Pulsar NS200

Overview

The NS200 has been on sale long enough that its strengths are structural rather than novel. The 199cc liquid-cooled four-valve single is one of the free-revving engines in India, pulling hard from 6,000 rpm to a limiter that arrives before the rider is ready for it, and the trellis frame is stiff enough that the standard suspension is doing very little wrong.

That makes it the most entertaining motorcycle per rupee below 250cc. The handlebar gives it a riding position that works in traffic where the equivalent faired Pulsar does not, the 156 kg mass is light enough for a newer rider to manage at a standstill, and dual-channel ABS with discs at both ends comes as standard rather than on a top trim. For a rider moving up from a 160, it is the natural next step.

The age shows in the details. The styling has been revised cosmetically but not rethought, the switchgear and paint quality sit below newer Japanese rivals, and the rear nitrox shock is firm enough over sharp impacts to unsettle a pillion. Fuel-injection throttle response is also blunter at part-load than the engine’s character deserves.

• 24.5 bhp from a revving 199cc liquid-cooled single
• Dual-channel ABS and twin discs as standard
• 156 kg — lighter than every 250cc rival