Bajaj Pulsar ns160
Bajaj Auto finally enter the highly lucrative 160-cc segment with the new Pulsar NS 160
Finally, a 160-cc naked Pulsar
It is finally here and it looks promising. Bajaj Auto teased us with their smallest Pulsar NS series bike, the NS 160, for a long time but the bike was exclusively for export markets; until recently, that is. Bajaj Auto finally realised that they were missing from the highly lucrative 160-cc segment which is ruled by the Yamaha FZ-S, Suzuki Gixxer, and Honda Hornet. It is a segment with technically just three bikes in it and accounts for 33 per cent of the Indian motorcycle market. So Bajaj Auto quietly slipped the NS 160 into the market. After riding the bike in our and Bajaj’s home town, Pune, however, we know that it is here to make a big noise.
It looks rather familiar… no, wait, it looks like the Pulsar NS 200. If you thought so, then you aren’t wrong. The youngest NS in the Bajaj line-up is a unique proposition in its segment and all the credit goes to the styling that made us fall in love with the NS 200, which is the starting point for the 160. This new Pulsar, however, brings that same sharp and bold design in a more affordable package. The protruding shrouds on the sculpted fuel tank, the sharp headlamp with the tiny bikini fairing, digital/analogue instrumentation, sleek-looking indicators, step-seat, and 10-spoke alloys give the NS 160 a racy look that is sure to attract a lot of attention from the young and those young at heart.
Bajaj have nailed it with the styling, which, despite being five years old, still looks fresh and sporty.
Being based on the Pulsar NS 200, the smaller NS comes with the highly capable perimeter frame, which is usually seen on bigger bikes. This gives the NS 160 an edge over the competition for every other bike in this segment uses a diamond frame. Bajaj have retained the same monoshock suspension as on the NS 200, but it is set on the softer side to lend the bike a better ride quality. The rest of the cycle parts are from Bajaj Auto’s extensive parts bin. The front end features slimmer forks, the swingarm has lost its chunkiness, and the tyres are narrower than those on the NS 200.
It is the “all-new” engine that is the star of this new Pulsar. However, we can tell you that it comes from the Pulsar AS 150. Bajaj claim that they have reworked the cylinder-head, combustion chamber, and have done some revisions to the crank, which has resulted in the motor now having a capacity of 160.3 cc. It produces a classleading 15.5 PS and the second highest torque figure of 14.6 Nm. Transmission duty is shouldered by a short-ratio fivespeed gearbox.
The aforementioned changes have made the engine more powerful and torquey but it retains the same sweet character that we know. The refinement is not on a par with the rivals but it’s not bad either. There are some vibrations that you can feel at the handlebar and foot-pegs from 6,000 rpm but it doesn’t become bothersome. The acceleration is smooth and the
delivery linear; this makes the bike quite easy to ride. We also like the low and mid-range delivery, which is great for city riding and that is exactly what Bajaj were aiming for. It also allows you to zip through traffic quite easily. However, on the highway, the bike reaches the 9,500-rpm redline quite easily even in fifth, and it is then that you wish it had a sixth gear.
We liked the performance, too, although, since we did not have enough time to test the bike, we can’t really speak in terms of numbers. What we can tell you is that it reaches 100 km/h quite fast and can cruise at that speed without stressing the engine much, but anything beyond that and you have to wait awhile for the speedo to post a higher speed.
The most interesting bit, however, for us was the handling of the NS 160. All of us have praised the NS 200’s perimeter frame and the same frame does wonders for the NS 160. Since it was designed to take a lot more power than the 160 can muster, it surely lends the same level of handling as the bigger NS. The bike’s softer suspension doesn’t interfere much with its handling, for the baby NS can change direction quickly with minimal effort. We didn’t really get to push the bike hard, owing to constant rain, but it felt pretty confident going into corners at average speeds and lean. The narrow MRF rubber also performed beyond expectations in the rain as it delivered ample grip even on some of the wettest roads.
The softer suspension also lends the bike a good ride quality and since the rain had left the roads with ample potholes, we did put the bike through a few of them and were impressed by how well the bike handled road irregularities. Braking, too, was good, although instead of two disc brakes, as on the NS 200, the NS 160 features just a front disc and a drum brake at the rear. Brake bite and feel were good enough in the rain.
Overall, the new Pulsar NS 160 feels quite capable in almost all the areas. Supple handling, good ride quality, premium, unique styling, and fairly refined engine make it quite an attractive proposition at Rs 78,368 (exDelhi). In fact, it is quite a bargain if you consider the fact that it has the most powerful 160-cc engine and a segment-first perimeter frame. This makes the NS 160 quite a worthy contender in its segment.
Overall, the new Pulsar NS 160 feels quite capable in almost all the areas