Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i

The ageing Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i is expected to be replaced by the much-awaited naked Pulsar 150 NS in June 2015. The next generation Bajaj Pulsar 150 has been spotted testing for more than a year and more recently, it has been showcased at trade fairs abroad.

The bestselling Pulsar 150 hasn’t seen an upgrade in over almost four years while competition has raised its head in the form of upgraded variants and even brand new models from manufacturers such as Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda. With the new Pulsar 150 NS Bajaj Auto will hope to once again set the sales charts on fire.

Looks and Styling

The 150 NS will take design cues from the 200 NS, but essentially it will be a Pulsar AS 150 without the quarter fairing. The new 150 NS will be based on the same perimeter frame as the Pulsar AS 150 and will also sport a nitrox monoshock at the rear, like the AS 150. The brute streetbike styling should enable it to standout among its rivals and also appeal to the youngsters.

Switch gear and the part-analogue-part-digital instrument console have been carried forward from its 200cc sibling. The Bajaj Pulsar 150NS has a slimmer tail section; missing tyre hugger and skinny rear tyre are the visual differences between the two Pulsar offerings.

Wheels will be the same 17-inch Y-spoke alloy wheels as on the AS 150, shod with 80/100 R17 rubber at the front and 100/90-17 at the rear.  Braking will be handled by a smaller petal disc at the front than the 200NS and a drum at the rear. An optional disc may be offered at the rear as well. It will get both electric start and kick start as starting options. 

Engine and Gearbox

The Pulsar 150 NS will be powered by the same unit as the AS 150’s – a twin spark, air-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke engine which is more powerful and efficient than the existing Pulsar 150’s.

The engine will make 17PS of power at 9500rpm and a peak torque of 13Nm at 7500rpm, that’s a jump of 2PS power and 0.5Nm of torque than its predecessor. The new engine also gets four valves and will be mated to a five-speed gearbox .  

Price and competition

The Pulsar 150 NS is likely to be priced around Rs 73,000 and will compete against the likes of the Suzuki Gixxer, Yamaha FZ-S FI V2.0 and the Honda CB Unicorn 160.