Bajaj Pulsar RS200

The Bajaj Pulsar RS200 stands out as the faired sibling of the popular Bajaj Pulsar NS200. The bike features a unique design, with twin projector headlights and an overall aggressive look. The relaxed ergonomics also make it quite accessible for most riders. Recently, the brand gave the bike a lot more features as part of the 2025 update. But is it enough to keep it relevant in the market?

• The Bajaj Pulsar RS200 looks amazing and there’s no denying this. What I personally love the most is the twin-projector headlight setup and overall aggressive looks. This makes the bike feel like a higher capacity motorcycle and not just a regular 200cc sports tourer.

• The tail section also looks quite good now thanks to the 2025 update. Earlier, the bike had a larger taillight which I found to be a bit odd-looking. Overall, Bajaj has done a really good job tweaking the design and making the bike look a lot better.

The Bajaj Pulsar RS200 is powered by a 199.6cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine which outputs 24.5PS and 18.7Nm. The power and performance is quite good and the bike does offer a really exciting riding experience, similar to the Bajaj Pulsar NS200. 

City Performance 

• During my rides in the city, the Pulsar RS200 never felt lacking. Riding at lower speeds in higher gears is possible thanks to the tractable nature of the motor, this made a big difference during my time spent with it in the city.

• The engine is also quite easy going, and I never felt intimidated by the power and torque it had. Where the engine really shines is when you push it above 7,000rpm, and the motor feels like a different beast altogether. 

• During my rides in the city, the bike had enough torque to execute quick overtakes. So I didn’t have to worry about planning my overtakes early on. 

Highway Performance 

• The Pulsar RS200 with its good power and performance managed to impress me quite a bit. The bike can easily cruise at highway speeds of 80 to 90kmph without any issue. The engine also feels quite refined, with very little vibrations present, except for a slight buzz around the 5000 to 6000rpm range.

Handling & Braking

• The Bajaj Pulsar RS200 is quite a good handler and it feels really stable in corners. During my ride, I was able to flick the bike around from one corner to another without much effort. This also makes it quite good on the track as well.

• Riding the bike in city traffic is also quite easy thanks to the agile and nimble nature. During my ride, I was able to cut through traffic without much trouble. 

• The brakes are decent and bring the bike to a halt quickly, but one issue I’ve encountered is with the ABS intervention. The ABS ends up cutting in a bit too quickly when applying the brakes with slightly more force. This is a bit annoying but overall, not a major deal breaker.

Suspension & Ride Quality

• The bike doesn't manage to soak up larger bumps and undulations on the road, but it can handle the smaller ones. This is because the suspension is set towards the stiffer side. So the ride quality is not exactly the best.

• That said, the bike feels quite stable when cornering so this is a fair trade off, for relatively poor ride quality.

When it comes to comfort, the Pulsar RS200 manages to offer slightly more relaxed and upright ergonomics when compared to other supersports. This makes the bike a lot more accessible to riders who want the supersport look and feel without the uncomfortable sitting posture.

Rider Comfort

• When it comes to rider comfort, the raised clip-on handlebars manage to put the rider in a relaxed riding posture. The bike is quite comfortable overall, and I didn’t feel stressed when riding in the city. Usually with supersports, the biggest issue is that the committed riding posture puts a lot of pressure on your wrists if you’re not sitting properly.

• The bike also has enough space on the seat to allow you to move a bit back and tuck in yourself. This allows for a more sporty riding posture, which will make a big difference when riding in the twisties or the track. Overall, the RS200 has done a pretty good job getting the ergonomics right.

Pillion Comfort

• The Pulsar RS200 has a decently sized pillion seat. The seat overall is not the most comfortable one, and it feels a bit stiff. In terms of pillion comfort, the Pulsar RS200 is not exactly the best.

Convenience 

• When it comes to features, the 2025 Bajaj Pulsar RS200 has a negatively-lit LCD console. The console offers smartphone connectivity and related bits like call/SMS alerts and turn-by-turn navigation. The turn-by-turn navigation bit is quite useful and it really helped me when I was traveling to new parts of town, which I hadn’t visited before.

Safety

• The Pulsar RS200 gets dual-channel ABS but the main issue with it is the sensitive nature. The ABS kicks in when you are trying to brake with slightly more force than usual. This is really annoying and I’ve had cases where the ABS intervention messed up my braking.

The bike manages to get a lot of things right, be it performance, features and styling. But overall, the bike hadn’t received a real update since launch and Bajaj just seems to be doing the bare minimum to keep the bike relevant. As part of the 2025 update, the bike did get a new console and a bit of features but missed out on an inverted fork which now the Pulsar NS200 gets as standard.

if you are looking for a simple sports tourer, which has relaxed riding ergonomics and good looks then the Pulsar RS200 is worth considering. But otherwise, there are better offerings in the market. The bike comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs 1,84,115 (ex-showroom).

Hero Karizma XMR 210

• Reasons to consider - Better performance and good features compared to the RS200

• Reasons to Ignore -  Doesn't really stand out and the design feels a bit lacking

Suzuki Gixxer SF 250

• Reasons to consider - Good looks and well refined engine 

• Reasons to ignore - Performance might is not as good as the Pulsar RS200 or Karizma XMR 210