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-   -   Bajaj Pulsar F250 & N250 launched in India (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/243652-bajaj-pulsar-f250-n250-launched-india-6.html)

They could have offered a dual channel abs version. I guess the majority of buyers don’t really care. Alloy wheel design could have been better, very boring. No 6 speed gearbox, which I’m personally ok with considering the price point and the competition. The design team will be going into hibernation for the next decade��

Is it just me or does the front end remind you of the CBR250R? ����

Absence of dual channel ABS is a bummer, but the rest of it looks like a worthy upgrade from the 220. Saw the launch live, and the live chat window responses were mostly negative. Not sure what people were expecting, 30PS with liquid cooling, 6 gears etc.

Side note- Rajiv Bajaj's introductory speech was one for the ages, a true masterclass in storytelling and business gyan.

What's with the semi-fairing, Gixxer SF looks so much better than his half hearted attempt. Heck even the 220F fairing looks better than this.

20 years of Pulsar & still not a great fully faired Pulsar in the market. (RS200 wasn't great)

No offence, but the Naked version looks more like some hybrid offspring of the MT-15 and TVS Raider 125! :confused:

Is it just me or design wise this looks like a half baked product?
It's as if the designers started off with something in mind and then gave up. The instrument cluster, the fairing, the handlebars all look incomplete-ish. Seems like something is missing.

With 24 bhp on tap this could have been an adequate tourer if it also got the 6th cog.

I’m happy to see another decade old peer who owns a 2007 DTS-Fi model :)

Luckily the F250’s engine is a newly developed one and not the KTM derivatives which makes it indigenous and stays true to its Pulsar origin! Certainly is a worthy upgrade over 220.

Slightly off-topic - since you are another owner of the legend, I’m posting a pic to share happiness.



On that note I’m sharing a link to Zigwheels walk around of the bikes. They seem good on videos. But yes 25Ps Power could’ve been better.

https://youtu.be/-VaHeRpXWXY

The latest Pulsar has an uncanny resemblance to Hero's concept bike- HX250R.







Image source- Google Images. All credit goes to their respective owners

Exactly what I had thought earlier, this one competes with the FZ25 in 250cc department.

The only bummer is lack of dual channel abs which Yamaha and TVS offers on their bikes.
I recently bought an FZ25 and don't regret the decision due to this single reason :)

People trying to compare air cooled 250cc with modern liquid cooled 200cc engines should test ride both of them back-to-back. Having owned an R15 and now this, I can say that the liquid cooled 200cc engines have a distinct sporty character and need to be revved whereas these 250cc air cooled engines are more relaxed and deliver comparatively more torque in low and mid range. This gives best of both worlds: More pulling power and better fuel efficiency in city and respectable cruising power on highways despite having older tech. Simple engine helps service cost down too!

I liked the Bajaj twins, they retain the essence of original Pulsar.

Pulsar 250 twins walkaround video-
https://youtu.be/dS7WYYv4OF4
To me the N250 looks mean and purposeful! :cool:

Question is What Happens with the Older Pulsar Range?

Its a bit too crowded (complicated??) according to me.

I watched the launch event from the time that Rajiv Bajaj started his speech. It felt like the event was split into two halves. Rajiv Bajaj's speech was insightful and refreshingly honest. You dont find such candour by leaders from Bajaj's competitors or even in other industries. He even went so far as to say that the Pulsar range was an unintended victim of the KTM partnership and that Bajaj is 3 years too late with this launch. What he promised was a new future for the now stagnating (my words, not his) Pulsar range. As a former Pulsar 150 owner, all these statements generated a lot of optimism in me.

And then the bikes were launched. The F250 looks nice and will appeal to a wide section of motorcyclists. The N250 looks like a MT15 lite copy, no surprises there as some of the older Pulsars borrowed heavily from classic Hondas. And as the specifications were out, the disconnect between the lovely speech and the bikes began to emerge. The one time technology leader in the premium Indian motorcycling segment (as it was in the middle 2000s), has ditched its former USP and gone back to basics. Im sure that they will be nice bikes to ride, but will they have the Pulsar DNA?

And lets call a spade a spade. A 5 speed gearbox and single channel ABS are cost cutting measures. That infinity display (I found it infinitely boring), is a cost cutting measure as it seems to be an XL sized version of what is currently available. Bajaj is cutting costs and reinventing the Pulsar formula, to chart a new future.

It looks as though Bajaj is finally starting to separate its Pulsar and KTM motorcycles by stepping away from the immensely profitable platform sharing philosophy. If Bajaj is going to downgrade the flagship Pulsar 250s, then the other Pulsars will face the same ax in due course of time.

From the Powerdrift video, it looks as though this is the first of all the relaunches for the Pulsar series and it is heralds an unexpected new direction for the once iconic brand. Rather than be the best technology driven brand in the market, Bajaj is going to give us simple and effective Pulsars. For technology and features, we will have to go up the ladder to get the KTMs equivalents.

This is akin to Mercedes Benz saying, going forward, the next generation S Class will not focus on luxury but instead, it will be a regular car with the S Class badge. If you want luxury, buy the Maybach from us, instead.

Well said and spot on summing-up!

When the first Pulsar launched in 2001, what a buzz it created! We hated it in college because we were die-hard 2-strokers and didn't want to admit it was a step up from our already legendary 2-stroke bikes. And it sure was. The 220F was another buzzing launch, again category defining.

Contrast it to this tame launch today. If I dare say so- it's a 250cc commuter. Category defining today needs to be a lot more daring - in style, tech, and marketing. This is none of those.

(PS to the Pulsar fanboys before they jump on me - I'm not just bashing - I have a P180 myself and I'll end up buying one of these to replace it, but after Bajaj does the inevitable +50cc bump to 300, but it is what it is.)

I am afraid I have to agree with both of you. These new 250 are simple basic cost-effective Pulsars.

But Bajaj has tried their hands at tech. They launched the 200NS with 6-speed gearbox and an all new oil cooled engine, which tanked at the market. They launched the AS and RS series and finally the Dominar. Yet the customers thronged after the ageless P220 and P150/125. To bring back the customers to newer models, Bajaj seemed to have been forced to go with basics.

Pulsars have always been flawed - front heavy, gruff sounding and yet, have had their own charm. Another Pulsar fan boy here with numerous fond memories of my ex-P150 and ex-180. The newer Pulsars looked nice but never appealed to me. I have tried the 200NS multiple times but somehow liked my P180 more.

Though I don't have the need of a 2-wheeler at all, I might be tempted to get one of these new Pulsars home, just as a fan boy.

That's fine ! Till we mandate a university certificate in 2 wheeler riding for a purchase, additional safety measures are welcome.