Bajaj Pulsar 220 F DTS-i: F is for Ferocious!. Review on Bajaj Pulsar 220 F

When I first heard about the release of the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi, I was not impressed or swayed. The questionable looks of the bike, and the overall brand image of Bajaj all factored in making me almost oblivious to the bike. It simply did not appeal to me. Back then I had an affinity to international brands like Honda and Yamaha. Little did I realise that those perceptions were about to change with the new 220 DTS-i. Completely.

So there I was, a prospective biker, urging my Dad to make the right move and buy me a powerful 200cc+ bike and start my voyage on being a biker so that I could ride fast to college and rev my engine attract chicks and do donuts and wheelies and whatnot..

Well, you get the idea ;) I went through the usual route of doing comprehensive research on the steed of my choice by referring various reviews, in video and text form, (Mouthshut included of course!) and deciding to try out the Hero Honda (back then) Karizma. I was impressed by its size and its silky smooth engine, along with its sporty yellow dials and fairing. I almost booked that one.

Then, I decided to at least try out the newly launched Pulsar 220 DTS-i, with the fuel injection removed, and along with it, a price cut of Rs.10, 000/-. I walked into the showroom, and to this day, I remember the fantastic feeling of riding the steel gray test bike. The initial riding position was perfect. The gearshifts were good, and the engine had a gruff character to it. The power and torque was mesmerizing.

Lo and behold, all my preconceived notions about Bajaj were shattered. I made up my dad's mind on buying it, even though for various reasons, the bike's purchase was delayed by a year or so, I stayed firm minded on buying the 220F because it was so impressive. I had tried the Apache RTR 160 Fi(It is below 200cc, but the only sport model on offer by TVS at that time), R-15 (Same reason) etc.

Here I am now, 3 years later, intending to write an ownership review on this machine. Here goes:

Starting off, with the power, which is the highlight of this bike. When you get to unleash the  full power of the bike after run-in, the impression is of a constant, linear wave of torque, with power building up from everywhere. It is quite addictive.

For the first few times, I never crossed 6000 rpm, as the torque was satisfying enough. But it is even more impressive from 8000 rpm onwards till redline, where the full savagery of this motor is unleashed. Bajaj have built a quick revving and eager motor. The top speed that I could achieve was around 147 kmph, on the speedometer. This is of course not entirely accurate as all speedo's are error prone.

The power remains impressive to this day.

The handling is pretty heavy feeling and more weight is focused on the front end. I believe this causes prominent under-steer. It is not very flickable and requires a steady guidance through corners. The chassis needs much more rigidity to compensate for the speed of this bike. It is intimidating to ride it fast into corners, and not a machine that will let you go easy every time. Treat it with respect and it will cooperate with you. It is not a precision track tool.

The brakes are adequate; with less front dive and drama. However a more reassuring ABS system would improve the riding experience in leaps and bounds. The rear brake needs more feel, despite both brake hoses being "braided steel types".

The gearing of this bike deserves a praiseworthy mention. It will quietly hum on the highway doing 5000 rpm in 5th gear at 80kmph, and speeds above 100 can be maintained with ease. A huge improvement over the previous 220, with a reflecting improvement in top speed. Good choice for tourers with the fairing that actually helps in reducing wind-blasts and a well mannered engine for the highway. BUT make sure you add extra padding to the seat for really long rides, which is quite firm in my opinion.

Night riding is a breeze thanks to the powerful projector headlights. This bike is quite practical. With its decent efficiency figures (30kmpl min, 44kmpl if you really, really stretch it) and a real world figure of around 35 kmpl, its not bad, Add in the cheap spare parts costs and service costs, and you've got an enjoyable bike that won't nag you too often.

To conclude, I would like to say that this bike is an involving ride. It does present a few minor problems now and then, like fairing rattles and some quality issues like very thin paint finish that chips easily, malfunctioning warning indicators, cone-set that wears out fast etc.

But for what Bajaj have accomplished with dated technology, this bike represents bang for the buck and delivers a great riding experience for you and your wallet. :) My bike is a red Pulsar 220 F DTS-i with a Race Concepts free-flow exhaust. (Improves the bike's power by miles, believe me.) And I am satisfied with it.

My only grouse with it would be the pathetic service offered by Bajaj. They go an extra step in ensuring a bad image for the company. Even simple issues can remain unsolved at Bajaj service centres. But a quick email to the customer complaint section will rectify things for you.

Thank you, Scarlet, for being my companion on two wheels for three years now without any major complaints :)

Thanks for reading! :)