[Amrit@wheels]

Originally Posted by ebonho

https://Youtu.be/d8Y9OQkTYVk?si=XWI0wFPnbUMTAZnm

Shumi agrees with me on the Dominar.

Sluggish. Heavy. Poor handler.

And that a Bullet with half its power will run rings around it.

Uncanny the similarities. I just found this video pop up on You Tube (our phones do listen!).

Not suggesting Shumi and me are the experts or the final word. Just that some of us ride differently. Have a different spin on what a good handling bike is. And maybe expect more from our bikes.

Cheers, Doc

How can you complain about weight and sluggishness and then praise the Bullet for its 'better' handling is beyond me. And again, no Bullet will run rings around a Dominar, it's simply not possible. Dominar has its fair share of shortcomings and I almost dislike it, but it is superior to ride than a Bullet for sure. Also, touring motorcycles are supposed to be heavy, I am not sure if you have ridden on the open roads with winds blowing at full pace, lighter motorcycles tend to lose their line in such conditions. A heavier front end actually improves the stability of a touring motorcycle. The guy in the video sounds quite clueless to me. Just watch this comparison video and you'll see how clueless he is, as evidenced by the thousands of comments-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2shcPowz4

For example, he's criticizing the Dominar for being heavy whereas the Bullet is of the same weight but a lot less powerful. The guy makes no sense whatsoever.

Time for me to ride a NS now for myself.

Go for the NS200 instead of the 250. You will be pleasantly surprised, but please do not use the KTMs' or Japanese as the benchmark, they are a level above, in performance and cost.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Leaked. Looks like the NS200 with a new headlamp? Source

[Amrit@wheels]

^Is it just me or the headlight actually looks horrendous?

[saikishor]

Originally Posted by Amrit@wheels

^Is it just me or the headlight actually looks horrendous?

You're not the only one my friend. I echo your thoughts. The rear half of the bike looks disproportionate. It has no business on a 400cc bike. Looks like it was lifted straight off a N160 or something. But if Bajaj gets the pricing well(which they will mostly) then this should sell well and would be a great alternative to the 390 Duke. These bikes are segments apart but this has the potential to being a low price performance machine.

Imagine what a 1.99 lac introductory sticker price can do to this bike. Though highly unlikely, +10 or 20k would be a great deal IMO.

[nishsingh]

The paint finish looks awesome, the headlight is horrible. The rest of the design is very average. I hope there is something more that we don't know yet, otherwise the bike will be forgotten by the public soon after launch.

[Its_Arkk]

The headlight resembles the face of Venom from the movie. Overdone imo

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Leaked. Looks like the NS200 with a new headlamp? Source

Attachment 2600028

Attachment 2600029

IMO, this is so meh! This was an opportunity to refresh the Pulsar design language and do something special. They did a great job with Dominar design when it was launched. I was hoping to see some new elements on Pulsar400 too. Disappointed with the looks part.

Sometimes pics don't do justice so hoping it stands out in flesh and looks bigger if nothing else.

[RD150]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Leaked. Looks like the NS200 with a new headlamp? Source

Attachment 2600028

Attachment 2600029

Happy to see bajaj has given it a clean design. No unnecessary cuts and creases. Looks very similar to the the the Benelli tnt 300 and 250 which were on sale few years ago.

And pricing is going to be aggressive, as it's a Bajaj. Overall first impressions are good.

[saitvsk23]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Leaked. Looks like the NS200 with a new headlamp? Source

Attachment 2600028

Attachment 2600029

Spyshots always make the vehicle look weird. This happened with the XUV700 as well. The newer Scorpio-N as well. All we can do is to hold on and wait for the launch event to showcase the bike properly. The decals aren't put on, there's nothing else going on, I guess we shouldn't be jumping onto conclusions this fast. And for the headlight. I think its okay and edgy. But definitely unconventional. We thought the same about the MT-15. But hey, it's got a following of its own. So no harm in looking at the Pulsar in similar light. I don't mind it as long as its powerful, usable and doesn't blind the oncoming traffic.

The frame will definitely be an improved version as seen on the NS200. I just fell into a rabbit hole of going back and watching all the reviews of the NS200 from 12 years ago! Most of the reviews praised the handling and its very flickable nature. The NS200 still is a very good 200cc motorcycle, and if paired with the right tyres, it can make a world of difference. Shumi's recent video on the NS200 (updated with the gold forks and LED setup) is where he still says that he really enjoyed riding it. And I firmly believe that this is what a Pulsar should fundamentally do. I really hope the flickable nature of the NS has been retained, and with just the right amount of confidence for such a big bike, it can do wonders for this one.

I hope that the quality level for this new NS is on par with the newer Pulsars. And as I've said before, it would be even better if the same quality levels were brought to the NS200 as well, which we should see in a couple of years. People are saying that we might get to see updates on the RS200, and now we can expect the RS400 in a few years down the line as well.

On another note, the Pulsar moniker was supposed to get a 400cc powered bike way back in 2015 itself! Bajaj initially showcased 2 models on this powerplant, the CS400 (Cruise Sport) and SS400 (which I'm assuming to be Super Sport). And then, the CS400 was re-christened as the Dominar 400, which was launched in 2016 December, and the styling of the showcased SS400 trickled down to make way to the RS200, which again has a following of its own.

[ebonho]

The red one looks really nice to me. If it handles, then its the perfect crotch rocket alternative to the KTMs for young men on a budget.

Cheers, Doc

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by ebonho

The red one looks really nice to me. If it handles, then its the perfect crotch rocket alternative to the KTMs for young men on a budget.

Cheers, Doc

NS200 handles. They are pretty good and comparable to a Gixxer 250. I have owned the semi faired AS200 for a while. This one has similar frame and underpinnings with better forks and tyres and lots more power. Dominar was heavy and ponderous for the sake of fighting with RE despite having similar frame to NS. NS has no such restrictions and it is said to be priced below Domi. Most importantly, it comes with proper flat bars unlike NS200 which had a fake, heavy clip-on setup. I've ridden a flat bar converted NS and it was more fun and flickable.

[saitvsk23]

Originally Posted by b16h22

NS200 handles. They are pretty good and comparable to a Gixxer 250. I have owned the semi faired AS200 for a while. This one has similar frame and underpinnings with better forks and tyres and lots more power. Dominar was heavy and ponderous for the sake of fighting with RE despite having similar frame to NS. NS has no such restrictions and it is said to be priced below Domi. Most importantly, it comes with proper flat bars unlike NS200 which had a fake, heavy clip-on setup. I've ridden a flat bar converted NS and it was more fun and flickable.

I agree with this here. Even though it was based on NS200's perimeter frame, the change in the rake angle changed the entire feel of the motorcycle. Rake angles decide a lot about the handling of the motorcycle. Adding a flat handlebar can change a lot of the motorcycle too. I really think that the Dominar line can look forward to a much bigger iteration, or better marketing with the "power cruiser" angle focussed onto it. Its basic silhouette looks similar to the Diavel, even has that tank-mounted display. I really think that Bajaj has a potential power cruiser in the Dominar. Just needs the right set of tweaks and obviously, the right marketing. Dissing on RE was not cool at all.

I'm very much excited for the upcoming presentation session!

[V0rtex]

Will this be featuring the Dominar’s engine, Triumph’s engine or previous gen 390 Duke’s engine?

[samee_arian]

Not sure about others but it looks like a blown up Pulsar LS 135. Similar tank extensions and very tiny and tapering tail. And about the Venom comparison, I also felt the same way. I just hope it weighs much lessor than the Dominar.

I thought the sketches and renders that came up before these spy-shots looked much more better than what they have delivered. Was really excited, however the excitement has already died down.

Hoping the actual bike in flesh makes me change my thoughts. Have always loved the Pulsar brand and always wanted Bajaj to succeed, however sometimes it appears Bajaj themselves want to kill the brand.

[saitvsk23]

Originally Posted by V0rtex

Will this be featuring the Dominar’s engine, Triumph’s engine or previous gen 390 Duke’s engine?

This will most likely use the Dominar's 373cc engine reworked to suit the NS line of character, as the Dominar's engine is primarily a previous gen Duke 390's engine tuned and reworked to be put in a cruiser's frame.

Originally Posted by samee_arian

Not sure about others but it looks like a blown up Pulsar LS 135. Similar tank extensions and very tiny and tapering tail. And about the Venom comparison, I also felt the same way. I just hope it weighs much lesser than the Dominar.

I thought the sketches and renders that came up before these spy-shots looked much more better than what they have delivered. Was really excited, however the excitement has already died down.

Hoping the actual bike in flesh makes me change my thoughts. Have always loved the Pulsar brand and always wanted Bajaj to succeed, however sometimes it appears Bajaj themselves want to kill the brand.

Most of the renders that we have seen floating around on social media are just creative works of imagination, a few have come very close to the actual pre-production CAD rendering that we have had a glimpse of here on this very thread, which most of us overlooked upon. I think that the red looks real smashing and I hope that the new NS400 holds up to its expectations very well.

Coming to the pricing, I think that an introductory price of Rs. 2.20 Lakh will be the most sensible and bang for the buck moment Bajaj can pull off with the NS400, just like how they did it for the Speed 400. Like the gen 1 Duke 390, I hope we can expect just around 40-42 HP from this bike, and the next thing that it absolutely needs to nail is the feel that it gives. It should give the feel of a big bike with all the power it packs, or else the same story would repeat as what happened with the Duke 390, it being very lightweight for the performance it offers and unexperienced riders will point the front wheel towards the sky and end up on the roads, upside down. Like what I mean to say is, it should retain all the flickability and manouverability that it is built for, but at the same time should have a sensible power to weight ratio, given its expected high power output. If it ends up being powerful as said but lightweight, its a disaster waiting to happen.

I can see that we have reached a point where riders are being educated on how to control high powered machines by keeping the wrist in control and gearing up appropriately. And with this set of educated riders growing day by day, I hope that the NS is in safer hands and hopefully, will not share the fate of its Austrian predecessor.