Bajaj Pulsar 135LS User Review by Gaurav Jain

Hello friends. I am Gaurav Jain & its my pleasure to present the ownership review of my Bajaj Pulsar 135LS here.

Looks & Styling: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS looks are most importantly distinct from other Pulsars which are almost identical to each other. It’s a new member of the pulsar family without having the same monotonous looks. The LED tail lamps, split seats, alloy wheels, twin pilot lamps & a good shaped fuel tank add to its grace. Bajaj has showed some serious concern for its looks by changing its rear mudguard which looked not so good in the earlier version of Pulsar135 LS. Overall Pulsar 135LS has an aggressive & sporty look.

Engine & Performance: One of the greatest strength of this bike is its world’s first Four Valve 135cc DTS-i engine which gives wonderful pick up with brilliant fuel efficiency. I was amazed on opening the throttle & seeing the bike leaving behind all the vehicles on road.

This was actually the first time I rode the bike aggressively to test its real performance and in-spite of that the bike delivers an amazing acceleration of 0-60 kmph in just 5.1 secs as claimed by Bajaj. The bike has a five speed gearbox that cruises in top gear with smooth acceleration.

Fuel efficiency: The bikes unique engine & technology are enough to assure a good mileage of about 55-65kmpl. But the mileage I guess also depends on the riding habits of the rider (you cannot expect such a mileage from any bike by riding it on 100kmph very frequently, just like my friend got a mileage of just 35kmpl on his Stunner with his harsh riding habits). But it gives the above mentioned average with normal riding habits which I guess I have like driving the bike normally between 40-50kmph and don’t mind being aggressive sometimes in the traffic.

Comparison: A product in today’s market is bound to face competition. So I’ve found my Pulsar135 to be the king of the bikes in 125-150cc segment in respect of its performance. Some of the good points that i found in my bike are;

  • Power of 13.5bhp in a 135cc engine which is on the higher side than all the bikes in 125-135cc segment and is almost equal to the power delivered by many powerful 150cc engines.
  • Light weight bike of about 122 kg gives it an acceleration of 0-60 kmph in just 5.1 secs which can beat almost all the bikes in the 150cc segment in this respect including Stunner, YamahaFZ & Fazer which are a bit better in looks but the performance of Pulsar135 compensates it all.
  • A top speed of 115kmph which is similar to the bikes in 150cc segment.

So, comparing all the listed points above, its even better than many of the bikes in 150cc segment in terms of its performance.

PROS

Some of the convenient features I found in the bike are:

  • Kick and Electric start with auto choke: No starting problem in cold weather.
  • Digital Speedo Meter: A unique feature of Bajaj’s bikes in this segment.
  • Pass Switch: Giving easy dipper & flash to the vehicles while overtaking.
  • Engine Kill Switch: Easy turning off the engine for short intervals at the signals.
  • Battery charge status indicator: Tells when the battery comes to a low charged condition.
  • Trip meter: Can be used to check the mileage of the bike or distance between two places easily.

CONS

I’ve said a lot about the cool features of this bike but now is the time to tell about some difficulties I faced with my Pulsar 135LS:

  • Colour choice: I didn’t have much choice of colour while selecting a color for it as its available in just 2 colors. But I am happy with the midnight black which looks good.
  • Fuel tank capacity: Its fuel tank capacity is 8ltrs in which 2.5ltrs is reserve. So the fuel tank capacity is low as compared to other bikes. But I guess the good mileage it gives compensates for that.
  • Engine Vibrations: Its engine starts vibrating at the speed of about 50kmph. But I’ve heard its normal for an engine to vibrate when its stressed. So its not actually a bad thing about the bike.
  • Fuel meter: Its fuel meter sometimes shows a slightly wrong fuel information. The reserve sign sometimes appear even when the bike can go about 25km without using the reserve.
  • Gear shifting: I initially faced some problems with its downshifting & the gearbox sometimes seemed to be hard. But everything was resolved after the first service & the gearbox is really smooth now.
  • Pillion seat: Some people found its pillion seat to be a bit uncomfortable .

Final Verdict: I think it to be a great bike in the 125- 150cc segment for those looking for beauty with the brains. It’s a stylish, sporty and economical bike in the long run & has an on-road-price of about Rs. 58,000. No doubt its ever increasing sales figures are an epitome of its excellent performance. Just test drive it to have an idea of its performance.

–  Gaurav Jain