So, as we know, recently the Bajaj Pulsar 220F got discontinued. But let us look at the bike first, because there is a reason why this bike was such a huge success and why Indians loved it so much. Bajaj Pulsar 220F. The “Indian” sports bike. The average Indian’s interpretation of a sports bike for a normal life. The sports bike for the masses and the common Indians. “The fastest Indian” or so Bajaj says. Well, what made it so special? What made Indians like it so much? I will explain that in this blog post.
So, I have already given the hint to you before. Wait, I will make it easy for you. What do Indians love most? Yes, practicality! Now, this machine was built to be PRACTICAL AND SPORTY AT THE SAME TIME! That is the key reason why Indians loved it so much. I will explain that, let us talk about the looks first, because in India the looks are the most important. Looks wise, it is very much a Bajaj Pulsar. It has that overdone and sharp, muscular stance, that analog-digital instrument cluster that says that “Back off, ‘cause I’m the real deal” and also that dual stripe taillight. It has a semi-fairing, or you can say a half or a partial fairing, so you get the super-sport/sport-bike look that will remind you of your dream superbike like the R1 or the ZX-10R, but it isn’t too extreme or smooth. It doesn’t attract as much attention as the orange KTM or a Hayabusa, but it’ s enough to impress your girlfriend or make your friends jealous. So that sums up the looks, but what makes it such a good option for Indians who want practicality as well? First, the price. The bike was surprisingly so cheap to buy and also, it was very cheap to maintain. This is because the bike had a simple engine that did not require heavy maintenance and not a race-ready, high compression engine like the one seen in a KTM bike. Nothing much to talk about in the engine, it just had a 2-valve head and oil-cooling, unlike a 4-valve head and liquid cooling seen in single-cylinder sport bikes like the KTMs or the Yamaha R15. Another factor that made maintenance cheap is that the plastic parts of the fairing were cheap and because of the way the fairing was made, it would not break when it would fall in a crash like the fragile parts on KTMs. It was a semi-fairing so you also, don’t have to deal with many panels and since there wasn’t any fairing coverage at the engine area, the heat, instead of getting trapped, gets dissipated easily and you don’t feel any engine heating whatsoever, even in the heaviest city traffic, which is so unlike KTMs or any big sports bike for that matter. It also reduces labor costs as you do not have to remove the fairing and the panels to fix the engine and etc. Impressed? Do you see where I am going with this? Wait, there is more to talk about! This bike was one of the first to get a projector headlamp. This made visibility on Indian roads easy. It is important as our roads can be dangerous at times, especially at night. This motorcycle is also one of the first to get a disc brake setup, which was not as sharp as those of the KTM Duke 390 that it will pull meaningless stoppies, but was a better and safer braking system than what was seen in other commuter motorcycles, which had drum brakes, because in the end it had to be a good commuter. The riding position is not overly committed like the R15 or the RC200. It is extremely comfortable and an almost upright riding position. So, when you go with your friends on a ride, they will show off their R15 and RC200 at first, but after the ride, they will be looking for something to rest their back and groan in pain whereas you might be smiling after a good, comfortable ride. Another reason for its practicality is the seat. It is wide and comfortable, and the pillion seat is not on the 15th floor, like you see in the R15 or the RC200. Forget your friends and girlfriend, you will even be able to carry your mom on the pillion seat comfortably, even if she wears a full sari and sits sideways! Hell, people can and even have carried gas cylinders and groceries on this bike! It is so utilitarian! When we see the switchgear, we get pulsar-style backlit switchgear and auto-cancelling turn indicators which make it practical and more premium as well. Because the earlier mentioned switchgear feature might sound unimportant, but they are practical, and rarely found in other bikes even today! So, that gives it a unique touch in comparison with other fully-faired motorcycles. Now, what makes the engine so special and practical. By now, you might be thinking after reading my description that its just another commuter-friendly engine, and not that much fun and engaging, like “Meh!” and you might be right but if that’s your final verdict then you are dead wrong, pal! The engine might be just making around 20 odd horsepower, but just give it some throttle and it will push you back with a brutal sway or immense torque that will make you feel as excited as a person riding the Duke 390 for the first time! The bike will laugh in the same way was the Duke 390. Enough creative writing, let me explain. You see, engines in superbikes have their maximum power in the top end of the rev range. Which means, that at low rpms, like 2-3000, the engine has hardly any power so it feels dead and it feels that the engine is barely just keeping the bike in motion and nothing else. The engine really comes alive when you go past 6-7000 rpm, but by then its too late. The engine will show its maximum power and the bike will pull so hard and go so fast so quickly that the average Indian will not be able to handle it and it will warp your sense of speed, like if you accelerate a Suzuki Hayabusa it will increase speed so quickly that after 2 seconds you might think you are doing 100 but you are doing 120 km/h. Now, for the average Indian, this is a scary situation and there is a 99 percent chance he will be in serious trouble. Now, I am not saying that inexperienced riders in India will ride big bikes without concern because even the Yamaha R15 and the RS200 have peaky power delivery. The only concern is not the danger but also that it makes it difficult to use in stop-and-go traffic and in city conditions. In city streets you need low-end torque to make your riding a pleasant experience. The 220F, has a lot of it. The immense well of brutal low-end torque, makes the 220F really tractable in city conditions and also, gives it the feel of a fast sports bike and that adrenaline rush and that sudden increase in speed that people associate with sports bikes. Now, another important thing that made the bike so practical in the Indian sense, was the fuel efficiency and tank range, something that Indians give a lot of importance to. It had a huge fuel tank of 15 liters! This gave it around 600 kilometers of tank range and 40 km/l of fuel efficiency! Amazingly fuel efficient!
So, according to me, this is what made the 220F such a legend and this is why Indians loved it so much. It fulfilled its purpose of being India’s practical superbike for Indians and it was worth it. After all, Hondas are for nice people but this is a nice bike for Pulsar-loving people, who are not there to be nice but are there to ride enthusiastically.
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