Until recently, Bajaj Pulsar 220 used to
be the most appealing bike for those looking for the Indian performance
bike with highest power/price ratio. The Pulsar 220 brought many firsts
along with it. The Pulsar 220 became the first Bajaj bike to sport fuel
injection. That the FI was later dumped for a carb. setup is a
different story. The Pulsar also became the first bike from Bajaj to
have more than 20PS of power. Other than this, the Pulsar 220 also
became the first Bajaj bike to sport a quarter fairing, along with
having bits like rear disc brake, projector headlamps and a clip-ons
styled handlebar.
The
modified Rouser 220 that you see here is built on an Aprilia Deltabox
frame. The fairing, fuel tank and most of the body panels seem to have
been taken from a 600 cc Gixxer. The fairing supports the same old
headlamp and while the front-look might not be to everyone’s taste, the
front end of the bike looks absolutely stunning when viewed in profile.
Oh, and the Bugs Bunny ears continue to perform the duty of RVMs. The
front section also gets upside-down forks from the R6 along with the R6
front disc brakes. The 17 inch rims and the swingarm seem to have been
donated by a Honda RVF400. The rims come wearing Michelin rubber, with
the front getting 120/70 and rear getting 180/55 spec footwear.
With a quarter fairing that sports
projector lamps and RVMs that might remind you of Bugs Bunny, the 220
stands out from the usual crop of 150cc and 180cc Pulsars. However, the
bike does share a plenty of bits with the lesser siblings and this is a
put-off for some.
The bike hits a speed0 indicated top
speed of 150kmph, has enough torque to make high speed overtaking
maneuvers a breeze and has the best headlamp setup on any below-250cc
bike in the country.
While the Yamah R15 might be much faster
around corners, the 220 ruled the straights, until of course, the
advent of Pulsar 200NS and KTM Duke 200.
