Pulsar 220 Vs Karizma Drag Results
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Here is a much awaited review of Pulsar 220cc , and that too a comparision with Karizma! This drag was organized by xBhp members – Pawan (owner of first 220 ) , Technocrat ( Moderator – xBhp), Vivek (xBhp Member).
Overview
The Bike looks good & it’s stunning. It feels big when you sit on it, infact it gives you a big Bike ka feel the moment you sit on it, mainly due to the clip-ons & slightly backwards footrests. BAL as again has got a winner here, the fit & finish levels are very good infact much better than HH or for that matter ZMA. The digi Speedo console looks great & the self test looks charming The first things that you notice are missing choke lever, fuel knob & a new pass beam switch along with the backlit switch panel & of course the LCD Digi console.
The Riding experience
My biggest worry was since this Bike doesn’t have kick starter how good would the self be & am glad to say that the self lived up to its expectation. The Bike starts very smoothly & almost effortlessly.
The gear shift is smooth & precise but still doesn’t not slot like CBZ\ZMA, some like it some don’t. I was fine with it as I had used this type of shift on my pulsar 180 but yes this one was better than the one on mine. Not a leap of change in the gear shift but nevertheless a good one. Those who like slotting gears may still crib but I was happy with it as I had no false neutrals & no wrong gears.
The engine is smooth really smooth & the Bike picks up really sweetly, the exhaust note is nice but whether one likes it or not may differ from person to person. Once revved up the Bike gets the typical pulsar vibes near tank & fairing though they are minimal but can still be felt on the knee touching the fairing near tank. These vibrations come around 70kph & above.
Just like its smaller siblings the RVMs on P220 become useless at these speeds as they vibrate so much that you cant make out what you see in the mirrors but since you cant see much anyways its not much of a problem. Oh that reminds me did I tell you guys that the RVMs are absolutely useless especially if you are wearing a minimalist riding gear, reminds me of classic Pulsars which had stylish mirrors but very poor visibility wrt the ones sported by DTSI versions, Yeah BAL did it again
The Bike picks up really well on roll-ons, the most amazing thing was that even at 5th gear the Bike picked up at 25kph, though it pinked a bit but still picked up without any jerks
Riding Comfort
I found the suspension to be a little stiffer than the ZMAÂ while Pawan felt otherwise. The roads had no bad patches so cant say about how they would feel under bad road conditions.
The Bike has very sporty feel to it. The seats have good support & it holds you well. The Bike is really good if you want to ride it fast (which of course you would ). I rode the P220 for around 10-15 kms & my right shoulder started to pain, does it make it really bad for long riding ?? To answer this, it reminds of the first two days when I had bought my 180 DTSi (which was my first Bike ever) & when my arms pained like hell for two complete days ï‹ so it’s just a matter of getting used to. So does this make the P220 a good tourer ?? Or to say will it be more comfy than a ZMA for long rides ?? In my humble opinion with a guy of my height (am 5’10â€)NO. Although the engine is really refined with enough power to take long stretches effortlessly the riding posture is not what you would want for such long rides. Having said that it’s still a matter of personal choice, I mean Sunny & Ken keep doing long rides on SBKs which in common perception are not good for long rides.
Disclaimer: I am not comparing it to the SBKs just the riding posture
All those who got disappointed here’s another way to look at it. Those who are shorter in height may find the Bike to be better than the ZMA for riding comfort since they wont face the issue which taller guys like me faced i.e. crouched position & knees touching the fairing. So I think it can be safely put that it would be more comfy for shorter people that taller people for long rides
Handling
I took the P220 on ghats & on straights; the Bike has really good handling when compared to the smaller pulsars especially because of the better swing arm & the riding posture & not to forget wider tubeless tires. The Bike is very eager to lean when compared to previous Pulsars. So is this the new Handling champion ?? Sadly No here where I hated BAL the most, they have actually ruined a great handling Bike into a non handling one, the reason ?? The stupid main stand aargh the mains stand scrapes at slightest of the lean ïŒ I am very sure infact confidant that if the main stand is removed the Bike will be an awesome handler
Ok just before some shouts that he has taken curves without scraping the stand, I will like to make it clear that the stand scraping happens when you are taking tight twisties uphill or downhill i.e. it won’t affect much on straights but then you only need the leaning aspect on such twisties.
Braking
Full marks here no comments it simply rules here Excellent breaking supported by a wide profile rear as well as front tire(Yes the front tire is broader too )
Headlights
10 out of 10 or may be 11 out of 10. The lights everywhere including the headlights are superb. Let it be tail lamps or the LCD or the backlit switches
Drag Results
Frankly speaking the drags which we had were very amateurish & should be taken only as indicative & not as a proof because:
- The bikes had diff mileage on odo
- The drag was done on a strip which was barely 100-200 mtrs
- We had no timing device. And a few launches were not synchronized properly
- My ZMAÂ is stock but has heavier & broader rear tire.
Result 1: P220 VS My ZMA
P220 won on 2 runs
Result 2: P220 vs. Modded ZMA (Vivek’s)
ZMAÂ won 3 times
P220 won once when Vivek rode the P220 & Pawan rode the ZMA
Conclusion
Well am no journalist & this isn’t any magazine so I am really not sure what to post as a conclusion or verdict, rather I would put it as answers to commonly asked Qs
Q1: Is the P220 worth buying its price?
A1: Yes the P220 is a very good piece of machinery.
Q2: Is it better than ZMA?
A2: This is still debatable, while the engine is more powerful & has more torque than the ZMA, it still has niggling issues like poor RVMs & vibrations at higher revs which the ZMAÂ lacks, Also the handling though very good is marred by the stupid stand which I believe can be fixed.
At the end one has to decide his priorities & go for it
Q3: Should I trade my ZMAÂ for the P220
A3: Unless you want to go for all the gadgetry & that extra power NO. Remember the slightly mudded zap beat it in the unofficial drag
Taken from xBhp.com
February 27th, 2010 at 7:55 am
Did u people ever saw MOTO GP then U now who has got more power its Ducati(Stoner)it can esily beat R1 Yamaha(Rossi)but at the end of maximum what is the result, it is Rossi with R1 wins. SO it depends on your skill how much U now UR bike + and – points then race accordingly definately U going to win. What if U had more power but U don’t now how to handle it properly then it is waste. I love to race with every engine which shows it power on the raod to others. I raced with my 2005 Pulsar 150 to ZMA never crossed them but never let them go to much ahead of me because of heavy traffic 1 is ahead of me not letting me to past him and 1 behind of me I am not letting him past to me their power is useless in traffic because I now my and their bike’s limitation I never let them to win. If want to race then come on U are welcome I would love to test my skill with any one of my bikes with UR choice (Pulsar150, ZMA, P220).
January 21st, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Karizma Rocks!! Pulsor 220 Sucks!! It takes a lot for a scooter company to get into biking.. Just leave Hamara Bajaj for the type of oldies who try too hard to look good. Karizma RULES!!!!
January 20th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
hey hi guys
don’t fight for ur machine but
I bought my zma 9 month ago .I was also confused with p220 & zma but last i bought zma and I am very satisfied with my bike. before i had passion and two p150. now i can proudly say that no comparison with hro hnda .hro honda is the and karizmaaaa :d no doubt best bike of india
i rode my bike with the spedd of 140 kmph and i was single seated .i was sirprise to see tht my bike no noise its riding very smoothly . so guys if u wanna racing machine thn plz go for krzma. its the best. zma rocks
January 12th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Dear Hussain Ali,
I came across the blog posted by you and would like to suggest you for a new bike.Ur peferences are Krizma & P220.I will suggest you to go for ZMA becouse of the following reasons specified below :-
1.From its launch ,karizma is always admired for its looks,performance and resale value.Its d best machine ever manufactured in india and still have no modifications in engine before ZMR.It is rarely modified.
2.Pulsar operates with more than 10 variants coming and already there in the road.If the bike is so sucessful then y so much of modifications which increases the costs?Bcoz dey have to attract d customers and dstract the from the problems of their other model.
3.As far as the engine is concerned I can challenge you that hero honda is far far better than any other brand.For test,drive a pulsar 150 and suddenly accelerate it,it gives a lot of noise,try d same with cbz and see d difference.I think the parts and alloys used by HH are of better quality.I agree that pulsar is no doubt better in thrust and acceleration,but if the engine doesnt withstand it for long,then there is nothing to boast about.
4.Gear box.:- At this point bajaj really lags behind a lot,it doesnt matter how advance and lethal bikes they make but gear still is not smooth at all.For example wen u start a pulsar and shift the first gear it gives a metal noise like “KHATT”.U will not find it at all in HH.Pick any bajaj vs any HH,u can see this difference.
5.Balance & Weight:-The pulsars are not very famous for their handling,for cuttings and rash driving 1 need to be macho or have have hell lot of experience.But with clip on handles in P180,P200 & 220,its been increased a lot.
I think proper trim balance is also absent in pulsar.The weight of the bike is not properly balanced.
On the other hand HH always gives u a very balanced bike.To check this try to turn the pulsar and karizma 1 by 1.U will feel that pulsar requires more strength to turn.
6.Spares :- I faced a lot of problems for spares of pulsar.Just imagine pulsar150 of aug 2004 is not having an engine spare in april 2008?Hero honda is quiet gud in this regard.HH always keep common spare philosophy for atleast 2 or three models.
7.On-Road Performance :- Leaving all,it also depends on how u ride on road and how u utilize the positive aspects of ur bike.I am having Ambition-135 and I still challenge a lot of pulsar150’s while riding 17 kms to the ofce.I m having a nov-2004 model which has crossed 80000 km mark but still touches 90-100.My friend was lethal in his pulsar but after his his 1st bike he changed 2 times his bike.I m stilll riding d same.I rode my bike many times back 2 home Raipur to bacheli(420 km) and believe it use to take 9 hours.
8.At last,leave all stats and figures, if you wanna go with pulsar or zma, better go wid it.Remember its u who is purchasing a bike and its only you wo should b satisfied.Take test drives,fell the bikes and then decide.Remember looks and features will fade with time,but the performance will remain a performance.
I m testing KARIZMA ad P180 from the last 4 months.Every weekend I picked a showroom and tried the bikes.And at the end I planned to go for ZMA.Pulsar attracted me bcoz of its features like tubeless tyres,digital disp.,advanced drive chain, looks etc. but later I decided to go for the legend.I m buying Karizma in march.
All d best to u dude.Remember all these points were my experiences and observations.Select Your bike based on ur likings,experiences. etc.
thanks
bye
January 5th, 2010 at 8:28 am
pulsar 220 2009edition is good for rich peoples who dont want mileage and have enough money to waste in purchasing petrol.
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Hi frnd i will b purchasing a bike 4 me and i am concerned about the engine lasting not speed so which one shall i go 4 pulsar 220cc or karizma r…
November 10th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Well guy’s what really matter to me is comfort ride with power and Karizma is the Best for me i can’t give re-view about other bikes as i have not driven them and which is really not required,1 thing i really like about my bike is when you reach to 5th gear it goes really goes so smooooooooth without any vibration or discomfort, there are some base less crap posted by immature who think dominating other bikes will make them rule or some shit like burn the road or definitely male why you have doubt about yourself… man keep machine as machine which is driven by male / female, my point is what really should matter to you ? others bike or the ride ? ask yourself… Enjoy ridding rather then envy on what you have and what others …. Grow up all kids and no bull shits other think before you speak… it show you need more time to grow up, in life what matter’s to you bike ride, race & Drag, there are so many things in life to explore focus on it …. with power comes responsibility if you are ridding at 100 and above speed who’s life you are risking ask yourself. i have seen many rider’s who roar their engine for a race with me i know i can beat them with the machine power (225cc zma) & as well as with the tactics but what do you achieve even though you WIN ?
Be Yourself, don’t get distracted by others noise and have a peaceful drive not the drag / Race
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I have karizma r that makes no noise when it is above 100, on the otherside my brother’s P220 makes noisy rev more than 100 a lot. I beleive P220 is really sexy like karizma. But I would say ZMA really stands top of it. Both are bold, big and ready to drag anytime anything. Luv both of “em.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Hi gags am going through a big prob there are lotzz of neww bikzzz out thrr am lokin forward to get a new bike i have PuLsAr150 the Life oFf the EngInE is SiMpLy SuPrb BuT 2 WeEkS ago my bro went and met with the accident and now the condition is out i have 2004 model the normal DTS-I guys and now the Bajaj Guys are Torchering me for some kind off a due god dam assholes are taking the history off 2006 were i have made all the payment but any way tats a faith,,,,I want some suggestion to change ma bike i am looking to upgrade to P220 or KariZma so here’s my email ID Folks hussainali2@hotmail.com plz let me know which one i shall go for thanks to read my REQUEST Thanks Regards ALI