I have been meaning to do this for a long long time. It started with wanting to share a post when I got the Pulsar 220 DTSi and then one after owning it for a year; have not been able to either of them because of sheer laziness
. It’s a relatively light day in office so I thought I will pen down my experience with my bike over the last two and a half years.
To start with, it’s a blue December 2009 Pulsar 220 DTSi which I bought after selling my trusty 2000 Suzuki Fireo. I had the Fiero for nine years and realised that it was time to change my ride as I wanted something a little more powerful. I also considered the TVS Apache 180 before buying the Pulsar. A couple of things that went in the Pulsar’s favour were 1) marginally more expensive compared to the Apache but with a bucket load of power and 2) a shorter waiting period because I was getting the 2009 model. I was in one of those mind frames where I had to have to bike as of yesterday.
Over the last two and a half years I have used to bike solely to commute to work. There have been many long trips planned but they have always fallen by the wayside. The result has been that Odo has only 9,912 kms on it (I even had time to go to the basement and check this
). I also get an average of 35 kmpl.
I picked up the bike in early January 2010 and the first reaction was how then hell will I get used to the gears and the second thought was that hope the disc brakes don’t hurt me much
. Mind you, I had never ridden a bike with disc brakes before and had heard several unpleasant stories about the effects of sudden braking.
Having ridden the bike almost every day for the last thirty months I have to say that it has been a rather pleasant experience. It’s a good bike, though not a great one. I never went “Whoa!!!” when I first rode it nor did the experience of owning something with over 20 bhp make me smile like a three year old opening a birthday present. The one reason I attribute to this feeling is that I have never ridden the bike more than 30 kms and always at speeds ranging from 20-60 kmph. The odd 90 kmph runs never lasted more than 30 seconds.
So obviously I will not talk about the sheer pleasure of riding a 220 cc machine on the highway and milking use all the power that it offers, but what I will share are some of the facets of the bike which I experience on a daily basis.
What I definitely like about the bike is the seating position; it can get a little uncomfortable in stop and go traffic but on the whole I feel secure while riding it. The front brakes and the headlights are definitely two other things that have me rooting for the bike. I had initially thought that there would be issues with turning in the night with the light following me when I made sharp turns, but the spread of the beam practically illuminates everything on the road. I have only recently started feeling that the beam is a little high but it does not affect me as much and correcting it is a matter of a few minutes.
The engine while not very refined is definitely powerful enough to ensure that I quickly move when the light goes green or when I want to overtake the huge buses on Bangalore’s narrow roads. The tyres have sufficient grip and the bike does feel light enough to squeeze your way through traffic.
When there are positives there have to be a few things the set the balance right. So here goes... I truly hate the auto indicator, the damn thing switches off even before I have started to turn. A small adjustment of the handle makes the bike think that I have completed the turn. I often find myself switching the indicator on while I am turning just to ensure that I am not hit from behind. Talking of behind, I can’t see it! The rear view mirrors are absolutely useless, I can barely see anything. If I am wearing a jacket then all I can see are my arms. Another pain point with the bike is that the engine switches off often making the starter button an absolute boon. Most mornings I need to start the bike at least 3 times before it idles properly.
The bike has been regularly serviced and always comes back feeling like new but before each service I have the same complaint – shifting up from first to second is always problematic and there is some problem with the display. Overtime the chain slackens and makes shifting a problem and similarly you need to jiggle the key around a bit before the display shows correctly.
On the whole the riding experience so far has been consistent and while I am not blown away by the bike, I am content. I have never had any major mechanical or electrical issues; in fact the tool kit is still sealed in the plastic cover it came in.
What is definitely on the cards is a longish trip for me to truly enjoy the bike. Might just go down to Mysore considering it is not so far away and I know the road pretty well.
Will post a few pictures once I get home.
Parik