Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS Review,Pics and Road Test.

Bajaj India has launched the much awaited New Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS (Light Sport). As per the speculations made Pulsar 135 LS features the same headlight as seen in the XCD Sprint Concept shown at the Auto Expo, 2008 in New Delhi. Bajaj had recently launched the updated versions of Pulsar 150, Pulsar 180 & Pulsar 220. Also the Pulsar 200 was discontinued recently, so the main reason of launching Pulsar 135 LS is that they want to eat into the sales of Honda CBF Stunner.

Pulsar 135 LS has been launched with a price tag of Rs. 51000.00 (Ex-Showroom) which is very reasonable in comparison to the features on offer and also the 135cc engine is more powerful in comparison to the engine of XCD 135.

Design & Styling of Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS

Styled aggressively, the motorcycle draws styling cues from its elder siblings in the Pulsar range, but sports a freshly-styled fuel tank with chiseled lines and fresh tank flanks. The headlamp unit sports a bikini fairing with sharp, rakish lines and looks futuristic. The sleek rear-panels give way to a two-piece split grab rail on the split type seat. The footrests are slightly rear-set, and make for a sporty riding position in combination with the two-piece handle-bars.

- All New Design For Fuel Tank Like We Have Seen On The XCD Sprint Concept

- New Design Air Scoops - Again From XCD Sprint Concept

- New Design For Alloy Wheels - Black Matt Finish Mag Wheels

- New Digital Instrument Console

- Restyled Headlamp & LED Tail Tamp - From The XCD Sprint Concept

- Sharply Styled Turn Indicators - Like We Have Seen In XCD 135

- New Exhaust Design

- Sporty Split Seats & Split Grab Rails

- Sporty Rear With High Stance & Sporty Mud Guard

Engine Of Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS - World's First 4 Valve DTS-i Engine

According to Bajaj the 135cc DTS-i engine in Pulsar 135 LS is the world's first DTS-i engine to feature 4 valves. This engine generated maximum power of 13.5 PS at 9000 rpm with maximum torque of 11.4 Nm at 7500 rpm. It has been designed for better performance than regular a 2-Valve engine. Combined with the revolutionary DTS-i (Digital Twin Spark-ignition) technology which maximizes combustion to deliver enhanced power and superior mileage with low emissions, the Pulsar 135 LS has one of the most efficient production engines ever.

1. More Power: The 4 valve provides for a greater intake and exhaust area resulting in more power, almost equivalent a 2 valve 150cc engine.

2. Sustained Top End Power: The light-weight character of the four smaller valves (as opposed to two heavier valves), which allow the engine to effortlessly rev to an eye-popping 10,500 rpm.

3. Sporty Ride: Given the wider rpm band, the engine can be revved hard and high in each gear resulting in a genuine sporty ride.

4. More Mileage: Established superiority of DTS-i blended with 4 valve not only enhances the performance but also returns a very good fuel economy - 68.1 km/l certified by ARAI.

5. More Green: Comfortably meets BSIII regulations.

Shades Available & Price Of Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS

Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS is available in two shades:

- Wine Red

- Midnight Black

Ex-Showroom price of Pulsar 135 LS is Rs. 51,000.00 which seems to be very competitive in comparison to its main rival - Honda CBF Stunner - which is low on features in comparison to Pulsar 135 LS. But one thing Bajaj should consider that this is not a good strategy to discontinue products and then again launch it with smaller engine or bigger engines in some cases. And also Pulsar has a very good brand image among young buyers - there was no need to launch Pulsar with a 135cc engine - it is expected to get mixed reactions from Pulsar lovers. Instead they should have launched a new bike with XCD's engine, if they wanted to spoil the sales of Honda CBF Stunner. Though Pulsar 135 LS will be a instant hit as it a tru value for money bike but in my opnion Bajaj should sell only two models of Pulsar - The Pulsar 180 & Pulsar 220. And Discover should have only model - Discover 150 with Pulsar's 150cc engine. They have already phased out the XCD 125 which is a very good move. XCD is only available with 135cc engine.

PRESS RELEASE - BAJAJ AUTO LAUNCHES THE PULSAR 135LS TO LEAVE TRAFFIC JAMS BEHIND!
First of its kind Light Sports bike launched in India - New Delhi, December 9, 2009: Nothing takes away more from the pleasure of biking, than the biggest bane of urban life – traffic! Unending jams, errant drivers and potholed roads turn every ride into a battle, leaving the rider hassled and exhausted. Wouldn’t it be great to have a light, yet zippy set of wheels, something that would let you carve up traffic like a hot knife through butter? The all new Pulsar 135 LS (Light Sport), the first of its kind in India, is designed to do just that. This bike is designed to add a whole new dimension to the motorcycle market by creating a new Light Sports segment.

The Pulsar 135LS is powered with a state of the art 4-valve DTS-i engine delivering 13.5 Ps power. With its chiseled lines and aggressive stance, a sporty split-seat, aluminum clip-on handlebars and a host of other features this power packed 135cc Pulsar delivers performance comparable to other 150-cc. The light kerb weight of only 122 kg gives it a great Power-to-weight ratio of 110.6 Ps/tonne to make it optimum balance of agility and comfort to maneuver hustle-and-bustle of urban traffic. 

Equipped with a light-weight yet rigid frame, aided by gas-charged Nitrox shock absorbers at the rear, the Pulsar 135LS is well up to the challenges thrown by the urban jungle. It delivers class-leading top-end power, due to its 2-inlet and 2-outlet valves and ample pulling power in the low and mid-range. This is possible due to the light-weight character of the four smaller valves (as opposed to two heavier valves), which allow the engine to effortlessly rev to an eye-popping 10,500 rpm (electronically limited). And since safety is paramount on any Pulsar, DC lighting and a 240mm disc brake up front comes as standard.

According to Mr. S Sridhar, CEO 2-Wheeler, Bajaj Auto, “The Pulsar brand has been strongly associated with creating the sports segment in this country and our vision is to make India a country of bikers from a country of commuters. The new Pulsar 135LS is attractively priced and leads the charge in democratizing the thrill of biking and accelerating the growth of sports segment in this country.”

The bike will be manufactured from the Chakan Plant and will have a capacity of 35000 bikes per month.

Road Test

Overall, the XCD 135 manages to look really handsome and definitely more up market than its predecessor. Just riding around town, we were overwhelmed by the amount of attention and stares the bike managed to draw from people on the road.

Engine/Performance:
Now this is one aspect of the new XCD 135 that really had us floored from the moment we hit the starter button. While its 10.2 PS of power is comparable to that of its competition from the Honda stables, the 11.58Nm of torque its 135cc DTS-Si mill produces makes it the undisputed leader in its class. All this torque manifests itself in the bike's roll-on acceleration figures, which are significantly better than any of its competition. Even in outright acceleration, the bike managed to get from a standstill to 60km/h in 6.81seconds, which is again, among the best in its class.
Impressive as the figures might be, they alone are hardly a very important aspect of XCD 135. What's more important is what these figures translate into - and that is a bike which has excellent pull and can manage to lug a fair amount of load around rather easily. Even after piling up nearly a 175kg load on the bike (in the form of two of our staffers), it proved itself to be just as perky to ride around the city.

The extra fifth cog is really a blessing in the way it is tall enough to allow effortless cruising once out of stop-and-go traffic, and also a top speed of 102.03 km/h. The ratios of the other four gears have also been revised to optimally use the improved torque of the engine, and the bike is extremely refined and easy to ride in any traffic conditions our roads can manage to throw at it.

The bike now comes shod with better Eurogrip tyres on both ends, a 2.75 x 17 at the front and a 100/90 x 17 at the rear (which is the same profile that comes on some bikes which have almost twice the cubic capacity of the XCD). In any case, the new rubber really improves the handling of the bike. It still feels neutral like its predecessor, but manages to feel much more planted. Where the old bike, at times, felt slightly flimsy while leaned over through a corner, this one manages to inspire a huge amount of confidence in the same situation.

Cruising in fifth gear on the highway at about 60-65km/h saw the XCD cover 71.5km in a litre of petrol. Considering the bike will spend three-quarters of its time zipping around on congested city roads and the remaining one-quarter on wide open highways, it should give a overall combined fuel mileage of 64.67 kmpl, which is no small feat for a bike that feels so perky to ride in any gear.