With more and more variants of Pulsar making debut, older models are retained catering to fans who still believe the earlier models haven’t aged out. We have such a scenario here, three Pulsar variants in one very narrow price range. Let’s compare their tech specs: Bajaj Pulsar AS200 vs 220F vs 200NS.
Dimensions – The new Pulsar in town, the AS200, looks biggest of the lot, and so does it measure. At 2070 x 804 x 1205 (length x width x height), it is pretty substantially bigger than Bajaj Pulsar 220F, which is fairly larger than the totally naked sibling, Pulsar 200NS. Same is not the case with ground clearance. 200NS has tallest, 169 mm clearance from road, while AS200 is 2 mm short and 220F is further 2 mm low at 165 mm. This comes as a surprise, considering that the AS200, which is the adventure sport model, does not have the highest ground clearance.
In accordance with the size factor, Bajaj Pulsar AS200 is the heaviest measuring 153 kg, while 220F weighs 150 kg and 200NS just 145 kg. (This is another negative point for AS200, 7 kgs heavier than NS200, but why?)
Speaking about rubber, the latest gen Pulsars in this comparison use 110/80 – 17 tyre upfront an 130/70 – 17 rubber at the rear, while 220F wears much smaller 90/90 – 17 and 120/80 – 17.
Engine – Both Bajaj Pulsar AS200 and 200 NS use the same engine, which is a 199.5 cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder triple-spark engine, producing 23.52 PS max power @ 9,500 rpm and 18.3 Nm peak torque @ 8,000 rpm, mated to 6-speed gearbox. Bajaj Pulsar 200F is a bit underpowered, as its 220 cc twin-spark single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine delivers only 21.05 PS @ 8,500 rpm and 19.12 Nm @ 7,000 rpm. And this one is paired with a 5-speed transmission. All engines here consume fuel via mechanical carburettors, no Electronic Fuel injection system here.
Price – This is where it gets really interesting. Latest offering, Bajaj Pulsar AS200 is priced at Rs. 91,550 (ex-showroom Delhi), which is actually Rs. 3 lesser than the price of Pulsar 200NS. Bajaj Pulsar 220F is obviously more affordable, but the difference is not huge. 220F is priced at Rs. 86,699.