I don’t know about you, but I personally feel that the strategy of Bajaj Auto is working out very well for them. Bajaj Auto is working on a strategy to dominate the Indian motorcycle segment and they are implementing it very well indeed. Take the 200cc category for example, Bajaj started off with launching the Pulsar 200 DTS-I a few years ago, but killed it later because it was eating into the sales of the flagship 220 DTS-I, but then Bajaj later launched the Pulsar 200NS with features never seen before on a Pulsar and it was accepted very indeed by both critics and consumers and there has been no looking back for Bajaj ever since.
This year, building on the success of the 200NS, Bajaj launched two new 200cc motorcycles The Pulsar RS200 and AS200 motorcycles were launched within a span of just one month, which has led to the domination of the 200cc category by Bajaj. Bajaj is now catering to all tastes in the 200cc category by having a naked motorcycle, a half-faired motorcycle and a fully-faired motorcycle, all in the same category, with minimal price differences and this is leading to sales figures which seem too good to be true.
Looks like Bajaj is planning to do the same across different engine capacities too, as they have already launched the Pulsar AS150 just over a month ago and they intend to further expand their hold over the 150cc segment by launching a full-faired variant and another naked variant as well, just like the AS200 has the RS200 and 200NS. Here we have a detailed review and a mega picture gallery of the Bajaj Pulsar AS150.
The Pulsar AS150 is doing to the 150cc motorcycle category in India right now, what the original Pulsar 150 and 180 did, way back when they were launched in 2001. The Pulsar AS150 is just blowing the competition out of the picture. The Pulsar AS150 has the most powerful air-cooled 150cc engine in India right now, as it has been engineered in a similar manner to the Pulsar AS200.
From the outside, the Pulsar AS150 and AS200 look exactly the same as they are designed on the same platform. The front end is characterized by the large visor located right above the exact same headlamp with projector setup used in the AS200. The Half-Fairing too is exactly the same as used in the AS200 and so is the fuel tank, rear panel, rear Mudguard and tail-lamp. The AS150 brings features to the 150cc mass market segment features which have never been seen before.
It also gets the same instrument cluster which is used in the AS200 and the 200NS and is backlit in Blue instead of the orange backlight used in the 200NS, and this instrument cluster feels pretty upmarket and premium for the mass market 150cc segment. The AS150 is based on a perimeter frame, exactly like the AS200, RS200 and 200NS and it has a similar suspension setup too which makes it handle very well indeed.
Adding to the better handling is the better MRF rubber that the AS150 runs on, as these tires allow the rider to take the AS 150 to its maximum, we just wish that Bajaj had provided the same quality rubber on the AS200 as well, but the size of rubber on the AS150 is a lot thinner than the 130 section tires of the AS200. The other major difference between the wheels of the AS150 and the AS200 is that the rear wheel of the AS150 makes do with a drum brake setup instead of the disc brake used on the AS200.
Surprisingly, the engine of the AS150 feels smoother than the AS200’s, but this might be due to the lower compression ratio in the AS150. This is an all-new air-cooled, single-cylinder engine developed by Bajaj for its new 150cc models. With a maximum power output of 17 PS and a maximum torque output of 13 NM, it clenches the title of the most powerful air-cooled 150cc engine and this power level takes it very close in competition to its Japanese liquid cooled rivals like the Yamaha YZF-R15 and Honda CBR 150R with power outputs of 17 PS and 18.5 PS respectively.
Now with so many features at the price of INR 79,000, the Pulsar AS150 will find many more takers than the Yamaha R15 at INR 1,17,000 the Honda CBR 150R at INR 1,23,000 or even the Yamaha Fazer at INR 84,300 and I consider this a win already for Bajaj. The competition better take Bajaj seriously now, as Bajaj will soon be the king of the entry-level performance motorcycles in sales figures.
Checkout more pictures and a video, after a jump.
Bike Courtesy: SUPREME MOTORS, JEPPU, MANGALORE
Ahmed Siddiq: +91 – 9845761864
To read more on Bajaj Pulsar AS models, Click here
Also see: Bajaj Pulsar AS150 – twin spark DTS-i engine, projector headlamps
GALLERY: Bajaj Pulsar AS150
