While Bajaj has us immersed in the wait for the new Pulsar 200SS, they have silently launched the Pulsar 200NS for international markets with fuel injection, replacing the age old carburetor. Sadly, the Indian 200NS continues to be the same old carburetted one.
Fuel injection is basically an electronically controlled fuel delivery system, thus allowing the flow to be meticulously controlled as per the requirement. While the traditional carburettor depends on a suction created by intake air forced through a tube to draw fuel to the air stream, fuel injection atomises the fuel by forcibly pumping it through a small nozzle under high pressure.
While the fuel injected mills generally produce more power than their carburetted versions, the Pulsar 200NS with fuel injection continues to have exactly the same power output of 23.52PS at 9500rpm and 18.3Nm of peak torque at 8000rpm. The only two differences we notice are the slightly higher 136kmph top speed and a slower 0-60kmph time of 3.61 seconds of the Fuel Injected Pulsar 200NS with respect to the non-FI Indian version (135kmph & 3.1 seconds).
*Pulsar 200NS FI Specs from Official Turkey Site
But hopefully the fuel injection, which Bajaj calls TriTec, along with four valve triple spark ignition, will offer smoother power delivery leading to crispier throttle responses.
It will also lead to easier and dependable engine starting at both high and low temperatures. The environmentalists will be pleased to hear that it will (should) increase the fuel efficiency and cleaner exhaust releases. Transmission duties continue to be administered by the same six speed gearbox.
*Here is a Pulsar 200SS mule. Click pic for more
There were speculations of Bajaj working on FI for their Pulsar 200NS with the spotting of new test mules verifying high-altitude responses but this lack of increase in power raises doubts whether the upcoming faired Pulsar 200SS will get any power boost or not as it will share its engine with the naked sibling. Even more important is the question – why didn’t Bajaj chose the home market for Pulsar 200NS FI’s launch? And when will they bring it here…?