Bajaj Pulsar NS200 Review: Top 5 Key Takeaways

We spent time riding Bajaj's long-running street naked, and if you're looking to read a quick review of the Bajaj Pulsar NS200, here are the top 5 key takeaways from our expert rider’s perspective:

Strong at speed, but needs more grunt in the city

• The 199cc engine, built in partnership with KTM, is the Pulsar NS200's biggest selling point. It puts out 24.5PS and 18.74Nm, and most of that power arrives once you're higher up in the rev range.

• This means you’ll have to work the transmission to keep the momentum going at low speeds as the low and mid-range grunt isn’t as strong. But on the flipside, it feels at home on the highway. The temperatures are kept in check thanks to liquid-cooling, and the bike also cruises at triple-digit speeds effortlessly. 

Sharp handling, but the brakes need more bite

• This is a genuinely sporty bike to ride. A lightweight chassis, well-tuned suspension and precise steering make it easy to flick from one corner to the next, and it stays nimble and agile even in city traffic.

• Up front you get a USD fork, and the rear gets a preload-adjustable monoshock. Bajaj has tuned this suspension well for Indian road conditions, and it holds up even with a pillion on board.

• Braking comes from a 300mm disc at the front and a 230mm disc at the rear, with dual-channel ABS as standard. The one letdown is that the front end feels jittery under hard braking and doesn't inspire as much confidence.

Sporty looks, but it’s starting to show its age

• The Pulsar NS200 still carries its aggressive, sporty naked bike styling, with sharp tank shrouds and a new all-LED setup that makes it look more appealing than before.

• The Pulsar fans will love it as it still looks unmistakably familiar. 

• However, if you’re not keen on old-school design, then you’ll feel its age 

• It comes in four colour options: Cocktail Wine Red White, Glossy Ebony Black, Metallic Pearl White and Pewter Grey Blue.

A practical feature set, with one small miss

• You get an aggressive LED headlight with DRLs, a Bluetooth-enabled LCD console with turn-by-turn navigation, and dual-channel ABS for safety.

• The console displays a gear position indicator, distance to empty, real-time mileage and average fuel economy, so it covers the essentials well.

• While it is useful and packed with lots of information, we still liked the older-gen’s analogue-digital console with the analogue tachometer. That really brought out the sporty intent of the bike. 

Comfortable for the rider, not so much for the pillion

• At 807mm, the seat height is low enough to make the Pulsar NS200 accessible for shorter riders.

• The split seat setup is on the firmer side for both rider and pillion, though the rider's seat stays comfortable even on long-distance rides.

• The pillion doesn't get the same experience. The positioning of the pillion footpegs, combined with the firm seat, makes it tough to sit comfortably on longer trips.

• The raised clip-on handlebar and rear set pegs give the NS200 a slightly leaned-forward, sporty riding posture, but without putting too much strain on your wrists or back.

All in all, the Pulsar NS200 is a great option if you prioritise performance at an affordable price point. It massively undercuts its Austrian sibling, the KTM 200 Duke, and even the smaller-engined Yamaha MT-15 V2. That kind of bang for the buck is hard to match, if you ask us.