[antz.bin]

Dominar and Speed 400 are priced almost exactly the same. If this is priced lower, its price becomes a USP.

But just price cannot be a USP. If you showed me the photo and removed the 400 sticker, it would be very hard for me to guess that this is in fact the 400 and not the 200.

13 yrs back, the 200NS was a fresh design. It is now overfilled with stickering. The 400 comes with the same stickering from day 1. Nothing fresh about it apart from the different LED array for the headlamp unit.

The Pulsar 220 became a legend, an aspirational product despite having just 20cc more than the incumbent largest Pulsar (the 200cc twin spark) because it came with a new design and features that were nowhere to be seen elsewhere. It was designed to be the flagship it was supposed to be. It has been 17 years and it still sells more than many brands 150cc portfolios and almost the same numbers as the Bajaj CT100. Such is the demand that it has been brought back from discontinuation at least twice. This is for a bike that has been practically unchanged since the last 17 yrs.

This, from the 2 angles I have seen the 400, doesn't feel special enough to be the flagship. They will probably spec it better than or at least at par with the Speed 400 but still there is nothing fresh about it.

The Pulsar brand has been sandwiched badly between the KTM/Husqvarna/Triumph offerings and Bajaj has been unable to offer anything aspirational in that line for quite a while. To top that, Bajaj discontinued the Discover line that accommodated the 'Functional but not aspirational' motorcycles. Pulsar line is stuck with those mundane offerings now. Without the Discover line, Pulsar can never again be the flagship offering it once was and I challenge Bajaj Auto to prove me wrong.

[V0rtex]

Originally Posted by Silverfire

Leaked on Reddit R/IndianBikes
Not a fan of the graphics, or the Stale tank design from 20 years ago.

Attachment 2601035

I thought that it looked absolutely ugly from the first leaks. But now it looks fine, althought indistinguishable from the ns 200. If Bajaj wants to get good sales, then they better price it at 1.99 lakhs and give the same engine as the previous gen 390 Duke.

[V0rtex]

Has anyone else heard the rumour that Bajaj might discontinue the Dominar 400 due to poor sales? I read it somewhere on Instagram in the comments section. Although the Dominar is not having great sales, I'd say that the bike that should get discontinued is the Avenger series. They badly need a new replacement/upgrade.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by Silverfire

Leaked on Reddit R/IndianBikes
Not a fan of the graphics, or the Stale tank design from 20 years ago.

Attachment 2601035

Love the Looks. The NS styling is a classic.

Am sure that with the bigger engine, the NS 400 will get a 150 section Rear tyre (current NS160/200 gets a 130 section rear tyre).

And the Front Disc Rotor looks Huge..!!

[b16h22]

The color schemes have leaked (probably strategic).

https://www.rushlane.com/bajaj-pulsa...-12495097.html

[payeng]

Even Bikewale has what it seems to be the Official Marketing images of the NS400

I specially liked this color with the Fluorescent Highlights

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by b16h22

The color schemes have leaked (probably strategic).

Man, once this bike is launched at around 2 lacs as we are expecting, who is going to buy our 250 cc 26 bhp Gixxer/SFs ?

Death knell or hastening end of lifecycle of many bikes methinks.

Cheers, Doc

[RD150]

Originally Posted by payeng

Even Bikewale has what it seems to be the Official Marketing images of the NS400

I specially liked this color with the Fluorescent Highlights

The rear looks boring and a bit outdated. Heard it's getting a TFT display, now that's a first for a Bajaj bike.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by RD150

The rear looks boring and a bit outdated. Heard it's getting a TFT display, now that's a first for a Bajaj bike.

I'm an uncle, and even when I was not, I always preferred a substantive rear mudguard/numberplate assembly and not this factory provided bikini trellis tail tidy.

My only gripe.

Cheers, Doc

[kedar3223]

Considering the rumoured performance and components on offer, this has to be priced around 2.4L on road, for it to make sense over the more premium 300-400cc bikes.

There has been a definite shift in the Indian 2 wheeler market. 100/110cc buyers now prefer a 125, 150cc has been replaced by the 160 and the 180-200cc is being replaced by the air-cooled 250s. The 250-300cc premium segment seems to be the next one to 'suffer'. Bikes like the speed 400 and now this pulsar 400 make premium 250cc bikes like the ktm 250s feel obsolete.

Majority of buyers currently prefer the torquey easy to ride speed 400 over the more dynamically capable Duke 250. This pulsar ns 400 will definitely be the final nail in the coffin of the this lc 250 category.

[surjaonwheelz]

Bajaj-O-Bajaj,

Pulsar was an aspiration as a teenager, I would simply love to ride one (whichever I could borrow), grabbing on to the large tank for the fear of life! During my college days, the Pulsar evolved but the evolution stopped at the NS200. Pulsar reached a state of confusion, with one side of Pulsars keeping the legacy alive (P) while the other part striving for performance (NS). But the real performance was stolen by KTM at the Chakan Mothership!

But Bajaj is now catering to the Triumph twins also. Tomorrow, Rajiv Bajaj will say this is a brand new ground up engine and nothing is in common between the KTM/Triumph/Dominar 400 engines!

At the end of the day, Pulsars are selling and Bajaj is a business house and not a bike manufacturer for the enthusiasts. They have sold that (affordable performance manufacturing) to foreign brands!

Other thing to note that the NS400 share parts like USD forks, digital console, etc with the Pulsar family, hence we can expect a very low price point 1,89,000/- introductory?

Once a Pulsar fan,
surjaonwheelz

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Bajaj-O-Bajaj,

Other thing to note that the NS400 share parts like USD forks, digital console, etc with the Pulsar family, hence we can expect a very low price point 1,89,000/- introductory?

Once a Pulsar fan,
surjaonwheelz

I think around that 2L ballpark too. I remember rb2399 telling me rhat his Speed 400 introductory price waa 2.2L and that had really zapped me when I checked out the bike in the flesh.

So ya, a similar displacement and performance Pulsar will be cheaper. They will definitely price it lower rhan their premium offerings. And try to take the whole pie. Whether they discontinue the Dominar to make place for this 400, I don't know.

I too really wish Bajaj consolidates and simplifies its homegrown lineup. There are too many models ro keep track of which is which.

The KTMs have frankly become too expensive, and are out and out their flagship line. The Triumphs are priced a lot better. But then, they are not KTMs either.

Bajaj has a homegrown offering now that looks premium, still has the obvious Pulsar DNA, and were it to have competitively comparable performance and handling, the price will kill the 200-350 cc class and leave no one else standing, not bleeding.

Cheers, Doc

[Sudarshan42]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Bajaj has a homegrown offering now that looks premium, still has the obvious Pulsar DNA, and were it to have competitively comparable performance and handling, the price will kill the 200-350 cc class and leave no one else standing, not bleeding.

Cheers, Doc

I'm a current P220F owner looking to upgrade to the 400cc class of bikes and I'm really looking forward to the NS400 to see what it can do. While I agree with all your statements around Bajaj needing to streamline their products and KTMs running away with the prices, there will always be takers for other lower displacement bikes. The 155 twins from Yamaha are a case in point- with all the other 250s and 300s hovering in its price range, they have absolutely trounced all of them in terms of sales figures.

On-paper specs and real world appeal don't always match up. While I'm optimistic about the NS400, I don't think it'll make enough of a dent in the competition, but rather may bring more buyers into its segment thereby widening it. That will be its true legacy.

That said, things looks bleak for some competitors like the Gixxer 250, Honda CB300F etc- these are already doing low triple digits per month, that could go down even further and then go the way of the Yamaha FZ25.

[payeng]

The Headlamp if positioned Slightly Lower could have done so Much..!!

[RD410]

Is it the second coming of gen 1 Duke 390!? Media's are saying that it'll be priced around ₹2 lakhs ex showroom. For that price it'll will be incredibly, incredibly VFM : ) Given how Bajaj has reused all the bits of existing NS200, they are surely aiming to undercut everyone with low pricing, just like how Duke 390 did in 2013.