Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Pulsar 220 vs Karizma Drag Report and Pics



First lets start with Pulsar 220 review:-


Overview


The bike looks good & it’s stunning. It feels big when you sit on it, infact it gives you a big Bike feel the moment you sit on it, mainly due to the clip-ons & slightly backwards footrests. BAL as again has got a winner here, the fit & finish levels are very good infact much better than HH or for that matter ZMA. The digi Speedo console looks great & the self test looks charming. The first things that you notice are missing choke lever, fuel knob & a new pass beam switch along with the backlit switch panel & of course the LCD Digi console.

The Riding experience

My biggest worry was since this bike doesn’t have kick starter was how good the self starter would be & am glad to say that the self lived up to its expectation. The Bike starts very smoothly & almost effortlessly.
The gear shift is smooth & precise but still doesn’t not slot like karizma, some like it some don’t. I was fine with it as I had used this type of shift on my pulsar 180 but yes this one was better than the one on mine. Not a leap of change in the gear shift but nevertheless a good one. Those who like slotting gears may still crib but I was happy with it as I had no false neutrals & no wrong gears.
The engine is smooth really smooth & the Bike picks up really sweetly, the exhaust note is nice but whether one likes it or not may differ from person to person. Once revved up the Bike gets the typical pulsar vibes near tank & fairing though they are minimal but can still be felt on the knee touching the fairing near tank. These vibrations come around 70kph & above.
Just like its smaller siblings the RVMs on P220 become useless at these speeds as they vibrate so much that you cant make out what you see in the mirrors but since you cant see much anyways its not much of a problem. Oh that reminds me did I tell you guys that the RVMs are absolutely useless especially if you are wearing a minimalist riding gear, reminds me of classic Pulsars which had stylish mirrors but very poor visibility wrt the ones sported by DTSI versions, Yeah BAL did it again.

The Bike picks up really well on roll-ons, the most amazing thing was that even at 5th gear the Bike picked up at 25kph, though it pinked a bit but still picked up without any jerks .


Riding Comfort

I found the suspension to be a little stiffer than Karizma while Pawan(owner of 220) felt otherwise. The roads had no bad patches so cant say about how they would feel under bad road conditions.

The bike has very sporty feel to it. The seats have good support & it holds you well. The Bike is really good if you want to ride it fast (which of course you would). I rode the P220 for around 10-15 kms & my right shoulder started to pain, does it make it really bad for long riding ?? To answer this, it reminds of the first two days when I had bought my 180 DTSi (which was my first Bike ever) & when my arms pained like hell for two complete days  so it’s just a matter of getting used to. So does this make the Pulsar 220 a good tourer ?? Or to say will it be more comfy than a karizma for long rides ?? In my humble opinion with a guy of my height (am 5’10”)NO. Although the engine is really refined with enough power to take long stretches effortlessly the riding posture is not what you would want for such long rides. Having said that it’s still a matter of personal choice, I mean some of my friends keep doing long rides on SBKs which in common perception are not good for long rides.
Disclaimer: I am not comparing it to the SBKs, just the riding posture.

All those who got disappointed here’s another way to look at it. Those who are shorter in height may find the Bike to be better than the karizma for riding comfort since they wont face the issue which taller guys like me faced i.e. crouched position & knees touching the fairing. So I think it can be safely put that it would be more comfy for shorter people that taller people for long rides

Handling

I took the P220 on ghats & on straights; the Bike has really good handling when compared to the smaller pulsars especially because of the better swing arm & the riding posture & not to forget wider tubeless tires. The Bike is very eager to lean when compared to previous Pulsars. So is this the new Handling champion ?? Sadly No here where I hated BAL the most, they have actually ruined a great handling Bike into a non handling one, the reason ?? The stupid main stand aargh the mains stand scrapes at slightest of the lean  I am very sure infact confidant that if the main stand is removed the Bike will be an awesome handler

Ok just before some shouts that some have taken curves without scraping the stand, I will like to make it clear that the stand scraping happens when you are taking tight twisties uphill or downhill i.e. it won’t affect much on straights but then you only need the leaning aspect on such twisties

Braking

Full marks here no comments it simply rules here Excellent breaking supported by a wide profile rear as well as front tire(Yes the front tire is broader too )

Headlights

10 out of 10 or may be 11 out of 10. The lights everywhere including the headlights are superb. Let it be tail lamps or the LCD or the backlit switches.

Drag Results

Frankly speaking the drags which we had were very amateurish & should be taken only as indicative & not as a proof because:

- The bikes had diff mileage on odo
- The drag was done on a strip which was barely 100-200 mtrs
- We had no timing device. And a few launches were not synchronized properly
- My Yellow Karizma is stock but has heavier & broader rear tire.
- The Pulsar 220 owner is not a good dragger.

Result 1: P220 VS Stock ZMA

P220 won on 2 runs

Result 2: P220 vs. Modded Karizma (with K&N and bigger jets)

Pulsar 220 won once and Karizma won 3 Times


Conclusion


Well am no journalist & this isn’t any magazine so I am really not sure what to post as a conclusion or verdict, rather I would put it as answers to commonly asked Qs

Q1: Is the P220 worth buying its price?
A1: Hell yeah! the P220 is a very good piece of machinery.

Q2: Is it better than ZMA?
A2: This is still debatable, while the engine is more powerful & has more torque than the ZMA, it still has niggling issues like poor RVMs & vibrations at higher revs which the Karizma lacks, Also the handling though very good is marred by the stupid stand which I believe can be fixed.
At the end one has to decide his priorities & go for it

Q3: Should I trade my karizma for the P220
A3: Unless you want to go for all the gadgetry & that extra power NO. Remember the slightly mudded zap beat it in the unofficial drag.

Phew that was one long write up. Now Enjoy the pics:-

All the bikes Lined up










Pulsar 220 and Stock karizma:-




































Modified karizma with K&N filter and bigger jets:-

































Black Pulsar 220 :-













































































Drag Pics:-



















VIDEOS COMING SOON


Credits:-
Pictures and Write-up By technocrat (www.xbhp.com)
Pulsar 220 Is of Pawan Pullwar
Yellow Karizma is of technocrat
Black Modified Karizma is of Vivek

Source:- www.xbhp.com

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post mate!!
220 rockss...waitin 4 it to hit d roads.

Anonymous said...

it was great watching two giants of the indian bike world it was a wonderfull job but i am wating for the real video for much thrills i bet 220cc going to take race as it much powerful and looks are really desiptive

Ajitesh Anurag said...

Mindblowing

Anonymous said...

if we change pul220's colcour2black(alloy&engine)then kzma won't be even nearer 2 puls220.

Unknown said...

pulsar 220 is a kid in front of karizma no more to speak abt that stupid bike.If any of 220 owners wanna race with karizma call me @9962054568(jet set gooooooooooooo)

Anonymous said...

karizma is a f*****g byk in frnt of his daddy...i.e.Pulsar 220......pulsar 220 has every thing in it....speed,power,josh......looks,....killing style....double disc brakes.....no other byk can compete pulsar 220......

Anonymous said...

220 d best in market currently no better choices.....karizma mite b gud but pulsar 220's better far far better.....i get drags from atleast 2 karizma's daily they can't even touch my feathers!!!!stupid karizmaaaa......

Anonymous said...

I dont know why PULSAR Guys always use slangs....I feel thats how they are......gundas....

I own a Karizma and it is so very sexy....

I have tried Pulsar many time...yeah it has power but it doesnot have that updated look...

What ever Bajaj does it cannot modify its look to a better one...

Hero Honda too is relying too much on Karizma....n soon they might a tough competetion from YAMAHA...!

I am a proud owner of KARIZMA...!
I never feel like getting out of it...!

Unknown said...

karizma is a good bike...but not the best as 220... the fastest indian bike... comepare in any aspect... yu'll know the truth...

...............ZMA..........220 fi
mileage.......33-35..........38-40
topspeed......135..true...135+
brakes........singledisc...double
bhp...........17.2.........121.04
tyres.........normal......tubeles
many more......

what more yu need.....

Anonymous said...

technician prashant gabon ahmedabad rolls hypertensive outdated estimate insulted directors plomo
lolikneri havaqatsu

NIHANTH said...

hi brother im nihanth frm andhra i want 2 buy a bike from karizma (or)karizma zmr plz suggest me which is nice one in looking,appearance, imean which is stylish plz mail me 2 alladanihanth@yahoo.com

SONAI said...

hey pulsar 220 riders, you r not able to touch the king bike herohonda KARIZMA......220 is a baby in front of the king.... style is nt everything, a performance byk must have a great throtle and an extreme top speed smothly......am a rider of black KARIZMA R & i have fucked already 3 pulsar 220s in a drag of approx 15 kms...and won all....and in every race, my byk was between 130-142 kmph.....though the 220 is a powrful byke, its bigger tyre and rear disc weight has digest the maximum portion of its torque.....if u want to prove that that is the best, then contact me (mob- 9732668516) and come on 2 race with me...i am still now hungry to defeat you.........remember it - "KARIZMA" - the baap of all indian byks.......guys karizma is a high mantanance byk...if want to get the best performance of this byk, you must maintain it highly....change the clutch plates after every 10000 kms and air filter and spark plug also...must clean the filter, curbolator and plug in every week....and adjust the drive chain also....

Chandu d king. said...

Hy karizma childs. Wat karizma just itz frm hero honda. So sum vil lyk. Othr den tat no gud feauteres in it to lyk. Still p220 is frm bajaj. Itz rocking. Superb handling. And awesome pick up. So p220 is better.

Anonymous said...

Who says 220 is the fastest Indian bike.I've a Black Karizma R and I've rode almost every Indian bike and believe me none stands a chance when it comes to racing with a Karizma.Many bike experts say that Karizma touches a top speed of only 125/126 km/hr and this is my message to all of them 'Fuck You All'.I rode my friend's Karizma R upto 145 km/hr and this is when I decided to buy a Karizma R.And I purchased it only after a month.I can guarantee you that Karizma can reach upto 160 km/hr at full throttle.It's true that Pulsar 220 has got a better instant pick up but during a race what matters is the top speed not the instant pick up.

aspinaki said...

all of u are wasting your time in such a bad way to debate on the "who is better than who contest". dont waste time. just buy a bike what suits you. if you love to rev, then buy r15. if you love and enjoy riding pleasure, then buy karizma. and if you dont have much money,yet wanna buy a good machine which does it all by any means, then buy pulsar. none of these bikes will disappoint you, but please don't do DRAG race. there are not meant for racing. if you really wanna enjoy racing, then buy YZF-M1/CBR1000RR/RS3 etc...only you can feel the rush of adrenaline inside your blood when you ride all these bikes. drive safe and wear helmet.

Unknown said...

HI FRIENDS I AM CONFUSED PLEASE CLEAR MY DOUBTS
WHICH ONE IS BEST BIKE
1.KARIZMA R
2.PULSAR 220

PLEASE MAIL ME I WANNA GO TO BUY A BIKE IN THESE WEEK ....aranjith49@gmail.com