(Click on the images for full size view)

Photos taken by Aryan @ Xbhp.com . Please get permission from him before using these photos .

]]> http://blog.neo999.com/auto-expo-08-bajaj-pulsar-220-dtsfi-chrome-and-black-version/feed/ 74 http://blog.neo999.com/auto-expo-08-bajaj-discover-150/ http://blog.neo999.com/auto-expo-08-bajaj-discover-150/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:15:53 +0000 nEo http://blog.neo999.com/auto-expo-08-bajaj-discover-150/ Bajaj unleashed two new pure desi bikes in Auto expo.Discover 150 and XCD Sprint.

Discover 150 styling is just OK.Tried to make it aggressive. But to me, it looks like overdone. But , what about pulsar 150 now? Are they going to stop the production? Or following herohonda by confusing customers with more than one model with same engine capacity. Engine is 150 cc 14.1PS @ 8500r.p.m(ie. 12.3 NM @ 6500r.p.m) which makes it clear that Discover 150 is a commuter friendly 150cc bike

Photos taken by MG_Biker180 (xbhp) .Posted with Permission.Please get permission from the original photographer before copying the pic.

The XCD Sprint was rumored to sport 4 valve head. And it is!! Yes. The XCD has a
4 valve 12.5PS @ 9000r.p.m Engine. (ie. 10.3NM@ 6500r.p.m) . Detailed post will follow soon…

Speedo Console

Tail – Thats Unique!

Photos taken by MG_Biker180 (xbhp) .Posted with Permission.Please ask permission from the original photographer before copying the pic.

]]> http://blog.neo999.com/auto-expo-08-bajaj-xcd-sprint/feed/ 45 http://blog.neo999.com/two-strokes-may-strike-back-bajaj-again/ http://blog.neo999.com/two-strokes-may-strike-back-bajaj-again/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:04:52 +0000 nEo http://blog.neo999.com/two-strokes-may-strike-back-bajaj-again/ Another new attempt to take share of the two wheeler market by Bajaj Auto ! They are planning to re-introduce two stroke bikes in Indian Market. First of all Two strokes are all about higher torque , faster pickup and better vehicle stability due to the smaller engine.Then, why any company is not selling two stroke bikes in india? The reason is the strict(Yes it is! Emission norms are strict in India compared to many developed countries) emission norms in India. Two strokes are notorious for the pollution it creates. But what made Bajaj to introduce two strokes again in a country with such strict restrictions? Its the GDi . GDi stands for Gasoline Direct Injection . The technology is superior with increased mileage and substantially less emission compared to older two strokes. This technology was invented 60 years back during World War 2 to use in war planes. Later it was developed and polished by giants like Bosh and even Mercs for four stroke car engines.

The benefits of direct injection are even more pronounced in two-stroke engines, because it eliminates much of the pollution they cause. In conventional two-strokes, the exhaust and intake ports are both open at the same time, at the bottom of the piston stroke. A large portion of the fuel/air mixture entering the cylinder from the crankcase through the intake ports goes directly out, unburned, through the exhaust port. With direct injection, only air comes from the crankcase, and fuel is not injected until the piston rises and all ports are closed.

Bajaj has already launched Three wheelers with GDi engine .The engine also meets the stringent emission norms with 50% lower carbon monoxide ((CO) and 25% lower hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides (HC+NOx) .

As said in economic times by a senior Bajaj Auto executive -

“It is a big leap in the two-stroke technology and we are working to get it on our bikes and other two-wheelers. The gasoline direct injection (GDi) engine has substantially lower emissions than even alternate clean fuels like CNG and LPG. Additionally, it has lower operating costs than four-stroke technology that currently dominates the bike market.”

Bajaj Auto is likely to customize the GDi technology for its two-wheeler products in the next few months. The two-stroke engine had been a success in the past due to its higher torque (power), faster pickup and better vehicle stability due to the smaller engine. In GDi technology, the fuel is injected through a common rail fuel line directly into the engine’s combustion chamber where it is completely burnt unlike the conventional carburettor-run two-stroke engine which leaves out unburnt fuel and results in higher emission.

If that happens, i am sure that we still have a large section of youth who loves to hear that two stroke sound! Count me also!

The alliance with KTM covers joint development of street bikes for both Indian and overseas markets and will complement Bajaj Auto’s efforts to hammer out a deal with another European motorcycle brand, Triumph.

- Economic Times

is generally a dirt/offroad bike maker , and if bajaj successfully allies with Triumph, we may see another face of Bajaj with dirt and power bikes.Already strong in Indonesia and Brazil , Bajaj is now eying European Market.So , now Bajaj can sell KTM bikes here as well as KTM will promote Bajaj bikes in Europe and US. We have to wait and see how our Pulsars will be treated by Europeans.

The supposed Model to be launched here : “Mika Kallio KTM 125″ an 125 cc road bike.

 The bike looks aggressive and is a hot selling model in EU. The price will be a question. Even though its 125 cc , the price will be above 80ks

Err..I was sure that it will be another hoax! And seeing the picture of so called BajajPulsar 300cc , i confirmed it. But i should say , it really looks great even though its a photoshopped image.

Pulsar 300 Fake

Currently there are many versions of these photoshopped images claiming that they are pulsar 300cc.

Currently Bajaj has no ‘Official’ Plans to release a 300cc Version of Pulsar Series.Who ever started this hoax by editing this picture , i admire him for his creativity.

]]> http://blog.neo999.com/pulsar-300/feed/ 93 http://blog.neo999.com/bajaj-auto-to-increase-ad-spent/ http://blog.neo999.com/bajaj-auto-to-increase-ad-spent/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2007 05:02:04 +0000 nEo http://blog.neo999.com/tech/bajaj-auto-to-increase-ad-spent/ Two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto is betting big on ad campaigns and is pushing up the budget, starting with its new 200 cc Pulsar motorcycle on whose promotion it has spent Rs 1-2 crore.

“The company’s overall promotional budget for 2007 will go up by 20-25 per cent as compared to that of last year’s. We have spent between Rs 1-2 crore on Pulsar’s new advertisement,” Bajaj Auto Marketing General Manager Amit S Nandi said here today.

Bajaj, which sold 39,675 units in 2006-07, would have a production capacity of 3.5 million bikes by 2007-08, he said.

The company, which claims to have 60 per cent market share in 150 cc and above segment, is coming up with an executive bike by next quarter. “The new bike will be in 100-150 cc range and will be priced in the affordable segment,” Nandi said.

The 200 cc bike, which was launched in the country in February, would soon be exported by the year end. “The export of the new Pulsar should happen this year itself,” he said.

When asked about the expected sales of the 200 cc bike, targeted at 18-24 year age group, he said, “The growth in sale might be good but not exponential.”

The 200 cc targets metropolitan markets and the northern part of the country, he said. Bajaj’s 200 cc new advertisement has been shot in Malaysia but given a Latin American look.

Admitting that sales in 100 cc segment had slowed down in March, Nandi said, “Sales in 125 cc have been good but not in 100 cc. But still we are not planning to exit the 100 cc market at present.”

Bajaj has already indicated that it would gradually exit from the 100 cc segment due to lower margins. With Monday’s price cut, it would be taking rival Hero Honda head on.

By July, the company plans to roll out a new motorcycle in the executive category, priced around Rs 40,000, said Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, BAL. He said the company would go all out to move customers from the 100-cc segment to a new segment.

The company on Monday inaugurated its Uttarakhand plant with a capacity to manufacture one-million bikes. The unit has been set up at an investment of Rs 700 crore, of which Rs 550 crore were invested by its vendors. Platina will be the first off this plant. “This plant is a global model, which we plan to replicate overseas,” said Mr Bajaj.
Bajaj’s Pant Nagar plant, built on 30 acres, out of the 65 acres owned by the company, has a planned capacity of one million motorcycles, which can be expanded to three million. The company has directly invested only Rs 150 crore in this plant, translating into an investment of a mere Rs 1,500 per vehicle.

The plant will be supported by 16 auto component vendors who have set up dedicated facilities around the plant. As part of a pioneering manufacturer-vendor partnership, a part of the land allocated to Bajaj has been taken up by the vendors to set up facilities.

This partnership will see manufacturing and supply of key components, including speedometers from Pricol, front fork and suspension from Endurance, lighting systems from Lumax, plastic and electrical components from Varroc, control switches and ignition systems from the Minda group and frames from JBM.

Bajaj doesnt want to break 200′s market by releasing Pulsar 220 nation wide , and they are releasing 220 in limted numbers to keep people waiting for it and not go to HH showroom for ZMA. This kind of strategy took them way long since they launched calliber(1999) . Visually the only difference i can make out is that the saree gaurd is black compared to white ones in the first batch. But personally i think that they ‘may’ have changed something technically inside the engine/gear/console/electricals/Fi system from the feed back they got from the first lot bikes. Lets wait for another first hand review !

P ics :

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  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 5’10”)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  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