Topic Approved.

Forget the bikes....what do you want from a bike?

PS: Were you on old xBhp with the same id?

get ur criterias down & u shall be able to decide it.. wht is ur primary usage & purpose of getting a bike.. r u more into cruising or speedstar. somethings like this..!!

Hey praful, yes I was there on old XBHP before it crashed with the same ID and at that time I was contemplating between an Enfield and a normal bike like ZMA or pulsar. But for financial and other reasons I couldnt buy a bike back then. Now I am pretty sure I am buying in the next month

Yeah thats my bad. I forgot to mention my purpose. Well I am going to be using the bike daily to go from my home to the railway station which is only 3 kms. from my home. So city usage will be limited. But I will be going on weekend tours and if things go right, then I intend to go on a long tour middle of this year - maybe Ladakh.

I would recommend Karizma for this matter.. its not because i own it but for its proven reliability over tough situations..
AFAIK, the fuel efficiency of P200 should be high.. even thats a very good bike..
i have driven both, in handling ZMA is anytime better.. u gain an automated confidence.. at times i have ripped it like anything, drived for a really long time on triple speeds 100-120+ kmph..

Still, Ride Both to come on a personal conclusion.. All the best, keep us updated..!!

fyi : even m planning for Leh-Ladakh this june on my zma..!

While first point is correct, I want to clarify some other points.

headlights not turning doesn't have a significant impact even in night vision.

Pulsar doesn't have an "Oil Cooled" Engine. It is just a small Cooler of the Oil, not engine.

Twin Spark has it's own disadvantages. Fuel Mixture is lean due to which Engine gets too hot. This is exact reason why Bajaj sneaked in The "Oil Cooler" above, for 200 & 220.

Reg. Fairing, take good care of it, and you shall have no problems.


and don't fall for the high bhp TRAP --> it's at engine (crankshaft) only! Transmission Efficiency to rear wheel is relevant. So, it maybe roughly same bhp's at the rear wheel for both bikes...

Riding position is more extreme in P200.

From my advise, ZMA is a reliable, comfortable & great performance machine. Only big problem is its gearing --> 1-3 gears are close, 4-5 are gapped far away.

So, As long as low mileage is no bother, go for ZMA right away or wait for updated P200, that is around 2-3 months away, at most.

Thanks Samarth for the response. I appreciate the points you brought out. Looking at your response, I am leaning more towards the ZMA. But how much of a difference would be there in the mileages according to you?

ZMA has a 23 cc bigger engine, but it's more relaxed than Pulsar. And relaxed engines do offer a better mileage...

I have known people with various Karizma's and they have varied response.

Mostly, overall mileage varies from 32 - 40 kmpl. (One guy I know getting 25 kmpl, always rides in 3rd gear in city, so he's not included here.)

Highway mileage of ZMA is great, approx 45+ kmpl something ...

For P200, Overdrive says it's an overall 40 kmpl. Maybe, more P200 owners can post here, as to what mileage they get...

So, from what is perceived, maybe the difference is around 5-10 kmpl, in city condition.

@ Samarth: Thanks again for the quick response. Any comments on the build quality and gearbox of P200?

Our moderator from Delhi: Aryan will be the best person to ask about any P200 related queries mate
He's toured extensively on the P200 and will be able to give you an owners perspective on the bike.

Take a test ride of both the bikes, preferably from friends, colleagues etc as the showroom vehicles can be misleading from a performance POV.

Cheers !

P200 gearbox cannot beat the slick gear shifts of a Karizma. Build quality of p200 is good, but not greater than Karizma.

You might have seen the news of new P180 that looks just like a P200 with pulsar 220 swingarm and clipons. P200 is no more exclusive.

@ Drumster: If you want to get the P200, by all means go ahead and get one. But as Ravi pointed out in the above post, that soon your 'exclusive' P200 won't be that exclusive. So, if exclusivity is your primary criteria, then do not look at the P200! Instead, get the ZMA, and you would be happy for life, I am sure.

If, however, you do plan to get the P200, then let me tell you, it is a wonderful machine. I have a P200 since August, 2008 and it has clocked about 10,500kms. till date. It has performed marvelously, and has given me ZERO problems. I just service the machine from time-to-time and she is running like a beauty.

As for the gearbox, I don't know much, but personally I have not experienced any false neutrals barring a couple of times here and there. Bajaj, after all ain't Honda, you see! But, as far as touring goes - both the P200 and the ZMA are damn capable machines.

Now, get down to the nitty-gritties of mileage. Although many people have raised quite an eyebrow over my claims, but I have been constantly getting anything between 48 and a phenomenal 53 kilometres to an unleaded litre of petrol! I would, however agree to the fact that I don't ride rash; in city I ride at about 55-60 km/hr. MAX. Hence, the lovely figure that you see here.

Any more queries you might have about the P200, shoot!

Now thats a Pulsar fanboy reply dada !

@drumster: The advice doled out by dada is perfectly reasonable. Do go through it and let us know if we've helped you make a decision

@ Aryan: Thanks a ton for the reply. Theres a significant difference in the On-road prices of ZMA and the P200 in Mumbai - Atleast 8,000. I called up the showrooms and test-rides are not available for either of them - Dont know the reason why. But your reply has increased my confidence in the P200 which I was originally inclined to buy.

@ Maverick: No test rides available in the Mumbai show-rooms

@Ravi: Exclusivity has no meaning for me - because end of the day all Indian are differentiated only marginally as far as design is concerned - Karizma is slightly different but I have seen that bike from so many years that I am kind of fed up of its looks