Bajaj Auto is the leading motorcycle manufacturer in India. It was also the first brand to introduce a true-bred street sports bike. The bike was launched back in December 2012 and yes, the indication is towards the NS 200.

Apart from being the first street sports bike from Bajaj, the NS 200 was and still is very fuel efficient.

The real-world Pulsar NS 200 mileage is 36 KMPL. Sure the bike wouldn’t be getting the title of the ‘top mileage bike in India’. But the real-world mileage is still impressive since this is a 200 CC bike.

Apart from being fuel efficient, there are lots of other reasons for the NS 200 to be a popular bike.

Some of those reasons are mentioned below.

Impressive looks

In terms of styling, the bike resembles the looks of the model that came out in 2012. The reason is simple. The styling of the bike was ahead of its time back in 2012. Hence, even in 2022, the bike is capable of capturing the attention of one and all without design updates. 

The bike retains its attention-seeking headlamp unit. The 2022 iteration also retains the two pilot lamps that flank the headlamp unit. The fuel tank continues to boast its muscular design. The fuel tank also continues to come with the creases and lines of its predecessor. These creases are functional as apart from making the fuel tank look good, they also offer support to the rider’s thighs. 

The tail lamp continues to be sharp and distinctly styled. The paint options of the bike continue to be the same. The available paint options are -

• Burnt Red
• Metallic Pearl White
• Pewter Grey
• Satin Blue
• Ebony Black and
• Pearl Metallic White.

A marvellous engine

The engine of the Pulsar NS 200 was made jointly with KTM back in the day. To put things into perspective, the engine of the NS 200 is inspired by the engine of the KTM Duke 200. It means that the NS 200’s engine performance is somewhat similar to the KTM Duke 200. The engine of the NS 200 has a total displacement of 199 CC. The engine has a single cylinder and is fuel injected. Bajaj equipped the engine with DTS-i technology. To keep the engine cool, Bajaj also paired the motor with a liquid cooling system. The peak power and torque outputs of the motor are 24.13 bhp and 18.74 Nm respectively.

Second-to-none ride quality

The ride quality of the bike is unlike any other street motorcycle. The rider has to sit with an aggressive stance thanks to the low handlebar and rear-set footrests. This stance might be uncomfortable for long rides. But in city commutes, the rider will be comfortable thanks to the revised seat. Mounting on and off the bike is easy as well thanks to the bike’s near-perfect seat height and ground clearance. The straight line and cornering stability of the bike are impressive as well. This is due to the revised rear swingarm, suspension tuning and chassis. 

What’s new in the 2023 iteration of the bike?

Bajaj recently updated the bike for 2023. The first change that anyone would notice is that the front fork is replaced with a USD fork suspension. Next, the bike comes with the additional rider safety feature of dual-channel ABS. The last 2023 update to the bike is a brand new instrument cluster programming. The new programming for the instrument cluster allows the same to show – 

• Fuel economy information and
• Gear position.

Even after the BS 6 revisions, the Pulsar NS200 retained its raw sporty character. This can be seen in the linear power delivery of the bike’s engine. The true nature of the engine comes out after the 3,000 RPM range. Bajaj has spent a lot of time fine-tuning the engine, suspension and chassis of the bike. The results can be felt especially when the throttle is twisted to the maximum and the engine surpasses 10,000 RPM! The top speed of the bike is limited electronically to 145 KMPH. The bike’s six-speed transmission has been reworked a bit so that it works seamlessly with its wet multiplate clutch. In simple words, the hype surrounding this bike is justified. To learn more, it would be best that the reader takes a test ride of the bike.

Must Read: On the Road with the Bajaj Pulsar RS200: A Comprehensive Review