Excellence unmatched!

The modern hardware on the Pulsar AS 200 makes it excel in almost every department, which the dated Karizma and Pulsar 220F find hard to match up to, says Indian motoring website MotorBeam.

The Hero Karizma and Bajaj Pulsar have been at loggerheads since 12 years now and the way we see it they are destined to do this forever. In MotorBeam's latest shootout, we decided to bring these old rivals back to contention as we pit the Karizma R and ZMR against the Pulsar 220F and its newest sibling and successor, the AS 200. Who wins this round? Read on to find out.

The Bajaj Pulsar AS 200 is the newest bike here and the novelty rubs in hard against rivals. It looks good with a proportioned semi-fairing, muscular lines, underbelly exhaust and an adventure stance.

Next up are the Karizma twins that just seem odd with their design language. The bikes are disproportionate, bulky and mismatched, which further rob us of any kind of viewing pleasure.

The Pulsar 220F is the oldest bike here in terms of styling and despite the dated looks, still pleases the eye.

Both the old and new Pulsars use an analogue-digital instrument cluster while the Karizma R gets a very dated three-pod cluster with a digital display.

The Karizma ZMR though comes with an all-digital unit that looks the best among all bikes. The Pulsars get better quality switches complete with backlight and the new AS 200 has the most readable cluster here along with a service reminder.

The Karizma models get decent quality switchgear but miss out on the engine kill switch.

You sit a bit aggressively on the facelifted Hero Karizma leaning forward, which isn't the most comfortable riding position. In comparison, the Pulsar 220F and AS 200 offer upright seating best suited for touring and accommodate the rider and pillion easily.

Both the Karizma R and 220F have the same seat height at 795 mm, whereas the AS 200 is the tallest at 807 mm.

The Hero Karizma uses a 223cc engine, followed by a 220cc unit on the 220F and a 199.5cc unit on the AS 200. It is the latter most though that is the most powerful producing 23.5 PS, when compared to the 19.5 PS and 20.3 PS on the Karizma R and ZMR, and 21 PS on the 220F.

Surprisingly, the DTS-i engines are more refined than the Honda engines. Being performance motorcycles, the Pulsars are also quicker off the line with the AS 200 sporting the highest top speed of 136 km/hr, followed by the 220F at 134 km/hr.

The Karizma ZMR and R managed to hit a top whack of 130 km/hr and 126 km/hr respectively (as per our VBOX tests).

Both the Karizma and 220F get a soft suspension setup translating into great ride quality. The AS 200 with its stiffer setup does not match up to the older bikes in comfort. However, the AS 200 boasts of better equipment with a perimeter frame, monoshock rear suspension, petal disc brakes and wide tyres that improve the riding dynamics.

The weight is more balanced on the AS 200 making it the best handler here. All bikes return a fuel efficiency figure of around 35-40 km/l with the AS 200 being a tad bit more frugal.

2010 was a long time ago and the Hero Karizma and Bajaj Pulsar 220F made a lot of sense back then. Bajaj has been quick to adapt to changing times and the Pulsar AS 200 stands testimony to how the automaker has grown over the years.

The Karizma and 220F show their age more dramatically when compared to the AS 200 that is the quickest off the line and also a superior handler, making it our preferred choice in this shootout.