Whenever there’s a conversation about motorcycles ‘that started it all’, the top name in most of them is Bajaj Pulsar. It is for good reason too. Before the Pulsar, motorcycles were just a means of cheap transportation. It was after the Pulsar that leisure motorcycling became a thing… or, if we are being bold, motorcycling became a thing! 

In addition to its own illustrious legacy, Pulsar has been a part of xBhp’s legacy as well. We may sound like a broken record but imagine this, perhaps the largest community of motorcyclists in India was www.bajajpulsar.com before it became xBhp. For being a precursor to xBhp and for being a family of fantastic motorcycles over the years, the Pulsar has been a part of the xBhp Garage for a long time. It is almost a given! 

For that reason, we went to hunt down the Classic Pulsar a few years ago. We found a relatively well-maintained Pulsar 180 Classic and inducted it into the xBhp Garage after fixing it up and bringing it back into pristine running order. If we are ever to do a Hall of Fame kind of thing, this Pulsar is going to be a part of it. 

Can there be a better helmet combo for a ride like this?! This is a thumping testament to Axor’s range of helmets that ensures that there is something for everyone. Seen here are Apex Deadpool and Retro Rogue.

The Bajaj Pulsar 180 Classic was recently inducted in the xBhp Garage. We had a hard time finding one and then getting it restored to the pristine condition it is in now. About a name for it, it was easy. We call it Transformer. It is because of a simple reason- it has the ability to transform not itself, but others. It transformed the Indian motorcycle market. It transformed the lives of many motorcyclists. More than anything, it transformed everything for us by turning one man’s passion into xBhp and all that it entails today.” – Sundeep Gajjar/TheMotoGrapher

That is what the founder of xBhp had to say about the Pulsar 180 Classic when asked to give it a nickname of sorts. Now you know how much it means to xBhp. Other motorcycles from the Bajaj stable have been a part of the xBhp Garage including the legendary Pulsar 220F and the Dominar. Despite both of them still existing, the Pulsar was overdue for an upgrade… a big one! 

We have been a part of the massive Pulsar fan club ever since it first broke onto the scene and we have all been clamouring for a new one… a big one! Back in the day, after the 220 started to show its age, a large-capacity Pulsar was a fantasy. After all, it seemed like the logical step for the first performance motorcycle from an Indian manufacturer. The so-called ‘entry-level’ moved up but the Pulsar stayed. That has all changed though. 

Around two decades after the original, there’s a Pulsar in town that can carry the burden of the legacy. The Bajaj Pulsar NS 400 Z was launched with the same ethos as the original. As much performance as possible for as little as possible. 373cc, nearly 40 horses, and a price tag of INR 1.85 lakh Ex-Showroom; that is a Pulsar right there and it had to be a part of the xBhp Fleet! 

After inducting it into the xBhp Garage, the first thing we could think of was to celebrate. So, we took the OG, our Pulsar 180 Classic and the new stalwart, the Pulsar NS 400 Z for a day of riding, enjoying, and contemplating these two decades of the meteoric rise of motorcycling in India… started by the OG and being continued by the new stalwart!

In order to keep things in order, we will start with the design. The OG Pulsar brought to the fore a muscular design. It used its size (relative to the other motorcycles at the time) to convey the performance it carried within. The same goes with the new Stalwart. The NS design has been around for a while and there’s a reason for that… it looks good! 

The new Pulsar NS 400 Z has enough to differentiate it from the other motorcycles in the NS range. We wish it had more, but then again, why fix something that ain’t broken? Its similarities to the NS range aside, the Pulsar NS 400 Z looks as good as the streetfighter it is meant to be. Chiselled, muscular, and the ‘lightning bolt’ touches to the lighting make it stand out from the rest of the NS motorcycles. The carbon fibre graphics and the golden USD forks also play their part. 

In terms of sitting on the motorcycles, the OG still feels like a big motorcycle so back in the day, it truly stood out in terms of how it felt to sit on the motorcycle and road presence. The Pulsar NS 400 Z is compact which conveys quickness and agility. So in terms of aesthetics, the new stalwart does well but the OG did something that truly stood out. It is a close call though. 

Now, the engine. The Pulsar Classic 180 was almost a marvel at the time and for the asking price. It had nearly 15 horses which may not seem like a lot today but in a market that was chock full of sub 10-bhp commuters, it was mighty. It was not just the performance on paper that made it stand out, it went like it aspired to. Moreover, it was not very heavy either so it could really go if wrung. 

The Pulsar NS 400 Z also does well in the performance department. Nearly 40 horses and 35 Nm of torque mean that it is a pretty fast motorcycle for someone who is just starting with motorcycles. Moreover, it might get the engine from the Dominar 400 but it does not weigh as much. It is nearly 20 kilos lighter which means impressive acceleration and deceleration. This also makes the Pulsar NS 400 Z a potent handler. 

In our first ride review, the Pulsar NS 400 Z left us very impressed. The engine gathers revs quickly, it feels very refined, and there was a lot of power on tap. Moreover, the abundant torque means it could pull from lower speeds even if you find yourself a gear or two higher. The tractability really stood out for us. In terms of NVH, the engine never felt stressed or harsh and vibrations only came in after around 6,000 rpm and those too, seemed well-contained. 

We also found it to be a very capable handler. The steering feels quick and the suspension is well-judged. Even in side-to-side transitions, it feels stable yet quick. The braking too was spot on unless you are looking to out-brake Francesco Bagnaia. So overall, the NS 400 Z felt like a very capable motorcycle with a little more performance in store with even better tyres and brakes. 

This is where things get close between the OG and the new stalwart. The Pulsar 180 Classic felt ahead of its times but then, the competition was nearly non-existent. The Indian market today is a much more fierce market to compete in and even then, the Pulsar NS 400 Z does very well especially because of the VFM factor. So here, we’d stay the new stalwart edges the OG slightly. 

Lastly, we have features to talk about. The Pulsar 180 Classic, when it came out, did not have a lot of things that you’d call ‘features’. You can blame the technology of the time but even then, the Pulsar NS 400 Z seems to have done things better. It gets different riding modes (Street, Sports, Rain, & Off-Road), ride-by-wire technology, along with dual channel ABS and slipper clutch. It also features a fully digital instrument cluster with 4-way switches, Bluetooth and all-LED lighting. 

One might feel that these features are commonplace but we also have to consider the price tag. For the money, you get all these features plus a very well-rounded motorcycle. So we’d say that the Pulsar NS 400 Z takes the cake here as well but not by a lot of margin considering the available technology when the Pulsar 180 Classic came to the market. 

As we come to the end of our contemplation, we find ourselves content. The first reason for that is possessing the motorcycle that was the start of a revolution. It might have happened either way but we wouldn’t be here if it did not take place when it did. Then we have the new Pulsar NS 400 Z which may not be a revolution but still a stunning motorcycle. To be fair to the latter though, revolutionary motorcycles are a rarity and even more so in ICE motorcycles. And if a motorcycle can still impress you, then it deserves all the kudos. 

This was our view of this little battle of sorts and you may have your views. You can share them with us on the xBhp Forum or our social media channels. We’ll wait for your thoughts while admiring this juxtaposition of past and present that we have sitting in our garage…