I ask for advice from my trusted mechanic for a 150 C.C bike from the models available right now in India
I am in Bangalore now to join a software company (what else..??). The first thing I do is take my bike (a Yamaha RX100) which has been lying around idle at my friend's place for the last 5 months for servicing. I take it to my trusted mechanic "Raymond", whom I used to visit before I left Bangalore for my MBA.
Just to know his opinion, I tell him that I am thinking of a 4 stroke 150 C.C for myself and ask for his advice on which model should I go for..
Here is the conversation for you:
"The Pulsar isn't very good in quality compared to the Honda bikes.."
Me: Raymond, I am thinking for getting a new 150 C.C bike for myself. Which one do you suggest..??
Raymond: Is mileage your top priority?
Me: No Raymond, a 40-45 km/l for me will do. I want a 150 C.C with decent performance and quality. (If I wanted mileage, wouldn't I have gone for a 100 or 125 C.C bike??)
Raymond: Go for the Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme or the Honda Unicorn.
Me: What about the Pulsar 150 DTSi?
Raymond: The Pulsar isn't very good in quality compared to the Honda bikes.
Me: What about the TVS Apache?
Raymond: Well, you can try it out too. According to me it's quality is decent.
Raymond promises to have my RX100 ready by the next day. I leave Raymond's Garage thinking about his advice.
"I could make out why many guys must have gone for the Pulsar. Its like falling in love with a Hottie..!!"
Being someone whose trade is to sercive motorcycles daily, I cannot doubt Raymond's opinion. But then I wonder, if the Pulsar hasn't been that great in quality, then how come it has sold more numbers than the 150 C.C models of TVS or Honda..? and that too consistently for over 5-6 years..?? How did it become the biggest brand in Colombia beating the Japanese brands..??
At that very moment a Blue 150 C.C Pulsar DTSi UGIII overtook me. I could not help but admire at the form of the bike. A minute later I see another Black Pulsar UGIII, this time a 180 C.C.
Although I am not exactly planning to buy a 150 C.C, I could make out why those guys must have gone for the Pulsar.
Its like falling in love (infatuation, if you may say so) with a Hottie..!! When you see one, all you care is to be with her at all costs. Maybe flaunt her in front of your friends and hope to make them jealous. It dosen't matter whether she is a bad cook or has a volatile temper. It's like being a teenager once again.
Is this the reason why there are so many Pulsars on ever corner of almost every city of India..??
"The initial period is like a Honeymoon. But what after that..??"
They say
"Love is Blind", well I don't really subscribe to that completely. According to me
"Love overlooks the faults and concentrates on the positives".
The initial period is like a Honeymoon. But what after that..??
Let me give the Testimonies of two of my friends who were Pulsar owner's:
- During my MBA I had a classmate Akash Rana who is from Haryana. Akash is a bike enthusiast. He owned a "Classic" Pulsar 150 (the initial non-DTSi model) back home. He accepted that the quality of his bike was far from perfect but he loved the way his bike made him feel and used to narrate fond memories of his rides on his bike.
- I met another friend of mine Anuj Agarwal, based in Bangalore now and an entrepreneur. He had a Pulsar DTSi (Non-alloy version) for three years. He said that after three years, he wasn't very satisfied with his bike.
Both Akash and Anuj had now sold off their Pulsars but for different reasons.Akash like a true lover chose to concentrate on the positives while Anuj expected more his Pulsar in terms of reliability and wasn't happy when his expectations weren't met.
"The only true Bike Lovers I can think of in India are owners of the Royal Enfield Bullet and Rajdoot-Yamaha RD350"
The only true Bike Lovers I can think of in India are owners of the Royal Enfield Bullet and Rajdoot-Yamaha RD350. Their bikes aren't the last word in reliability. You can't expect the Bullet or the RD350 to always respond to your whims. Those bikes have to be maintained with the kind of love and attention you would shower on a baby. It is difficult to explain the kind of loyal fan following both these bikes still command.
So is the Pulsar building a community of Bike Enthusiasts similar to those of the Bullet and RD350..?? The many Pulsar Clubs in India and also in foreign countries like
Colombia and
Indonesia might just prove this.
Back in India just check out the internet biking forums and Orkut Communities.. there are numerous bikers who are Bajaj fans. But surprisingly, many of them don't even own a bike..!!
The Pulsar might have given birth to many a bike enthusiast but there will always be a sizeable number of prospective bikers who would be looking for a hassle free ownership and expecting a good quality and trouble free product.
Just for the sake of those bikers I hope that Bajaj makes a product which is comparable, maybe even better than the Honda bikes.
Till then maybe the average biker should pay heed to "Raymond's" advice.
By the way I forgot to tell you that Raymond rides a Royal Enfield Bullet when he goes touring across the country with his biker friends.
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.
