do.

It's not just the vibration factor I have against the Apache. I remember reading on some other forum regarding the build quality of the bike and an owner himself said that it's not a wise idea to go for it if you live near a port/sea or at a place that gets heavy rainfall. I have nothing to confirm this though. But for some reason I don't prefer it. Maybe I need to look at that option again since it has been mentioned repeatedly.

And I do give importance to the looks of the bike (probably why I skipped many other bikes). There are many reasons for that. I think one can easily imagine those. I'm not saying that I will blindly buy a bike that looks the best but I do give importance to it and like most people, wish to own something unique and stylish. It's the high praise it got for its stability and its different looks that attracted me towards the 200NS; not the torque and hp figures at all. But I'm a bit concerned about its pillion seat; not too impressed by its size.

I generally keep my vehicles in very decent condition mechanically. I wish to do the same with the bike too and hope to keep it in prime condition for at least 3 years. Like Samarth bhai rightly pointed out, I should be looking at something that doesn't get outdated or outclassed too soon.

I hope I have made things a bit more clear for everyone. Kindly keep posting your suggestions.

And let me ask an off topic question please. Is it possible to custom make the seat of a bike, resizing the passenger and pillion sections?

Re: Should I buy a bike?

Buy duke if u can,or settle for NS.believe me ns is my first bike and its not that bad,the 2012 batch of ns hsd little mix ups,but i have a may 2013 ns and it provides 38kmpl( i ride like earth is going to end) looks, well if naked is your type,then NS is the hYPE,the best naked bike ive seen on road ( dnt like duke looks)
But if u are seeing biking because of fuel,then u should buy a discover 100t or something,its good in city,saves cash and fuel

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Re: Should I buy a bike?

Pilloin seat- i had done 100kms of non stop drive with my mother sitting with her legs one sided.and she didnt complained once,
Outdated- bajaj usually updates its bike after 3-4 years,and ns is only one year old and didnt made good figures of selling fir bajaj so your NS wont be outdated for 3 years( although a ss version may come in a year but that u can have on your ns too)
Seats can be resized by a skilled worker,but rear seat of ns,i doubt that



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Re: Should I buy a bike?

If you had posted this a few years back, say in 2009 or 2010, then things would have been easier to decide. You might have gone for P220, Karizma R (the best to suit your needs), or Unicorn or Hunk. These are sufficiently powered bikes with good pillion comfort. But today they've grown old and will be outdated soon.

A fresher powerbike which has a decent pillion comfort is a bit rare these days. I am actually finding it difficult to suggest you something to suit your needs (blame the market).

Are you a RE person? Because that will give you all you need.

Now coming to P200NS rear seat modification, I have seen one. But it had just increased the height of the seat by adding some paddings underneath, the sitting area was the same. Looking at the bike's structure, it seems difficult to make the seat wider. I am not saying impossible, but I am just a bit skeptical.

P. S.: I own a P220. Bought it this year, in March. I went for it because I needed both power and a happy pillion. I know its going outdated, but hey, it suits my needs. I am happy with it.

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Re: Should I buy a bike?

Exactly my thoughts pal . I'm not a great fan of the Duke's looks either and its pillion seat is miniscule. Thanks for the valuable input regarding the pillion seat of the NS. It has cleared my worries somewhat. I'm indeed a naked bike fan. Nothing can beat its aggressive looks. But having said that, I guess its v.difficult to build a good naked bike for this budget because every exposed part have to look good and should match the overall design. While the 200 NS is not the greatest looker, it definitely is very unique and aggressive looking (looks cool actually). I wouldn't even think about the SS had the NS looked anything like the bike in my avatar pic .

But the point you made about upgrading an NS to SS is really interesting. But since we don't know if the SS is just NS with some fairing on it, I'm not too sure if I should do it. And that upgrade is likely to cost me a lot more than the NS-SS price difference. I can wait for a couple of months anyways.

I'm not an RE person. It's just not my cup of tea. Pillion comfort is the only advantage I can see with the 220 and I saw some comments complaining about its lack of refinement. NS is reportedly a lot better in every aspect. So I'm not going for the 220 either.

So I think it would be wise to wait for a couple of months and take a decision after looking at the new launches. What do you guys think?

I was not talking about making the seat wider but re-sizing it in such a way that the pillion gets a bit more space in terms of length.

Re: Should I buy a bike?

Pls.u are behaving that kinda guy who thinks that if now im getting dual core samsung at 15 k,i will surely have a quad core sammy after a year. ...if u wait for technology,u are just missing something,now u r thinking to wait,then some company will announce more good package for you and wait will go on forever,buy a NS, dont go for p220(its like buying a nokia 1100 and leaving a s3 as its not durable)
Regarding seat,i think u are looking for a sofa bike or something. Seat is awesome ( only if pillion is not khali)
Ns not greatest looker...? Buddy i think you are thinking to get Ducati monster in 1 lac price.
Ns to ss will be like putting the back cover of your mobile,and cost will be of plastic part only....
I hate those things ehich produces noise without any need,and Re being one of them
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Re: Should I buy a bike?

Calm down bro. I know you own an NS and you like it very much.
See, the 200 NS was not launched yesterday. When I hear a news that a fully faired bike which looks great (at least in the pics) is coming in just a month or two, just like anybody I would think about waiting for it. I, at no point said I'm gonna get the SS (if it'll be launched) but what's wrong in waiting and taking a look at it?! The pillion seat is definitely not the USP of the 200 NS and I want someone to confirm it's good because when I saw it, it didn't look that big at all.
And beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The 200 NS has very distinctive looks and is definitely better than most other bikes in the Indian market today. But I don't know how many would say that it looks better than the R15, for example.

Fairing can definitely improve the looks of the bike just like it did in the case of the Karizma. And with my limited knowledge about the motorcycle world, I can say that designing and fitting a fairing on a bike isn't very easy or cheap if the intention is to do it properly. I don't know how Bajaj's gonna execute it though.

Re: Should I buy a bike?

A company never makes new things while neglecting old ones ss will be just a more piece upon ns

Its your bike.wait as long as u want,or buy whichever you want


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Re: Should I buy a bike?

Yes that's right P220 is old generation bike. Go for 200 ns or ss



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