Bajaj Pulsar 250 adv will be the first proper adventure tourer motorcycle from the company
It is evident that the affordable adventure tourer motorcycle market is growing in India. First, it was Royal Enfield Himalayan, then came BMW G310 GS at a slightly premium price point. After that Hero launched the cheapest offroading bike, XPulse 200 for just Rs 97,500 ex-showroom (carb variant).
For quite some time now, we are sure that KTM is aggressively testing its upcoming 390 Adventure bike for the Indian as well as international market. Their are also reports on the internet that bajaj is finally coming back into the adventure touring segment after dismal sales of AS200 bike back in 2015-16. recently KTM also confirmed to be working on 250cc adventure bike as well.
The Pulsar AS200
The Pune based automaker launched an Adventure Sports Motorcycle christened as AS200 and AS150 in India. However, people somehow do not like these bikes, maybe because they were not true adventure tourer motorcycles. Given that, the AS200 had large windscreen and a quarter fairing which helped the bike to become a capable highway tourer (only paved roads).
After all both the AS bikes had regular travel suspension which limited their off-roading potential, also the suspension was on the harder side. Moreover, the AS200 and AS 160 had strictly road-biased tyres and not the dual purpose ones.
Powering the AS200 was Pulsar NS 200 derived engine which delivered same 23.2bhp and 18.3Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and deliveres a respectable performance.
How Bajaj Pulsar 250 ADV will stand in the Indian market?
Moving on to the Pulsar 250 Adventure bike, the company, this time, will bring a properly feature-packed and capable off-roading motorcycle for the Indian customers who are looking for the capability of Royal Enfield Himalayan as well as nimbleness of Hero XPulse 200. Yes, you read that right, the Pulsar 250 adventure bike will sit in the middle of these two Indian made advs.
With long travell suspensions at both ends, larger front wheel with spokes (off-road variant if offered), the Pulsar 250 adv can take on the uneven terrains. Larger windscreen, a quarter fairing coupled with option for saddlebags and panniers, it can also become a comfortable mile-muncher too.
Also Read: Hero XPulse 200 launched from Rs 97,000
Since it will be powered by 250 Duke sourced 248cc engine, it will pump out at least 28bhp and 22Nm torque. And with a kerb weight hovering around 165 kg mark, it won’t be too heavy for the power and torque it is generating. What makes us curious is how Bajaj will tune the off-roading dynamics of the upcoming bike? This piece of puzzle is not yet clear but will be solved once Bajaj let out more details of the same.
Price Factor
Speaking about the price, we expect Bajaj to launch Pulsar 250 Adventure for about Rs 1.5 lakh ex-showroom. Following this strategy, Bajaj can undercut Himalayan by a huge Rs 30,000 but will be about Rs 23,000 expensive than the FI variant of XPulse 200. The expected launch of Bajaj Pulsar 250 Adventure motorcycle is January-April 2020.
Ride Safe, Ride Hard, and always wear a helmet while riding. Stay Tuned for more from the world of motorcycling.
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