i dont know why always people say that the pulsars gearbox is not good at all....i have seen a general tendency of abusing a pulsar more while riding it than say a Zma(just a persnal observation)....i owned the P200 for a year and let me tell you i couldnt have been more happier with a bike.......just serviced it time to time and kept everything in check...good high speed stabilty also....Zma no doubt is a wonderful bike (having ridden it for thousands of kms myslef) but even this bike does face probs with the gears while downshifting few gears at a time hurriedly or such things...i dont say its not good but almost all he bikes have such kind of probs mainly depending on the riding habit and maintainence...i constantly used to get 35-40 kmpl in city on P200 with a slightly heavy right hand and 45+ while cruising on highways..one of the main things that drew me towards the Pulsar were the tubeless tires(which is a boon in disguise)....P200 has a more macho look and feel to it whereas the zma feels a lot more relaxed,a silent performer..if you like an agrresive seating position,a little more grunt and howl from the engine n exhaust,go for the P200 or else if you are more of a relaxed kinda rider who wants his bike to be butter smooth and a Honda,then go for a Zma......but do not underestimate the P200's touring capabilities in front of the Zma....

Nobody here said P200's gearbox is bad. Compared to Zma's gearbox, it is not as slick as Zma's.

I respect you views but, Zma looks a lot better than the regular pulsars, same design all the way for the past five years. I hate to see the tank. Do not get offended, just my opinion, after all looks are subjective.

@ motormania: Thanks for your views. The score (in terms of convincing arguments) is now 2:1 in favour of Pulsar

@ Ravi: Appreciate your views

+1.. looks are really impressive with the comparison made...
p200 is an excellent bike.. out of all pulsars, i like is p200 which is a perfect VFM. but comfort wise i find zma much better for a long touring.. it could be a matter of getting use to with your own bikes riding & sitting style..
zma is a real sport touring bike.. i hav done thousands of kms in touring, never got destressed, no body-aches.. i know its not a big thing though, but just sharing my personal experience.. excellent cornering capabilities (just for the info)
just for reference :
Tour de force

@drumster: I'm sure the longer this thread runs, more confused you are gonna be....

The ZMA is a Honda and nothing comes close to a Honda. Pulsar is a Bajaj, and well Bajaj is Bajaj.

Ride both bikes from friends, and see what your heart wants. Both are more or less very capable bikes! Both are different in terms of what they have to offer, and both are equally exciting. And lastly, both are far from perfect and have a few trade offs.

Its entirely upto you to decide what is the trade off that you want to settle for!

PS: As far as touring goes, well that again is an entirely personal thing! You can tour on a TVS 50 if you want! Its the biker atop the bike than the bike when it comes to touring! Don't forget that!

dude i dont know why people say so but all my friends who had zma said that my gearshifts were a lot more swift and precise compared to theirs....may be coz of my maintainence.....even i like the Zma's looks, but then Zma is also totally the same since it is launched..at least the pulsars had some genuine upgrades with respect to that.....no offence to any Zma owners here..i just pointed the relevant things....do not get me wrong guys

PS-even i have been a huge Zma fan since its launch and was confuesd in exactly the same way while buying my first bike...

Wouldnt it make more sense to wait for the new P200 (hoping it comes) and see how it performs?
As regards the gearbox,you will get used to it. Unless you are on a track racing with R15s/ZMAs/P220s/RTRs the gearbox wont be a worry.Aint it?

@praful: Thanks man - you probably might have helped me make the final decision, we'll come to know by mid next month :P

@nightwing: I really do not want to keep waiting for upgrades. And from what rumours I have heard, the upgrade to P200 is going to be only cosmetic - No FI.

@rachit - thanks for the link, am going through it right now..

Yes but please notice that this has an adverse effect on the Bike's resale.

e.g I bought my 180 DTSi V1 in 2003 Nov(first batch) for 61xxx & sold her for 24500 in 2006 Feb reason being by that time the current Pulsar had alloys wheels gas shocks etc which my bike didnt have.

I bough my ZMA for 78xxx in May 2005 & sold her for 52000 in May 2007.

I like the P200 & I simply love the ZMA. Just that decide keeping all points in mind.

All the Best

A little sense would make you understand p200 scores above a zma out of sheer practicality....

now would you want to spend 8-10ks extra at the very onset + always pay zillions of rupees for spares which should cost something zillion times less.

just as a little eg - punny little disc pads of zma cost Rs1600-1700 ....
pulsars cost Rs. 200-300

regarding other points a lot has been discussed prior to my post....

having said this, ZMA is a very very good bike, but is outdated and needs an exhasutive revamping and an absolutely new heart!

I don't wanna get into the nitty gritties-reliability, topspeed, mileage etc. All I have to say is: Both are good&bad in their own ways. Ride both-you will know which one your heart beats for!

+100
Zma is very very costly to maintain.. although it visits the Service center very less, each part would cost u a bomb!!
one time zma service bill amount can be used to service the p200 3 times...

Just go for the P200 dude, u get macho looks, broader tyre, good efficiency (5kmpl atleast more than the zma in similar conditions), lots and lots of goodies, Digi speedo, led tail etc etc..
Most of teh issues the p200 had has been taken care of in the recent versions.

The gearbox issue these folks are talking about is of P180 v1 version, I agree back then the pulsars had the worst gearbox in the market, its come very very long now and pulsars have very slick and smooth gearbox (p200 and P220 especially) in the market. All of them who complain about the gearbox of pulsars, just take a test ride of the new pulsars and find it out for yourself, its smooth and slick..
They have same clutchplates as of zma (Fccrio make (hope spelling is right ))
The P200 is due for an upgrade shortly albeit the present one is also a great deal, go pick the P200!!

I would like to ask you one question. Could you please provide me what are the one-time service cost for a Zma?? Why would it be three times more than a P200 service??

... a small clarification - these 1700 Rs. brake pads are original imported nissin pads. You want quality, you pay for them. If you don't feel like, you can replace them with ASK pads worth Rs. 100

I ask of you - apart from the disc pads, can you highlight any glaring differences between spare prices?

I'm having my zma for more than a year and a half now! haven't spent more than 300 Rs. for a regular service.

I'm in no mood to start a brand war - these are my practical experiences of owning the zma - there's simply a very big misconception that the maintenance cost is high!

Ravi & V_310

Guys, everyone cannot maintain bikes like you guys do and hence things go wrong leading to worn out / damaged parts that need replacement at services and that definitely costs. You guys think that little money & some time spend on taking care of the bike is worth it but not everyone is like that. Many of us don't mind paying some extra money and replacing cheaper parts regularly.

Let us keep the TCO (total cost of ownership) concept aside and help the guy choose his bike