Bajaj has recently introduced ABS in its highly popular 150cc offering – the Pulsar 150 Twin Disc. Just like other brands, Bajaj is also making all of its above-125cc models compliant with the new safety norm which will come into effect from 1 April 2019. After the addition of the safety net, the price of the bike has gone up by Rs 7328 and now, the Pulsar 150 Twin Disc ABS costs Rs 87,226. In a similar price range, there are several other motorcycles from which the Pulsar 150 faces stiff competition. Let’s check them out.
Starting with the same brand, Bajaj offers the Pulsar 220F at Rs 10,000 premium over the Pulsar 150 Twin Disc ABS’s pricing. The motorcycle is adorned with a sporty half fairing on the front and projector headlamp while the rest of the design is same as the Pulsar 150. Powered by a 220cc, single cylinder, air-cooled motor, the Pulsar 220F churns out 21bhp and 19Nm of torque. It also comes in an ABS version which retails at Rs 1.05 lakhs.
The Hero Xtreme 200R is also quite similar to the Pulsar 150 Twin Disc ABS in terms of pricing as it retails at Rs 91,600. It packs in a bigger 199.6cc, air-cooled, carburetor motor and produces 18.1bhp and 17.1Nm. If you are willing to pay Rs 4,000 more than the Xtreme 200R, you can buy the fuel-injected version of the TVS Apache RTR 160 4V which takes design cues from its elder sibling and also gets a fully-digital instrument cluster. Its 159.7cc, oil-cooled engine pumps out 16.3bhp and 14.8Nm of torque. However, at the same price, TVS itself offers the 2019 Apache RTR 180 which gets dual-channel ABS and a bigger 177cc motor that is good for 17.3bhp and 15.5Nm. The Apache RTR 160 4V hasn’t received ABS yet.
Coming to Honda, the Japanese brand offers two motorcycles in this price range, the CB Hornet 160R and the X-Blade. While the ABS version of the former is priced at Rs 92,640, the latter comes for Rs 89, 437. Both the bikes are powered by the same 162.71cc engine but the Hornet makes more power at 15.04bhp and 14.76Nm while the X-Blade produces 13.9bhp and 13.9Nm. Moreover, Suzuki also has a pair of bikes in naked and fully-faired avatar including the Gixxer and the Gixxer SF, respectively. Both bikes generate 14bhp and 14Nm from their 155cc powerplant. The ABS versions of the Gixxer and Gixxer SF are retailed at Rs 90,135 and Rs 98,863, respectively.
With a slight bump in budget, one can consider Yamaha which has new products in store, the FZ V 3.0 and the FZ S V 3.0. With subtle styling differences, both models are powered by a 149cc motor that makes 13bhp and 12.8Nm. While the standard bike carries a price tag of Rs 95,000, the S version is Rs 2,000 more expensive.
