The new Pulsar 180
Then it comes to changing the rules, no one does it better than Bajaj Auto. They did it with the introduction of the Pulsar twins, which left Hero Honda gasping at the time, and then kept following it up with the Pulsar iterations. Muscular styling became the in thing, as did alloy wheels and the black theme. And now with the new Pulsar 180 DTS-i, the company has redefined the rules yet again, be it in styling or the overload of features.
The attention like we said is on styling here. And why not, given this aspect is emerging as one of the more important ones while making that all-important buying decision?
The new bike retains the muscular fuel tank while alterations have been made around it, so while contemporary, it still looks fresh. The bikini fairing gets a little cosmetic job for starters. It now sports a black mask of sorts which along with the redesigned prism-shaped parking lights lend the bike a more aggressive aura. The new appearance however gets lost on a black bike, as the black masking fails to stand out here. The indicators though identical in shape to the earlier iteration are now clear lens with amber bulbs.
The side panels have gotten sharper, and now incorporate a nicely chiselled pseudo air scoop complete with wire mesh finish. The painted portion on the panel has been reduced to add to the sleek feel. Unlike the last iteration wherein one could trace a line between the side panel and the tailpiece, on the new bike the two look slightly disjointed.
Individually, the tailpiece is of course sharp, contemporary and minimalist, all at the same time. It’s longer than the earlier tail piece too, which has further helped the bike’s visual appeal. Both the tail piece and the side panel meanwhile have been carried over from the Pulsar 220DTS-Fi and so have the LED tail lamps, which fit flush into the tail piece and remind one of the Suzuki SV series. And this is just the beginning of how the company has set out changing the rules of the game. The rear mudguard is new as well; being one piece it looks better than the earlier one, which bordered on the tacky.
The instrumentation is the new Pulsar 180’s highlight. It has a digital display for the speedo, odo, two tripmeters and the fuel gauge. The tachometer in true performance bike theme remains an analogue unit. It’s nicely executed too, and fits flush. The visibility both in the day and at night is superb too. Once the rider turns on the headlight, the LCD screen lights up in a very attractive orange backlight, making it easy to read during night jaunts.
There is the regular set of telltale lights, including the neutral indicator, and lights for main beam and side indicators. Additionally, there is a light which indicates when the side stand hasn’t been retracted, and a red light which lights up if the fuel level falls below the 4-litre mark. The same light also acts as a shift indicator, which I must add is a nice interactive tool. It flashes once the bike is revving beyond the 9000rpm mark.
The switchgear on the 180 is backlit too. The self-cancelling indicators make their way onto the new bike as well. It’s a great feature, but we would have liked both the switchgear and plastic where the instrument console sits to be of better quality; the finish is poor and the plastic looks tacky.
