The erstwhile Hero Honda CBZ started it; the first-gen Pulsars redefined it (and occupied it for what seemed like an eternity); TVS brought finesse to it; and then Yamaha came and rocked it.’It’ here refers to the premium 150 cc to 180 cc segment which was the mainstay of our two-wheeler market until the CBRs, KTMs, Ninjas, etc., came along. Until then, the discussions revolved around FZ vs Apache, P180 vs RTR 180 and sometimes also on the lines of chucking all four options in favour of the ‘Zma or the P220…
It has suddenly again become one of the most hotly contested motorcycle segments in India with the new Yamaha FZ and Suzuki Gixxer hogging all the attention at the moment. Bajaj’s P150/P180, Apache RTR twins, and Hero’s Xtreme seem to have cowered in response.
While Hero would be bringing in its Xtreme Sports around Diwali, even Bajaj seems to be gearing up to crash the party with its Pulsar 150 NS! A Motorbeam.com reader managed to click pictures of a completely undisguised sample supposedly doing the final testing rounds on the roads of Lonavala.
The 150 NS certainly looks like a 200 NS on a diet, with parts like the front forks, fuel tank, and the rear tyre (obviously) appear to have been slimmed down. The bike still has enough muscles for the segment and should be able to hold its own standing next to the gorgeous ladies from Yamaha and Suzuki. Moreover, and for a change, the bike will not be confused with either the 200 NS or the regular Pulsar 150. The aforementioned slimmer (comparatively) parts and single seat will differentiate it from the bigger NS while clip-ons, monoshock, headlight, and a few other tid-bits will separate it from its lesser sibling…
I am positive that, like always, even this Bajaj will come with the best peak power figure in the class and since no one else gets the pricing right as much as this company does, the Gixxer 155 and FZs might not enjoy their freedom for long…
Related: New Pulsar 150NS NOT Launching Before Diwali
