16 Pulsar 135LS Review [Part II] What's so special about the Pulsar 135LS?

What’s so special about the Pulsar 135LS..??

The "LS" in the name stands for "Light Sports", and that exactly is what makes this baby Pulsar special.

Light: Being Light in weight provides a good power to weight ratio:

The bike weights just 122 Kgs with fuel and engine oil. A massive 21 kgs lesser the Pulsar 150 and other 150 cc bikes as well. It means that the 13.5 Ps generated by the engine is not wasted in hauling more of the dead weight of the bike. This gives the Pulsar 135LS a power to weight ratio that is even better than the Pulsar 150, Unicorn, CBZ Xtreme, Hunk, FZ-16, Fazer (any of the current air-cooled 150 cc bikes)..!!

Sports: 4 Valve per cylinder engine with DTS-i (Digital Twin Sparkplug Ignition) engine provides Sports bike like performance.

What’s a 4 Valve per cylinder engine and what is its benefit?

After tasting first blood with the Pulsar 135LS, I just can't wait to ride bigger Pulsars with a 4 Valve head..!!

The Pulsar 135LS is the first bike from an Indian bike manufacturer to feature a 4 valves per cylinder layout. In a 4 valve single cylinder engine, there are 2 valves to let in the "air + fuel" mixture and another 2 to let out the exhaust gases. A very simple analogy would be: Imagine if you have 4 nostrils to breathe instead of 2. This would mean that we would be able to suck in more amount of air and expel more air and that too faster whenever we would need it most, that is while running hard.

Almost all the bikes manufacturer in India has the 2 Valve per cylinder layout. In a 2 valve engine, the "air + fuel" mixture is fed into the cylinder via one intake valve and the second valve lets out the exhaust gases after the combustion. Most normal riding, these basic 2 valves per cylinder layout is more than enough as in day to day riding one will rarely rev the bike to its limit like on a sports bike. International super sports bikes like the Yamaha R1, Honda CBR 1000RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000 etc. all feature the 4 valves per cylinder layout.

In a 4 valve single cylinder engine, the engine can suck in more "air + fuel" mixture and also expel the exhaust gases at a faster rate. It means that the engine will perform better at higher revs and allow you to rev it higher. The DTS-i engine further ensures that the fuel is burnt optimally and efficiently.


Are there any drawbacks of a 4 Valves per cylinder engine?

The now extinct Kinetic – Hyosung GF125/170 were bikes that first came with the 4 valve per cylinder layout

Currently the Yamaha R15 and the Ninja 250R are the bikes with the same layout

The high end performance definitely improves in a 4 valve engine, but as a trade-off the low end grunt of the engine tends comes down a little bit. This is the reason why the Yamaha R15 and the Pulsar 135LS seem to have less pickup at slow speeds.

To overcome this, the engine can be designed where the stroke is shorter than the bore of the engine cylinder. This is done so that the engine can be revved faster. The other solution could be and which the Bajaj R&D has resorted to in the pulsar 135LS, is to make the Stroke longer than the Bore of the engine. This improves the torque at low engine revs to potter around town and therefore be rewarded by good fuel efficiency. And when in a sporty mood, one needs to rev the engine hard and benefit from the 4 valves per cylinder layout.


But why am I so excited with the Pulsar 135LS..?? Haven't I ridden better and faster bikes than it..??

I have in fact ridden faster and more exciting bikes than the Pulsar 135LS. But the reason for my excitement is that, if the Pulsar 135LS is the shape of things to come from the Pulsar stables (read: faster, lighter, sharper handling).. I just can't wait for the future.

After tasting first blood (of the 4 Valve engine) with the Pulsar 135LS, I just can't wait to ride the bigger Pulsars with a 4 Valve head..!!

Pulsar 135 LS: Price

Rs. 51,000 (Ex-showroom Delhi)


Colors:

• Passion Red


• Midnight Black

Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS Specifications:

Engine Type: 4 stroke, air cooled, 4-valve, single cylinder, SOHC, DTS-i
Displacement: 13.66cc
Max Power: 13.5Ps @ 9000rpm
Max Torque: 11.4Nm @ 7500rpm
Bore x Stroke: 54 x 58.8
Compression Ratio: 9.8:1

Gear Box: 5 Speed (Pattern- 1 Down, 4 Up)
Starting: Kick + self start

Front Suspension: Telescopic front fork with antifriction bush (Stroke 130)
Rear Suspension: Trailing arm with Co Axial Hydraulic cum gas filled adjustable shock absorbers and triple rate coil spring

Front tyre: Tubetype Unidirectional 2.75 x 17″
Rear tyre: Tubetype Unidirectional 100/90 x 17″

Front Brakes: 240 mm Disc Brakes
Rear Brakes: 130 mm Drum Brakes

Fuel Tank: 8 liters, 2.5 liter reserve (1.6 liter usable)
Headlamp: 35/35w
Electricals: Full DC

Wheelbase: 1325mm
Ground clearance: 170mm
Kerb Weight: 122 kgs

Related Posts

• Whats so Special about the Yamaha YZF-R15..?? [Jan 2008]



• Test Ride Review of the Yamaha R15..!! [Nov 2008]



• Test Ride/Review of 2008 Yamaha Gladiator Type-SS [Feb 2008]



• Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTSi Vs Hero Honda Hunk Vs Honda Unicorn Vs TVS Apache RTR 160: Which is the Best 150 cc..?? [Dec 2007]

Disclaimer:

This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.