one week in Pune and around

The odometer showed something 1400kms odd.I hoped to cover next 600 kms in my Pune trip before the 2nd servicing was due.And that I did,at the end of the my pune trip odometer is showing 2400kms! 380 Out of those 1000 kms I clocked in one day,that too on hilly roads of Pune-Konkan(diwe-aagar to be exact) on Saturday 25th august.Just a day before I had got my bike serviced from ProBiking,FC road.
There were no serious problems as such save faulty gauge which wasn't repaired in 1st service due to non availability of fuel sensors.
If you are curious about what happened to long awaited fuel-gauge issue's result,there's bad news.Those sensors are still not available meaning that I have to wait even more before they replace it.

But otherwise the everything was pleasant.They delivered my bike in 1.5hours flat.I waited there itself and watched my bike getting serviced.
So nothing special about 2nd service.What happened after it,is exciting.The bike became even more smooth and its acceleration noticeably improved.Besides the gear shifts which were a bit too clunky to my choice,smoothened out.
(*Special note - people who drain the oil (which ProBiking people fill in) and put in their choiced oil like Motul/valvoline or any other brand here's a good news for you.The ProBiking now houses Motul 3000t oil as standard.So each bike they now fill up with Motul with no extra cost.This oil is supposed to be long lasting and give more performance,although I could not verify it)



Now coming back to my konkan tour.There were only two of us besides of course my P200.
We started our journey in morning itself at 8am.The destination we chose(diwe-aagar) is 150kms from pune.
Right from start we witnessed some scenic views and clouds were floating literally on the roads.
Every kilometer of that whole stretch runs through mountains.A perfect road for any tourer.There aren't many fuel stations though so be wary of the fact and fill up your tank up to the brim.
Once we reached diwe-aagar we did normal rituals.Like finding a good inn to have lunch.
You have to tell them in advance to cook the food.These are not regular run of the mill hotels.Instead these inns are family owned eateries.You get finest of fish recipies here.
As for the sea and beach front, I can't really comment.All the beaches in Konkan are so good that favouring one of them will be an insult to others.So I will just say this is one of my favorites.
But alas,due to rainy season the sea is too risky and water is muddy.Local people advised not to go in the water.As you may have guessed these people know probably a hundred times better than us.So we did not dare to cross check their claim,and remained on sand itself while watching the roaring sea.
However,Instead of writing everything,I will let the pictures do the talking.

This is somewhere en route to konkan

The famous tamhini ghaat.

The road to clouds.

Mulshi lake.

Diwe-aagar beach,bewitchingly empty.There were only 3 of us.Me,chetan and the 200.

The sea was dangerous to say the least.Parked my P200 well off the water.

Clicking a self portrait is tough job.


Clicking in macro mode is even more tough!The fish that we didn't catch!
(The furious sea had pushed hundreds of fishes onto the beach most of them died since the sea never reached them again)
The morning was sunny and no rains while we reached there.Bike remained clean even after 150 kms of journey.
That provided for nice photos.




Riding on sand is fun.Check out that grin on my face!
Even a slightest push on brake pedal leaves a huge scar on sand.Fabulous.But strictly no to Front disc.You will be knee deep in the sand even before you realise.

Now the question arises,whether P200 is a good touring machine?
Just to say it is one terrific tourer will be an understatement.It is so good that never once did I feel something missing.Not even once.
Handling and suspension is near perfect for typical Indian roads(even with pillion).
Disc brake worked like magic even though most of the time it was soaked in water most of the time.
The whole journey it took into its stride as if it were regular city roads.The occasional potholes,pools of water,loose gravel,mud,sand not withstanding.P200 rode through all this like anything.
Not only this, I really opened the throttle open whenever I got the chance.And after all this torment she returned 42kmpl.Now seriously what more can you ask for?
I know a serious tourer will hardly care for fuel efficiency,once he is astride his beloved machine.But still it amazed me.
The only gripes I felt were slightly hard seat and those grab-rails.After riding continuously for 4 hours my bum started aching and I needed to stop and descend from the bike.Besides,Those grab-rails can be best termed as fashion accessory.All show and no go.Clutching them for support is useless.You just can't hold onto them.But these are really insignificant glitches and almost non existent.P200's other virtues more than make up for it.

The question is answered then.P200 is one of those rare breeds which can handle almost anything you throw at, with ease.She is a top notch motorcycle and I will bet my last penny on it.

This is what 200 leaves behind...

Dead and burried : The classic fork breaking controversy

Ohh I am really sorry my fellow updated-every-minute-bikers,But I must for this damn cool bike's sake invoke the ghost of that fork!( But I hope to clear all doubts this final time so...)
Much has been said about the P200's front forks.Ever since photos of some P200's with broken forks were published on Internet, people, especially the bikers community has been chewing it restlessly.Nothing wrong about it though but one sad aspect that I came across in this whole scene was that people who had never even ridden the bike or seen the broken fork, were maligning the Bajaj's and P200's image by giving "valuable" insights.
And like it happens with every hot issue people got so carried away that they actually forgot (conveniently or not I can't comment) what had Bajaj done in the meantime.
While we were all busy in discussing how P200 is bound to be doomed, Bajaj redesigned the front fork(Or rather the mounting points that hold the Disc brake calipers).These revised P200s were out in the showrooms even before anyone got any hint about it.(or like I said we were too busy to take notice of it).
I along with many other like me, have been writing about this in many other sites,blogs and orkut all along but no one seemed to take notice.The discussions continued as if those comments were written in invisible ink!

But as things stand today,I would really like to tell the world with all my vocal cords strained - that please wake-up and take a look at current scenario.The fork controversy is nothing but a dead meat.
Here are some picture taken off Internet(most of you would have seen it probably a zillion times and don't give a zilch, but just for the sake of it and P200 they are here again!)


Front-fork broken!(what a sorry picture)But forget about it now.Its just for your curiosity.
Notice the 2 separate mounting-points for caliper.


Close-up of previous illustration.

And finally the picture that matters now.See the newer design of mounts,wherein they have been connected to each other by same material as fork itself.

So herein lies the ghost of broken fork.May it R.I.P..Thank you all!!

Fool-proof remedy for saving your Starter relay! (DIY)

You might have read my unfortunate previous post about starter relay.Here is what I have done to stop the water getting into it.Including the pictures as I promised.

1)Open the left side middle panel
2)Look for starter relay on the left side of the battery.Its small, plastic box in black color and bolted onto the inner part chassis.

3)Pull out the cable and plug from bottom of the relay which connects it to battery.

4)Next remove the bolt that holds relay in place.

5)Take any thick plastic sheet which you find suitable.(like the small oil-pouch that you get at fuel stations)
6)Cut a smaller piece of that sheet.Make sure that it can fully wrap the relay.
7)Wrap the sheet fully around relay leaving the lower part exposed(plug needs to go in there!)
8)Put a hole in the sheet with screw-driver exactly where the relay has(there is a small extention on relay's upper part which has a hole and a nut weld behind it to house the bolt).
In picture below look how the plastic sheet has been tucked inside the bolt-housing along with relays holder-

9)Now holding the sheet and relay together with one hand in its proper position,screw in the bolt with other hand.Then you can use spanner to fully tighten it.
10)Insert the plug again.
this is what final assembly looks like-

11)You are done!Fit the panel.

A few glitches here and there - Starter relay

Well, this was truly unexpected and frightening.OK,I already knew a bit about fuel gauges that didn't work well from my friends pulsars but I never had heard a starter relay that went kaput and that too on day 2...read on-

I came back from pune myself all wet and the bike looking like a she just came from ladakh tour.So naturally next on my agenda was to wash the bike before I show it around.Instead of taking it to washing centre I washed it thoroughly then dried and polished.
showed it to my friends who all had ride on it and were clearly taken by its beauty.
Just then one of my friend reported that tail-lamp were not working besides the orange display was not lit-up.I had no clue about it.We stopped to check and turned off the bike.Then restarted the bike and gosh!The engine started making a terrible sound as if someone was rubbing the insides of engine with a heavy-duty polishing paper!(Frankly speaking I was terrified beyond imagination)what the hell?One of my friend turned ignition off...and ...and even more surprise!The engine went dead all rite but scraping noise continued-YES even after I had turned the ignition off and removed the key from key-hole.
I understood everything in a moment that it was the starter that was still trying to crank the engine despite the fact that the engine kill switch was in off position and ignition turned off.But how?that was beyond me.I just stood there out of my senses.Thankfully one my mate quickly opened the left panel,unlocked the rear seat ,took out tool-kit and dis-engaged the battery.Only then did the starter stopped.
what next I thought?P200 having no kick lever meant that to start the bike either I had to start it down the hill or push it hard.We tried pushing but it didn't start.Only option was to connect the battery.So I turned the ignition on and put the engine kill switch in on position.
As soon as I touched the cable to battery terminal, starter got into action and bike started!again I put aside the cable and starter stopped leaving the bike alive.(However none of the electricals were working including headlight).With help of my friends bikes light I reached home all heart broken and ego hurt!

Next day I decided to take the bike to local Bajaj dealer as there is no ProBiking here in Ahmednagar.(word of caution for would be buyers- normal Bajaj dealers wont service your P200/P220).
My fear turned true there.Guys at Bajaj dealership refused to touch the bike.
I was exasperated to say the least.After some requesting head mechanic there came to my rescue.I explained the problem and also showed him "practical".He just looked indifferently as if it was routine!But thankfully he ordered for his tools and checked the wires for any short circuit.There were none.Next, he pulled out the plug connecting to starter relay and then took out the whole starter relay.After that he bought one spare starter relay from P150 and inserted the plug into it(the one he had pulled out earlier).Connected the battery,turned on the ignition and cranked the engine.The bike started perfectly and the starter also came back to normal...
Conclusion? He told me , some water most have seeped in through the gap into the relay making it short thus it drew current from battery directly with no concern whatsoever from ignition switch.
Then he took out that new relay and blew some air into my own relay and deployed it to work.This time the relay acted as if nothing had happened.Every other function also worked perfectly.
I rode the bike home without any problem.
(Coincidentally a call came from ProBiking that day in the afternoon asking me wheather there was any problem.I told them exactly what happened.They took notice of it and promised me to rectify the problem on 1st service)

Note - You might be wondering how the relay got cured all by itself?Well it didn't.The relay was still short.What happened exactly is this - When that mechanic fully disengaged the relay from battery,it went into reset postion as there was no current at all flowing through it.So when it was fitted again,everything was normal.
In the end it turned out to be a minor problem with what only the relay needed to be changed.

(After this incident I created a home made cure for the starter relay's problem of getting wet.Interesting pictures of it are here)

A few glitches here and there - Fuel gauge.

While taking delivery it is extremely important that you check your vehicle thoroughly.Following is my personal experience at the time of delivery on 3rd July.I hope you get some help from it.This article is not to try and convince you that every vehicle has faults and gripes.But just be careful.

So here it goes.I completed the formalities like signing some forms and signing the register book.One of the person there then brought my bike.He explained me usual functions and parts locations which I already knew by the way!
After that he told me to inspect the bike and take a ride.My dad was there who instantly noticed a scratch on silencer of about 3-4 inches long.When we brought that scratch to their notice,one of the person there tried to 'wipe it off' saying it was some kind of paint.Even after rubbing for some time it did not go.And I insisted on changing the silencer.After some talks they agreed and took my bike into the servicing area and replaced the silencer with newer one.After that I again checked the bike and took a ride.Everything was perfect.

My mission was to ride the bike to my home in ahmednagar which is about 120Kms from pune.I got ready for the take off just when the rain gods decided to step in,leading to instant termination of my mission!
I then decided to stay for the day in pune and leave early next day.
That decided,I went to petrol pump on FC road and filled in Rs.100 petrol.To my surprise the fuel gauge didn't show any bar.At first I left it thinking that it most need more than 5 litres of petrol.
That evening I rode the bike for about 40kms.
Next day I woke up early and got ready.Went to petrol pump and filled in Rs.250 worth of petrol.With my fingers crossed.But no!This time also it didn't show anything...conclusion?a faulty fuel gauge.
went to ProBiking and showed them the bike.Service engg. checked the fuel level in the tank and agreed that fuel gauge was problematic and they would rectify it on first servicing.
Ok,I said and started on my first journey towards home.

There's nothing much to tell about that journey though as I restricted my right hand from twisting the throttle.The whole 120kms I did at speeds below 55kmph(due to run-in period) taking occasional stops.(performance and other reports will follow soon in different topic)
One thing I may add though - its fuel efficiency.The bike returned an astonishing 48kmpl.Frankly speaking I had never expected a kay above 38.I was like,gasping.Its an achievement of the sorts for a bike still in run-in period.
("Run-in" is of utmost importance and would need a seperate article altogether,which is what exactly I am doing now a days.keep watching this space)

A word about raised stickers

New Pulsars (both 200 and 220) come with different style for stickers.They are at their minimum and get 10 on 10 from me.However its really a thing for concern.Unlike normal stickers(like on 150/180) these stickers are made up of thick rubbery material and are raised above the surface.When you rub cloth over them for normal cleaning fibers get stuck on it,and the corners start to peel-off.

Apart from this of course there are nuisances done by public when you park your vehicle somewhere.Large dimensions and attractive looks of the bike catch the eye of the onlooker and they come to admire it.up till now,OK.However when they see those stickers can be very easily plucked people just cant resist...and whoa gone is your pulsar and so is 200 sticker.

Here's example of what I am saying.Below is my friend Sunny's silver 200 whose sticker(Bajaj logo) has been peeled off by someone in his own apartment parking.

Not only it is heart breaking to see those stickers gone,they leave behind ugly marks of sticking material used.That can't be easily wiped away.You need patience,Petrol or (nailpaint remover) to clean it.

Small things that make Big difference

Head lamp assembly with Blue-tinged parking lamps and main bulb.

Parking light -Blue tinge visible

Main bulb-White

Split seat and split rear grab -rail
All aluminum silencer.Also notice slightly curved rear-sets.


Sexy brake-lever its bolted on rear-sets.Instantly Giving you super sporty riding position.

120/80 MRF zapper-G tire.Huge!

Extended swing-arm to accommodate bigger tire.

A small extension on front mudguard.

220spec disc-brake and bigger forks as compared to P180.And they are black.

Most visible change.The tank flanks.Excellent!if I may add.

Raised lettering is nice touch.However they are a cause for worry-can be very easily plucked.Little oil-cooler.It is nestled perfectly between those flanks.

Zip-guard on the tank.

Features and general overview

Beauty is not only skin deepHere comes the most important part while buying.Just why one should prefer P200 over P180,which itself is still a very competing product?

For a discerning biker the difference is huge,for others who have been confused by very close pricing here's feature list and some explanation -

First and foremost - P200 has many parts lifted straight off P220's parts bin.So its more 220 than 180. Chassis for instance is almost all P220(or is it the other way round?). So make no mistake,Pulsar family is now clearly broken in 2 chunks.Both these chunks are different from each other on many counts.The P220/200 duo forming the upper crest and P180/150 making lower part of the spectrum.

For those who came in late here's some insight on P200's feature list.(*I have listed some of the basic and important features only.There are many other minors.)

1)The most visible change in 180 and 200 is the tank-flanks on 200.They look simply fabulous.Bajaj,over the period of time since its launch has changed almost every panel in pulsar except the tank.Not that the 15 liter tank looks out of place,but its getting too long in the tooth nonetheless.So those tank-flanks are very welcome.

2)Absence of full chain cover and high performance exposed O-Ring chain.
This endows a truly sporty look to the rear.Also absent is ugly looking wheel hugger which is present on 150/180.(a la 220)

3)Large(I mean huge) tires. 90-90 section upfront and 120-80 section on the rear wheel.Both tires are tubeless and made by MRF.(Zapper).(a la 220)

4)White colored lamps in head light assembly.Both the parking lights and main head light bulb have bluish tinge and look very cool.Headlight is pretty powerful and throws whitish beam.

5)Split rear grab-rail(a la 220)

6)Split seats.(a la 220)

7)Even more flatter handlebar than 180.(but no clip-ons)

8)Extended black styling.Now front forks and rear shocks(including nitrox tube) are black.

9)Oil-Cooler (a la 220)

10)Digital console with added functions.It now shows battery-low , High engine temp, Air-filter clogged and low-engine-oil warnings.

11)Extended swing arm.(a la 220)

12)Thick front forks.(No worries at all, fork breaking ghost has finally been put to rest)

13)Larger disc-brake.(a la 220)

14)Nice looking huge all aluminum silencer lifted straight off P220 FI.This superb piece of engineering gives P200 a throaty exhaust note.At above 3.5k RPMs it just thunders.wow!

And biggest part is that , that all this stuff comes at additional premium of 4500-5000Rs only over P180.

(To directly see elaborated pictures of various features go here)

Color choice - Silver v/s Blue v/s Red (and black)

Black was never on my list,some people may find it difficult to digest...but thats me for you!The reason being that black 200 doesn't stand-out like other colors and one thinks its a 180. So that left me with Red,Blue and silver(Grey) options.Very limited choice I must add.Bajaj should really consider adding more colors.
Out of these colors, silver was striked out because my previous bike was silver.So the actual contest was between red and blue.(Both are superb mind you.And are different than Pulsar150's colors).ProBiking on that day had 3 different 200's in 3 different colors on display,barring blue.The red one was standing in innermost corner beneath those whitish yellow spot-lights and god!was I taken away by the beauty.After that fabulous first impression it was a real simple decision and we right away booked a red one,with those color fading rumors not withstanding!(And judging by the color quality I don't think the color will fade away)

Black P200.Looks like a beast.But for onlookers its just another 180.
Silver is a pretty neat option.Not many people go for it,and that makes her very exclusive.
Red is my personal favorite.Black styling is best suited to red panels.
Blue was second on my list after red.Its a nice color overall.