| Set for a June 23 launch, the bike promises to kill competition with cut-throat pricing and class-leading performance. We have the details! Bajaj Auto will be launching the 2009 version of its flagship Pulsar 220 tomorrow. Indian motorcycle enthusiasts need not be cynical of this particular upgrade - it is far from being a rouge and lipstick sticker job. The new Pulsar 220 will be the fastest Indian bike. We have ridden the bike and have complete figures, but our dear readers will have to wait until tomorrow to get the complete details. Here's what we can tell our visitors for now. Bajaj Auto has taken the fuel injection system from the earlier bike off - the 2009 Pulsar 220 will be a DTSi, breathing through a carburetor. Stop before you think this is a step backward, since the new bike will be the fastest Indian street motorcycle with a claimed top speed in excess of 140 km/h. Our test figures match the claim! That's not the best news though. Taking the FI off will give the new bike a stupendous price advantage over its competitors. Fuel injection is an expensive technology, and getting it off should give the new 220 a price advantage of about Rs. 10,000 straight up. That should bring it down to the price of the current Pulsar 200 DTSi, that's around Rs 70,000 ex-showroom Delhi. The competition definitely has a fight on its hands, given that the new bike will be offering the best performance figures of the lot at a significantly lower price than its key competitors in the Indian performance bike market - the Yamaha YZF-R15 and the Hero Honda Karizma. But how fast is it in real world conditions? Any new bits apart from the carb? Does it have the handling to go with the power? Read it all in our breakneck speed first ride report early tomorrow, right here on ZigWheels.com! |