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.

First encounter

I will be hereby sharing my experiences with Pulsar 200 as honestly as possible.
This is a blog to help understand P200 better for those who own it and also for prospective buyers.
Here's me on my bike-

Currently I have done first service only and as of now it has done 1400 odd kms.I will post every little detail about the bike and its real world performance in subsequent posts.
But before that let me elaborate on my buying and ProBiking experience.So here it goes.
I had booked my bike on 28th june 2007 and got delivery on 3rd july.
Price OTR in Pune is Rs.71230.The overall appearence and atmosphere at ProBiking showroom,Pune is very good.The air being lively and nice music playing.Perfect.
Colors used inside are also in tune with ProBiking theme.And the sales-personells are well informed.
To cut the long story short,I would say ProBiking concept is very nice and Bajaj has executed it even more nicely.

You get to experinece 3 different Bajaj bikes there namely - Avenger,Pulsar 200,Pulsar 220 on the dyno.
Its an exciting thing to do really and is one of its kind.