Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS Ownership Review by Shan

This is my first review on Bike Advice. First I would like to thank BikeAdvice and its founders for their excellent pieces of advice on bikes.

I own a black Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS. It has covered 3,500 kms on odo. I would like to include the following attributes which are important for any bike

Looks

This is totally subjective. I personally like the novel design and the “extra terrestrial” looks of the bike. Honda Stunner may have better looks than Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS.

The rear split fenders look far better than the old version rear tire hugger. I just hated the old tire hugger but this new version is good. Honda Stunner offers competition in terms of looks but others like Shine, Glamour, Super Splendor, Slingshot and 150 cc’s like CBZ Xtreme, Suzuki GS, Discover 150 etc cannot claim better looks than P135.

Well let me remind you this is my personal opinion and you may feel I am wrong. The split seats and half chain cover adds to the sporty look of the bike.

Performance

I have covered 3,500 kms on my bike. Just ride the bike to believe it. It offers good performance with the best mileage. I am not kidding. I didn’t have much expectations when I bought this bike because I had a test drive on Honda Stunner and was not satisfied with its performance.

I thought Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS will also be similar to Stunner in terms of performance irrespective of the increased displacement. But, beleive me the 13.5 bhp engine supplemented by the 4 valve technology gives you a smooth and powerful ride. Very slight vibrations creep in at 55-60 km/hr but they are so nominal that we hardly ever notice them. Serious vibrations start at 70 km/hr and ends at 75km/hr. above 75 , the engine is really smooth.

I have attained a top speed of 107 km/hr and the bike offered superb control and confident ride. The bike becomes more smooth at top speeds. It has good acceleration which helps you stay ahead when the light goes green.The bike has good control in city traffic. I have also done several long trips on highways and the bike remained stable. Engine heating up is just like the 150 cc machines in the market.

Throttle response is remarkable which helps in overtaking without much efforts.I am not trying to say that P135 is much better than all 150 cc bikes, but I am sure that it can beat some of the so called powerful 150 cc machines. HH Hunk is having 14.5 bhp and Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS is only 1 ponit behind with 13.5 bhp.

So it is clear that Pulsar 135 can catch up with or even beat many of the 150 cc bikes. I can clearly say that it faces no competition from the 125 cc bikes like Stunner, Shine, Slingshot, Glamour etc in terms of power and performance. Trust me this bike is for those who want performance which which equals to leading 150 cc bikes at the price of a 125 cc machine.

Mileage

I don’t know whether you guys believe what I am going to say. I got 70 kmpl on highways. Believe me. After 1st service i was getting mileage around 50- 53kmpl. But now I am getting 60kmpl average in cities and 70kmpl on highways when I rode at speeds varying between 60- 65kmph. I am really amazed by these results when taking into consideration the power and performance delivered by it. Eventhough tank capacity is only 8 litres(excluding 2lt reserve), excellent fuel efficiency solves the issue. I don’t know much about 4 valve technology but its really working wonders for this machine.

Comfort

The short clip ons and the slightly forward leaning sitting posture offers a comfortable drive. For long drives the slightly hard seat causes some problems to your back. A continuous one and half hour drive will force you to rest for a while. After all who doesn’t want to take a break after a one hour thirty minutes ride? Bajaj can make CBZ Xtreme a model for designing its seat cushion. The clip ons offer a superb sitting posture which offers a positive attitude and confidence in riders. The knee recess on fuel tank is good. Ladies will find it difficult to sit in the side ways posture due to the height of the rear.

Braking

The front disk brakes perform well and I have not tested it just for the sake of testing it at high speeds. The rear brakes are also good enough to perform its roles.

Price: I am from Kerala and I spent 62k for this fighter. I feel it is reasonable as the 125 cc 11 bhp Honda Stunner costs more than that.

Conclusion

In my opinion, Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS is a value for money bike which gives you the best in class performance with superb mileage. Each and every bike is unique and no bike is a bad bike. Honda Stunner, Shine, Glamour etc may have certain qualities which outperform Pulsar 135 LS, I admit. But I am really satisfied with this fighter.

Thank you for reading my review. Have a great time guys.

– Shan Sundar