Bajaj Pulsar brand has completed 20 years of its existence in the Indian market. It is the best selling sporty commuter or entry-level premium motorcycle till date.
Two iconic brands have completed 20 years of existence in India. Just a day ago, Honda Activa completed 20 years in India and now, Bajaj Pulsar has also achieved the same record. One of the biggest names in the industry, Bajaj unveiled the Pulsar back in 2000. It was one of the earliest sporty commuters that were ever launched.
At that time, we still had the Suzuki Shogun but the Yamaha RX100 was discontinued. So, the young generation at that time, barely had any stylish motorcycle options. Then entered the Pulsar with its naked street commuter styling, which became an instant hit. It looked muscular, fast enough and came at an affordable price. Importantly, there was finally a good looking motorcycle for the middle-class.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Vs Bajaj Pulsar 150 – See Who Wins The Race
In 2001, the first Pulsar was launched in India with a 150cc DTS-i engine and a 5-speed gearbox. 2 years later, the headlamp styling was changed and instead, it received a cowl. Again, a year later in 2004, it got alloy wheels as an option with the existing spoke wheels setup. In 2006, it received a major upgrade as a commemoration of 1 million customers.
The 2006 Bajaj Pulsar received blacked-out alloys, new headlamp, slight revisions in the styling and mainly, a highly upgraded engine. In 2007 again, we saw the launch of Pulsar 200 that carried the same styling but with slightly fatter tyres. In 2009, the most powerful Pulsar 220F was launched which was a semi-faired motorcycle, squared against the Hero Karizma.
By this time, Bajaj had already crossed the 3 million mark and it had also launched Pulsar with a 180cc engine. While the Pulsar 200 and 180 were not as popular as the other two existing models, the Pulsar 135 LS was launched in 2009. This was a very popular motorcycle for those who even found the Pulsar 150 expensive. 135 LS had a good run for 5-6 years before it was discontinued in 2018.
Also Read: Bajaj Pulsar RS400 – All You Need to Know!
In 2012, enter Pulsar NS200 which was again something that Indians had never seen. A muscular 200cc naked street motorcycle which only meant performance and nothing else. Carefully priced around under a Lakh at that time, it created a huge uproar in the market. From then, it has been a never looking back moment for Bajaj with their Pulsar brand name. Now, 20 years later, it is still widely popular and a benchmark for buyers who are looking motorcycles in the 1 Lakh budget.
