Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z

The Pulsar NS400Z is the biggest and the most powerful Pulsar ever made. But it isn’t a new Pulsar. This motorcycle is based on the Dominar 400 platform, which is based on the KTM 390 Duke platform. This 400cc platform is quite old, and that’s why it made sense for Bajaj to make a Pulsar 400 because there’s barely any R&D cost and as a result, the pricing will be extremely attractive, which it is.

Usually, when a motorcycle is launched, it affects some bikes in its segment. With the Pulsar NS400Z, though, Bajaj has managed to go head-on with a lot of motorcycles belonging not only to the 400cc segment but also the 300cc class. But does it make sense to buy a 400cc Pulsar? Well, read on!

When the spy shots of the Pulsar NS400Z came out, there were a lot of negative comments around it, because it looked quite similar to the Pulsar NS200, which is a decade old. But once we saw the bike in person, we realised it is not a bad-looking motorcycle at all.

The bike has a lot of chunky panels all around and that gives a butch feeling. The front profile has good mass, thanks to the presence of a neatly designed LED headlamp and those fat USD fork tubes. From the side, the tank shrouds add a lot of meatiness to the bike. The fuel tank though, is largely reminiscent of the Pulsar NS 200 . Then there are things like the split seat, perimeter frame and not-so-new tail section that aren't that awe-inspiring.

The quality department has done a good job though. There’s some amount of finesse seen in the cycle parts and also in the paint. Bajaj has improved in this aspect over the years.

The streetfighter aspect of the Pulsar NS400Z is well taken care of. The single-piece handlebar is wide enough to have enough leverage on the road. The slightly rear-set footpegs are placed well for all kinds of riders and that large and wide rider’s seat can take a hefty rider like me quite well. Even the pillion seat is good enough for a 400cc motorcycle. The one thing we would have loved to have was better and larger rear view mirrors. The current ones work well, but the angular shape leads to a smaller vision area.

The Pulsar NS400Z gets its power from a 373cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled motor and this isn't a new engine. It has done duties on a few other Bajaj and KTM bikes. Being in the 400cc segment, the performance of this motor has to excite the riders, and in some ways it does. But the surge in power only comes post 4000rpm and the excitement stays till 7000rpm. Post that, there is a decent amount of vibrations. This engine doesn't feel strained at triple-digit speeds, but the vibes on the handlebar and the pegs play spoilsport. Having said that, the Pulsar NS400Z is fun to ride on the highways. I liked the bike's ability to stay stable at high speeds. In the city too, this Bajaj is quite friendly - thanks to the smooth and light clutch and decently distributed overall weight.

But when it comes to handling in the corners, the Pulsar NS400Z doesn't feel natural or communicative. I expected to have a 'fun' feeling but I was disappointed most of the time. I clearly remember how fun the Pulsar NS200 was, however, its 400cc version failed to excite me in that department.

The rest of the bits too, like the braking and suspension setup, didn’t excite me much. It feels as if not a lot of time was spent on getting the right performance out of it. The brakes, especially the front had poor feel, and that isn’t a great aspect to have on a 400cc bike. The rear brake offered progressive performance. The suspension on the other hand was a bit on the firmer side – something that shouldn’t be the case for a city bike. The minor undulations are taken care of, but this is a fast bike, and when you hit a decently sized pothole, the lower back takes in a lot of beating. The plushness from this setup is missing.

Firstly, the Pulsar NS400Z gets LED lights all over – the headlight, turn indicators and also the tail light. But the headlight now gets a projector lamp – which works quite well. The instrument cluster on this bike is new and shows a decent amount of information. It gets Bluetooth integration and that means turn-by-turn navigation comes as standard. Through this, you can handle calls and SMS, and also time the laps, in case you are the race track guy. The bike is also equipped with four riding modes – road, rain, off-road and sport. Dual-channel ABS is standard – something we see in most premium bikes these days.

With a fuel tank capacity of 12 litres and fuel efficiency of 34kmph, the Pulsar NS400 Z has a riding range of between 350kms and 400kms on a full tank.

With a price tag of Rs 1.85 lakh (ex-showroom), the Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z is possibly one of the most aggressively priced motorcycles in the history of the Indian motorcycle industry. It has not only undercut a lot of bikes in its segment but also lower-segment bikes like the TVS RTR 310.

The Pulsar NS400 Z is a neat-looking motorcycle. It offers great performance, and along with that, the feature list is quite rich too. Being a Bajaj product, the cost of servicing it will be lower as well. Yes, it doesn’t handle or brake like a 400cc should have. But when you look at the price, it is so difficult not to recommend this motorcycle. It is the most value-for-money Bajaj bike one can buy in India right now. You should too if you want good bang for your buck out of a 400cc sportsbike.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi