IN PICS: Pulsar 200NS takes on KTM and Honda CBR!

Ayan Sengupta of IndianDrives.com weighs in the pros and cons of three of the newest bikes in the Indian markets today.

Bajaj Auto's motorcycles have always been the eye catchers in the Indian market. Since the day it has introduced the DTSi engines and its successors, Bajaj motorcycles have almost conquered the two-wheeler segment in Indian market. The two-wheeler manufacturer's latest release, Bajaj Pulsar 200NS didn't lag behind to continue revolutionising the Indian bike industry with its macho appeal, raw power and reasonable pricing.

Another bike has now joined the famed Bajaj league.

This time it's an international bike that came out of the European racetracks: the KTM Duke 200. This joint ventured bike of Bajaj Auto and Austria's KTM is arguably one of the most powerful bikes in the sub-quarter liter street fighter segment.

Honda's CBR150R, on the other hand, is one of the best gifts that a beginner bike rider can ever dream about.

Here's a take on how these three street fighters fare in the looks and performance department.

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Looks

Looks have always mattered when it comes to bikes. And whenever it comes to street fighter bikes, bikers don't forget to take the looks into account to ensure the macho factor is there whenever they hit the roads on their bikes.

The Bajaj Pulsar 200NS has been given a bit of a different look than the earlier Bajaj Pulsar bikes. In fact, performance too has been made a bit more appealing along with the styling of the bike. The styling has been made in such a way that it doesn't take a single second to add up to the Pulsar fan-count in terms of styling and looks.

The bike is induced with predator-like headlamps, broad fuel tank and high tail light. The bike has been given a sportier touch with the 'triple-spark' sticker on the engine.

On the other hand, the Honda CBR150R is way too slimmer and lighter than its higher powered siblings, despite being a look-alike of the 250.

The bike features telescopic forks in the front and a tube type monoshock at the rear. The bike features a Y-shaped headlight, layered fairing and contrasting tail section panel accompanied by a deep set tail lamp. Moreover, the bike has a smaller exhaust and matte black alloy wheels.

In case of the Bajaj KTM Duke 200, all one can say after taking a look on the bike is that it's FLAWLESS.

The handlebars of the bike have been tapered the same way as it has been done in Pulsars. Apart from the handlebars, the bike includes many Pulsar-inspired features, including cast alloy swing arms and blackened trellis frame too.

The bike features upside down forks, unlike telescopic forks that are found in abundance in almost all bikes. Moreover, radiant and bright graphics make the look sportier.

Performance and handling

The Bajaj Pulsar 200NS has a 199cc engine featuring SOHC liquid cooled cylinder and triple-spark technology for better combustion. In fact, one can find many similarities between the features of the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS &Bajaj KTM Duke 200.

Although the engine's capacity has been dropped from 220 to 200cc, the Naked Street is still powerful than the fastest Indian. The engine churns out maximum power of 23.1bhp @ 9500rpm and a peak torque of 18.3Nm.

The 190cc-engine of the bike develops enough power to propel the bike to a speed of 60kmph from standstill in just 3.8 seconds. The six-speed gearbox of the bike can in fact take the speed up to 100kmph in 9.3 seconds. The top speed of the bike is however just a few digits below the Yamaha R15.

The 138kg Honda CBR 150R has an engine with an approximate displacement of 150cc. The bike features fuel-injected and liquid cooled engine.

The bike's tachometer demonstrates the 12,000 rpm redline, which certainly means that one certainly has to perform higher revs to make use of the peak power of 17.5bhp of the bike. Apart from this, the peal torque of 1.29kgm of the bike comes at an rpm of 8500.

The bike features upside down forks, unlike the usual telescopic forks. Moreover, the bike has a tube type mono shock in the rear. The perfect balance of suspension is made to ensure perfect balance between ride comfort and positive handling.

The Bajaj KTM Duke 200 is powered by a 199.50cc DOHC 4 valve per cylinder engine. The motor of the bike develops peak power of 25bhp and maximum torque of 19Nm.

The performance and handling of the bike is simply unparalleled in the segment.

The six-speed bike has a top speed of 136 kmph.

Verdict

The Honda CBR 150R is certainly ideal for beginners and sports touring, but the pricing of the bike (Rs 1.17 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi) can certainly discourage many of the enthusiasts.

 If only styling is concerned, there might be a close fight between the three.

But Pulsar 200NS finally gets an edge In terms of styling and looks.

The Bajaj KTM Duke 200 is certainly more powerful than both the two bikes. The Honda CBR 150R already lags in terms of its price tag.

The Pulsar 200NS has a sub one lakh rupees price tag, while the Bajaj KTM Duke 200 has an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.18 lakh. This means that the Bajaj KTM Duke 200 is actually turning out to be the costliest of all. But many consider that the bike is worth what its price tag displays. So considering every single aspect and the close fight between the three in some considerations, we find that the Bajaj KTM Duke 200 has an edge over the two, and hence is a fun to go.