The RS 200 is the latest evolution of India’s favourite small capacity sportsbikes, the Pulsars. Bajaj’s ‘modern day Chetak’ in some ways, and its most precious baby today, the Pulsars have stood for sportsbike performance in a user-friendly package with impressive specifications.
There’s been plenty of buzz regarding the styling of the Pulsar RS 200 with some impressed and others, not so happy. It’s edgy and modern, with a masked, twin-projector headlight equipped nose that reminds one of the Yamaha YZF-R1. There’re LED pilot lamps as well. Aggressive and compact, the RS 200 has sharp lines, Pulsar-typical slender-spoke alloy wheels and a stubby, cropped exhaust end can.
The RS 200 comes with a see-through visor, small but effective in deflecting wind while pushing high speeds. High set — but lower than the 200NS — clip-on handlebars are standard as is a sporty, compact cockpit, with a broad, well laid-out instruments panel. There’s a large analogue rev counter, redline starting at 9,500rpm, with a shift beacon on the top left and digital format for other readings, including a speedometer, odometer and the other regulars. Bajaj-typical crisp functioning switchgear is in place with an engine kill-switch on the right. The RS 200 comes with nice palm grips and dog-leg shaped brake and clutch levers along with a set of fixed stalk fairing-mounted mirrors that function well to offer good rear view.
Split seats feel comfortable enough for a motorcycle as sporty as the RS 200.
The engine sits encased under the bike fairing, the new Pulsar’s broad perimeter frame spars reaching over to the swingarm. There’s thoughtfully provided scratch protection for the tank, Pulsar-typical boomerang shaped side panels that are perforated and a free-formed tail-light cluster that looks a bit over the top. A generous sprinkling of alloy parts and neatly integrated grab bars are standard fare on the 200. Overall quality and fit-finish are good.
The Pulsar RS200 is powered by a refined and smooth, 199.5cc, four-stroke, single overhead camshaft and liquid-cooled engine with triple spark-plugs. The engine is shared with the Pulsar 200NS, the RS gaining fuel-injection technology. Thanks to this, power output is one bhp up on the RS, 24.2bhp at 9,750rpm now with maximum torque of 1.9kgm output at 8,000rpm.
The RS 200 offers light, well-weighted clutch feel, and its six-speed gearbox shifts precisely, in the one-down, five-up pattern via a toe-shift lever. Gearing is different from the 200NS, and the engine revs a bit higher in its new state-of-tune, the RS peaking out just over 130kph in fifth and 146kph in top, both indicated, but significantly higher than the 200NS. Throttle response is nice, the RS 200 offering smooth power delivery. The powerband is wide, coming in with a nice, linear flow and this Pulsar likes being ridden hard and revved high, performance feeling best when up-shifting with the rev indicator nudging redline territory.
Acceleration feels in about the same bandwidth as the Pulsar 200NS, so expect to see a 0-60kph time of about 4 seconds, with 100kph achieved in close to 11secs.
Telescopic fork suspension is in place at the front with a Nitrox-charged monoshock at rear. The RS 200's riding position feels a touch sporty, upright and relatively comfy. Handling is taut. The RS 200 has a shorter wheelbase compared to its NS sibling, with rake having become more aggressive in the front, which helps the bike turn in effortlessly and corner well, perhaps only a smidgen behind the razor-quick edge of the more focussed RCs. Confident enough to hold its own at the track, the RS 200 offers improved compound MRF tyres, these providing excellent grip, so long as not compared with the RC’s terrific Metzelers. Grip was adequate to allow us to run the bike right onto the edge of the tyres through fast corners. There’s a petal type single rotor 300mm disc brake in front and 230mm disc at the rear, the RS 200 being the first Pulsar to offer ABS, a Bosch-made single channel system that you can’t switch off, and works to keep the front end lock-free under emergency braking. The RS 200 is available in red and yellow, priced at Rs 1.18 lakh and Rs 1.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) with ABS. Looking for a sporty bike with the presence of a full-fairing, that’s good to go on Indian city roads? The RS 200 makes a well-rounded package that ticks almost all the right boxes.
