The Bajaj Pulsar RS200 is off to a great start with the company having received 1,000 bookings within a week of its launch. The fully-faired Pulsar, claimed to be the fastest Pulsar yet, goes up against the KTM RC200 and the Honda CBR 250R. Here's how the new entrant fares.
The RS200 and the RC200 are powered by a 199.5 cc engine, while the larger Honda gets a 249 cc unit. Both these engines are of the single-cylinder and liquid-cooled types. Where the RC200 makes a higher 24.7 bhp at 10,000 rpm, the Pulsar RS200 produces 24.2 bhp at 9,750 rpm. The CBR, thanks to its displacement makes 26 bhp at 8,500 rpm. The Honda is also the torque-iest of the lot.
All motorcycles feature a 6-speed gearbox with a 1-down 5-up pattern. Courtesy of its lighter 154 kg kerb weight, the RC200 aces in the power:weight ratio department with 160.4 bhp/tonne, while the Pulsar RS200 puts out the lowest at 146.7 bhp/tonne.
The Pulsar and the CBR feature a similar suspension setup with Telescopic forks for the front and a box-section swingarm for the rear. The KTM though comes with upside-down forks in the front and an alloy swingarm for the rear.
KTM does not offer ABS on the RC200, while the Honda and Bajaj are equipped with this feature. The RS200 is the only motorcycle in its class to get petal-shaped discs as the rest make do with regular disc brakes.
Also read: Bajaj Pulsar AS150 launched at INR 79,000
Coming to the pricing, the Pulsar RS200 is a good INR 47,000 cheaper than the RC200 at INR 1.3 lakhs, ex-Showroom, New Delhi. The CBR 250R is the most expensive of the lot at INR 1.88 lakhs.
