New Bike First Impression

As Bike India turns 20, we take a look back in time to the motorcycle that most of our team grew up with, the motorcycle that gave the youth of an entire country a newfound craze for affordable performance, the motorcycle that is still breaking records and reaching new heights today

Like many in my generation, my acquaintance with the Pulsar is bound tightly to the memory of an autumn evening in 2001. That’s when Bajaj’s now-legendary “Definitely Male” ad first flickered to life on our TV sets. I was still several exams away from my learner’s license, but the appeal was near-instant. I remember sidling up to my mother with as much confidence as I could muster, floating the idea that perhaps one of those striking new motorcycles would make a worthy companion for my eventual college days. 

She saw through me in a heartbeat. We’d already agreed that a motorcycle was coming my way once I came of age. What neither of us expected was my cheeky campaign for something bigger, faster, bolder than the run-of-the-mill set—precisely what the Pulsar symbolized to a teenager on the cusp of adulthood.

We settled, predictably, on something more practical: a Bajaj Discover 125 with alloys and blue accents, a bike that proved itself far more than just a consolation prize. It was a faithful first set of wheels, my introduction to what would become a lifelong love affair with motorcycles and, by a winding road, a career in automotive journalism. But even as I zipped past on the Discover, the yearning for the Pulsar lingered. It wasn’t dormant. One fresh scrape to the ego, usually from catching a classmate’s Pulsar glinting in the sunlight, was all it took.

Years passed. Eventually, I scraped together enough savings and nerve for a pre-owned 2008 Pulsar 180. It was mine, in every sense. That was the beginning of an enduring relationship with a machine that’s as much a marker of personal milestones as it is a chapter in Indian motoring history.

A Journey Through Time

The first time I kicked the starter on my own Pulsar, I felt an odd kinship—like I’d finally been invited to an exclusive club that had run parallel to my life for years. This wasn’t just about horsepower. The Pulsar, for two decades and counting, has offered something subtler: a feeling of agency, of difference, of unmistakable malevolence just beneath the surface. That feeling first took root as India approached the new millennium, but it resonates just as strongly in the hands of new riders today.

Today, for our anniversary issue, as Bike India celebrates two decades of existence, come with us as we take a deep dive into the nearly quarter-decade-long history of the motorcycle that revolutionised sports biking for an entire country.

2001: Defining a New Masculinity

The original Pulsar 150 and 180 roared onto Indian streets at a time when our motorcycle market was stubbornly utilitarian. We were awash in basic commuters. Their charm came from economy, not excitement. The Pulsar shattered that expectation overnight. Forget about 100cc runabouts—here was a bike unafraid to claim its space, to tug heartstrings, and sometimes to terrify mothers across the country. Its “Definitely Male” tagline did more than sell machines; it reshaped aspirations. For the first time, Indian youth had access to a motorcycle that looked, felt, and performed like what they’d seen in magazines and cinema, but was still attainable.

Physically, the first-gen Pulsar wore its muscle in clean cuts—a pronounced fuel tank, a robust stance, those now-iconic twin-pod dials—all cues that shouted intent. The ride was sturdy, the handling tight, and the engine’s beat just raspy enough to feel rewarding. I remember test rides where getting off the bike felt like returning to a world made slightly duller by comparison.

2003: DTS-i and the Dawn of Tech

Tech only deepened the divide. Bajaj’s DTS-i (Digital Twin Spark Ignition) system arrived in 2003, lending the Pulsar a touch of modern sophistication. Twin spark plugs for better combustion—brilliantly simple on paper, transformative on tarmac. The ride quality improved instantly, power delivery smoothed out, and suddenly the Pulsar felt a step ahead, not just of Indian rivals, but of regional benchmarks.

2004: Alloys, Nitrox, ExhausTEC

By 2004, alloy wheels became standard, pushing both looks and performance. The introduction of the Nitrox rear suspension was a quiet revolution too. Suddenly, long rides didn’t end with a sore tailbone. ExhausTEC, Bajaj’s patented smart exhaust technology, squeezed more torque at lower revs, a boon for city weaving. I distinctly recall my first spirited ride through early morning Guwahati traffic. The difference was more than technical: a feeling of lightness that comes only when a bike gets all the essentials exactly, satisfyingly right.

2006: A Million Strong

Momentum snowballed. By 2006, the Pulsar hit its first million units, an almost inconceivable number then. It was no marketing gimmick. You’d see Pulsars tucked in every campus, every office parking lot, every coffee outlet worth its salt. The brand had outgrown “motorcycle” status and become an icon, a marker of progress for an entire tier of India’s upwardly mobile youth.

2009: Fastest Indian

2006 also brought along with it the biggest Pulsar we’ve seen yet then, the 220, with fuel injection and a half-fairing. But it was in 2009, with the carbureted Pulsar 220, that the bike got the moniker of ’The Fastest Indian.’ Suddenly, that phrase was everywhere, daring you to challenge it. Sure, there were other large-displacement bikes, but nothing so consistently, viscerally thrilling for Indian roads or wallets. I remember riding one, test bookings made months in advance, just to see if the magazine figures held up in real life. They did. The revised 220 could genuinely hustle, all while looking sharp enough to get nods at every intersection.

2010: 135cc 4-Valver

A year later, the Pulsar line spread its wings further with the 135LS (Light Sport). It was groundbreaking in its segment, introducing a 4-valve head that let a smaller block breathe more freely. Not only did this prove the platform’s adaptability, it gave many young riders a taste of what performance meant without breaking the bank. For those who couldn’t yet convince their parents to spring for a 150 or 180, the 135 offered a legitimate, exhilarating alternative.

2012: 200NS and A Modern Shape

When the Pulsar 200NS launched in 2012, it represented a seismic shift in design and engineering. Gone were the rounded forms; instead came tense, sculpted lines, liquid cooling, monoshock suspension, triple-spark engine, and a perimeter frame. This machine signaled Bajaj’s intent to compete head-to-head with global naked sportbikes. I spent hours poring over its details. Every panel and weld spoke of maturity, a sort of arrival on the big stage. It took some getting used to at first. It was unmistakably Pulsar, yet something entirely new.

2015: RS 200 and Racing Aspirations

By 2015, the Racing Street (RS) 200 added a pure sports edge. Full fairing, fuel injection, projector lamps, the works. Bajaj wasn’t just catching up but setting the pace for affordable Indian sportbikes. I remember being genuinely surprised by its poise at speed. It was, to my mind, the first time a mass-market Indian bike felt truly, internationally, race-ready right out of the crate.

2018: 10 Million Units

A marker of ubiquity: 10 million Pulsars by 2018. The number, frankly, seemed unreal. But it underscored how deeply the brand resonated. From the snowy lanes of Srinagar to the humid streets of Chennai, the Pulsar was everywhere. It had gone from being an object of desire to a fixture, a rite of passage.

2021: Platform Evolution with N250 and F250

In 2021, the N250 and F250 signaled a ground-up rethink. A new platform, styling evolved yet rooted in familiar Pulsar DNA. The 250cc engine brought more refined power and efficiency, while chassis and ergonomics responded to the expectations of a new generation of riders—longer commutes, more traffic, and an appetite for digital integration and safety.

2022-2024: Peak Innovation

2022 introduced the N160 with dual-channel ABS, putting safety up front without sacrificing the fun. And just last year, Bajaj reported a record fiscal revenue of 10,000 crore rupees. That’s not just a financial milestone but a testament to staying power.

Nearing its 25th anniversary, 2024 delivered not one but two headline acts: the NS400, raising the game in terms of performance and presence, and the N125, debuting Intelligent Dynamic Spark Shift (IDSS), promising a new era of efficiency and driveability for entry-level sport riders.

Global Footprint

The Pulsar isn’t just a local legend; it’s become a familiar silhouette in more than 50 countries. Markets as diverse as Mexico, Colombia, Nepal, and Argentina regularly put the Pulsar atop their sales charts. Walk through a backstreet in Turkey or a city square in Cairo, chances are you’ll spot a Pulsar threading through traffic. Its appeal transcends borders for simple reasons. It adapts. In Mexico, Pulsars are beloved for urban agility and durability. In Nepal, they tackle rough terrain with the same can-do spirit as in Pune.

Bajaj understood something vital: you cannot impose an Indian bike, as-is, on the world. Each market gets tailored touches—spec changes, livery tweaks, sometimes even unique engine tunes—to suit local riding styles and needs. It’s not just a matter of price. It’s presence. People see something aspirational but attainable. That’s a potent mix in any language.

Platform Philosophy & Culture

As I see it, the Pulsar’s success comes from more than product cycles or feature updates. It’s about an attitude. The “A Pulsar for Every Maniac” tagline summed up the brand’s appeal: a Pulsar is not a monolith; it is a family, each member with its own quirks, power bands, riding posture. Whether you preferred the urban sharpness of the NS series, the adrenaline punch of the RS line, or now the measured maturity of the N series, there was always a sense of fitment—find your madness, and Bajaj would supply the matching machine.

This is why, even decades in, the Pulsar stays culturally relevant. The NS400 and N125 continue the tradition, but with an ear to present-day demands. The positioning has subtly shifted. From “Definitely Male” to “Definitely Daring”, capturing today’s need for expression over aggression. Young riders no longer want to merely fit in; they want to carve out a space, to say something with their machines—and, crucially, their choices. The Pulsar enables that, fluid and familiar, yet evolving.

Legacy & Looking Ahead

It’s tempting, marking this quarter-century, to wax nostalgic about vanished roads, about kicks that are now switches. But the story of the Pulsar isn’t trapped in amber. It has always been a moving target, a blend of aspiration and access, technology and testosterone.

Looking forward, the challenge is clear. The next 25 years will demand more: electrification, rapid design cycles, AI-infused safety, not to mention the shifting aspirations of a youth raised as much on smartphones as in saddle. Yet, if the history of the Pulsar shows anything, it’s that adaptability is built in. Bajaj will need to juggle the old and the new. Retain that sense of fun, ownership, control, but translate it to a world that cares just as much about emissions and connectivity as it does sprint times and tank ranges.

With every milestone, the Pulsar has been both a mirror and a catalyst of Indian progress. Every time I see one at a signal—ridden by a student, a young professional, or someone like me—I’m reminded that motorcycles aren’t just about movement. They’re about memory, about making the everyday epic.

So here’s to the Pulsar, the motorcycle that dared to differ, and in doing so found a place in millions of hearts, mine included. The Pulsar story isn’t done yet.

This story first appeared in the August 2025 issue of Bike India. Click here to subscribe so that you never miss out on such stories again, or click here for a digital subscription accessible on all your electronic devices on the go.