Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Test Ride: Reader Review

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Test Drive Review

Why has the Bajaj Pulsar 135LS raced to 50,000 units in less than three months of it’s launch?

Here’s why. While Bajaj Pulsars are oh-so-common on Indian Roads, Indian motorcycle buyers are not yet tired of another Pulsar. This, because the underlying theme of the new Pulsar 135LS has been one of suave style with terrific performance to boot. By packaging a range of nifty features from the high end Pulsar 220, into the Pulsar 135 LS (Light Sports), Bajaj Auto has managed to produce a motorcycle that is already setting sales charts afire.

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Engine

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS boasts of a brand new 4 valve head, which is a first for its class, if you manage to forget the short lived Kinetic GF125. The 4 valve engine displaces 134.66cc engine operating on a 9.8:1 compression ratio and develops a maximum power of 13.5PS at 9000rpm. The engine pumps out a healthy 11.4Nm of max torque at 7500rpm. Forget these figures, what does all this technology mean to a man on the street like me? I can rev the engine harder than in other bikes because the 4 valve allows 2 valves for Intake of fuel and 2 valves for exhaust.

This enhances the engine’s performance at higher rpm making the eager revving engine feel sporty. I particularly liked this factor because, if someday I need to thrust myself on roads to reach my destination faster, I can whack the the throttle open wide and grin as the 135cc engine propels me faster and moe importantly, saves some valuable time. That said, Bajaj Auto must be encouraged for implementing more such new technologies in the future.

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Head Lamp Cowl: Styling and Design

If you’re still imagining the same old headlamp cowl with the twin pilot lamps of the Pulsars, You’re in for a pleasant surprise! The Pulsar 135LS comes with an all new headlamp cowl with a pair of airflow fabrics on the sides. This is an ultramodern headlight architecture that makes the design look more predatory. The indicators have pointy edges and the rear view mirrors are redesigned for larger rear views.

The wedged out glass fiber of the head lamp cowl looks way different from the Pulsar 135′s bigger brothers. The handlebar weights and all black wide angled front brake lever and clutch lever have been given a silverish finish, indeed a welcome change to break the monotony.

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Dash

The digital speedometer of Pulsar 135LS shows the battery icon at the bottom left corner with fuel meter sitting just above it. The big speedo digits are followed by trip meter, which can be reset by a round button below the odometer. The right end of the panel has all the Christmas lights which include the side light glow indicator, high beam indicator, low fuel indicator and a “N” indicating neutral.

The left side has round analog gauge showing rpm with red indications for rpms from 10000 and beyond. Usually, many bikes mark red indications starting from 8000 or 9000 rpm. Pulsar 135LS has a 4 valve engine, first of it’s kind that allows the rider to rev higher if the feels the urge for it.

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Side View

The split seats of Pulsar 135LS gives us clues that, it is positioned as a competitor to Honda’s Stunner. The rubber tank pads and the angular knee recesses adds to the sportiness of the bike. The leg guard is convex and curvy, guarding the rider as well as the bike’s chassis from scratches in case the bike’s sides kiss the road.

With the two-piece handlebars, I could comfortably tip the Pulsar 135LS into corners as well as ride comfortably in start stop traffic. I would wish for an adjustment on the handlebars though. The bike feels slim between the rider’s legs and the riding position is better than a Pulsar 150cc, and the relaxed riding position can even be compared to a Pulsar 220cc.

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Hind View

The Split Grab rail in this bike looks like it was pulled straight off a Pulsar 220. Pulsar 135LS is just 122Kg in weight, a fantastic 110.6PS per tonne power-to-weight ratio makes it sip less fuel and much more miles as a consequence.

The bike’s tubeless unidirectional MRF tyres (2.75 x 17 front and 100/90-17 at the rear) mounted on 17-inch alloy rims provides good traction. Stopping duties are handled by a 240mm disc at the front and a 130mm drum at the rear.

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Tail Lamps

Bajaj managed to redesign the tail lamp for this budget Pulsar bike by giving an all new twin lamps that glows attractively when I applied the brakes.

Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Rear Side

The rear wheel mud guard makes me remember the old Bullets, running as a C curve above the Rear Tyre. This, combined with the rising rear seat position merges the old and the new trends nicely. Pulsar 135LS struts with a confident swagger due to it’s contemporary styling.

Bajaj Pulsar 135 Bike Ride and Handling

Pushing it off the center stand and slipping into the slim saddle, I touched the electric start button. A low grunt from the engine made me press the gear lever to first gear and I started gliding on road. Although, the clutch lever pull is not as free as that on a Honda, it felt nicely weighted and I was easily able to shift gears even in lower speeds. The Pulsar 135LS astounded me when i was able to ride below 20 even in 5th gear even in a little uphill road-> real world benefits of a 4 valve head.

With me twisting the accelerator wide-open, I took a little less than 6 seconds to cross 60 kmph. The throttle response was good. But I did feel uncomfortable when downshifting gears as the bike did not obey me as I expected. The gearbox still retains the trademark notchiness that has plagued Pulsars, right from the very first versions. That said, finding neutral from first gear was not that difficult as the first gen Pulsar 180, which points to the fact that the gearbox quality has improved a great deal over the years.

Once I crossed the 90 kmph, I felt a few vibrations in handlebars and the engine was making a pronounced grunt. The top speed I recorded was nearly 113 kmph(+-5 for speedometer errors). The straight line road grip and braking was superb and confidence inspiring.Even with a pillion, I was able to come to stop from 60kmph to 0 within a safe and short distance. This bike changes trajectory with very little effort when you tilt for road corners. All the Pulsar genes are inherited in Pulsar 135LS.

Bajaj Pulsar 135cc Motorcycle Price

Ex-Showroom Price

Rs. 51783

R.T.O. Tax

Rs. 4853

1 Year Comp. Insurance

Rs. 1326

Essential Accessories

Rear View Mirrors

Leg Guard

Saree Guard

Sidestand

Rs.500

On-Road Price

Rs. 58462

Verdict

With the Pulsar 135LS, Bajaj proves once again that it’s magical Pulsar brand is a trend setter in the Indian two wheeler market. If you are a college guy who wants to reduce a little bit of your fuel budget, Pulsar 135LS bike is for you. If you are a salesman driving mostly in city traffic and little outskirts, this bike is for you. And if you are a conservative man seeking some light sports, Pulsar 135LS is definitely for you. In a nutshell, the Pulsar 135LS is a brilliant motorcycle, that has something to offer, for almost everyone.

Bajaj Pulsar 135 Road Test User Review: Photo Gallery

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Side Stickers

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Test Drive Review

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Head Lamp

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Red Side

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Longitudinal View

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Tail Lamps

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Tail Lamp Glow

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Digital Display

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Digital Display Light

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Chain set and Rear Side

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Clutch Cable

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Engine

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Engine Details

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Black Rear Side

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Digital Display High Beam Indication Image

: Bajaj Pulsar 135LS 4 Valve Engine

This review has been submitted by Aravindhan who is one of our regular reader. We thank him for taking time to write it up along with the pictures.

We invite all of you to share your views on any vehicle in the market. We will feature you on the blog and you might be lucky enough to win some cool “freebies” from us.

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February 25, 2010 | By Jay Prashanth · Tags: Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS Cost, Bajaj Pulsar 135cc Mileage, New Bajaj Pulsar 135 cc Top Speed, Pulsar 135cc User Review

Comments

4 Responses to “Bajaj Pulsar 135LS Test Ride: Reader Review”

umesh kushwaha on May 17th, 2010 4:53 pm

Pulser 135cc look dam good,but it engine sound is not so good,I think 4 value engine is not success.
Mir Sumon on October 30th, 2010 2:47 pm

xactly, 135 Engine Sound is very Boring, Ugly rather than Other Pulser/Discover.
vipin chandran on November 4th, 2010 9:41 am

am buy this bike 8months before, its pretty glamorous bike ,ihave already get 65 km/litre mileage,the one and only complaint i seen this bike is failure of automatic choke this cause starting trouble ,the rear height is too over this cause risky riding when carry older persons.
Chandru on November 22nd, 2010 3:24 pm

I bought this great bike 3 months back and it has been consistently performing well. When I was going to buy this one, I was bit confused as I heard this bike had lot of problems – electronic parts, gear shifting, etc, but i don’t see any issues so far. I think Bajaj has rectified all the defects in the latest version of P-135LS. I used to race my bike while starting and so it’s giving me around 55kmpl.

Moreover I like the starting/moving sound more in this bike.