
Back in 2001, Bajaj gave India the shockingly good-looking Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 180, which took on the likes of Hero Honda’s CBZ and the TVS Fiero. And the Pulsar brought with it a lot of segment-first features. Nearly 18 years down the line, Bajaj has given the Pulsar a 125cc engine with power to match that of the 150’s. We shortlist a few important points about the Pulsar 125 Neon.
A 125cc Pulsar: Why?
Terrible policies have lead to a massive drop in sales. It started with the increase in insurance costs and lending crisis. When norms for CBS and ABS kicked in, prices increased and sales decreased. Thanks to the new government policy, all bikes and scooters with 125cc engines will have to feature CBS, while bikes above 150cc will have to come with ABS. A certain segment hasn’t been successful, which lead to shelving production of the Bajaj V12 while the Discover 125 hasn’t been doing well. By offering a 125cc version of the Pulsar, the company has been able to offer a more affordable CBS unit. This will also the brand breathe life into the segment once again.
Same face, fresh look
The Pulsar looks pretty much the same, as Bajaj bikes didn’t want development costs and time to shoot up. And the design of the Pulsar 150 has been used lure customers. But the Pulsar 125 Neon might have an impact on its larger-capacity sibling. It gets coloured stitching on the seat, while it gets some highlights on the headlight. The instrument console is part-digital and gets an amber backlight. The headlight is a 35-watt DC halogen lamp, which helps save costs. The sculpted tank has smaller capacity though. The badging on the tank, side panel and grab rail get a neon finish. It is sold in Neon Blue, Platinum Silver and Solar Red. It also boasts of a coloured streak on the rims. Up-front, it features a telescopic fork and twin Nitrox gas-charged springs with a 5-step adjustable preload at the back.
Let’s talk power
Power for the Pulsar 125 Neon comes from a 124.4cc, single-cylinder air-cooled DTS-i engine. It features 2 valves. It produces 11.6bhp and 11Nm of torque. The motor is paired to a 5-speed manual transmission. The engine features a counter-balancer that brings down vibration a fair bit, which helps when you’re going faster.
Pricing
Prices start at ₹ 64,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base variant, while the top-end variant costs ₹ 66,618 (ex-showroom, Delhi). There won’t be numerous variants of the bike, but we’re certain this one is going to be popular. Also, read the latest bike comparisons, only at autoX.