Bajaj Pulsar N125 review: More than just another Pulsar
Bajaj starts from a blank sheet of paper in its attempt to take on new age rivals from Hero and TVS.
Published on Oct 21, 2024 05:00:00 PM
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By Rishaad Mody
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We Like
- Light, agile handling, refined motor
- Fresh unique style, price
We Don't Like
- Missing some features
- Quality can improve
The Pulsar 125, in its Classic guise, continues to be a massive seller for Bajaj, but the company needed something fresh and youthful to address the TVS Raider and Hero Xtreme 125R. After all, those two have carved out a new segment of about 50,000-60,000 sales per month. The N125 is Bajaj’s answer, and the interesting thing is that it has nothing to do with any other Pulsar before it.
Bajaj Pulsar N125 design, colours, quality
Bajaj wanted to make a 125 that weighed 125 kilos (which is nearly 20kg less than the existing 125cc Pulsar models), and that necessitated an entirely new platform. The N125 also carries a new design language, and it’s great to see that this isn’t just another Pulsar wearing a familiar set of clothes.
Plenty of floating panels all over and a rather un-Pulsar-like headlamp bring freshness to the design philosophy. But there’s also familiarity in elements like the shape of the tank extensions as well as the new take on the twin-slash brake lamps.
While so much aero-inspired bodywork on a tiny 125 is almost purely for aesthetics, the vents on the front mudguard shroud are actually functional. The story goes that the initial design did not have any vents, but the engine development team complained to the design department that their air-cooled engine wasn’t getting enough flow, which is why the vents were incorporated.
There are some unusual touches, like the body panel along the side of the subframe. We’re used to seeing this kind of bodywork at the tail section on most motorcycles, but it finds itself positioned between the rider and pillion seat on the N125. This has the effect of adding mass to the design but also keeps the tail quite slim. The fat fork shrouds do a good job of masking the skinny 30mm telescopic fork, but while they certainly give the bike more presence, some may find them to be excessively wide.
Quality levels are decent, but some visible panel gaps on our bike do leave room for improvement. In all, the N125 has a striking design that will be a little polarising yet also easily identifiable, especially in the funky colour schemes Bajaj has gone with. It doesn’t have the same ‘big-bike’ look as the Hero Xtreme 125R, but it certainly stands out, and that’s a good thing.
Bajaj Pulsar N125 ride and handling
The seating position is more or less what you’d expect from a bike like this. At 795mm, the seat height isn’t the lowest in the class, but it’s still very manageable, and the seats are spacious and comfortable. The footpeg placement is a little sporty, which goes well with a bike like this. However, the narrow handlebar felt a bit too ‘commutery’, which slightly dilutes the special feeling a bike like this should have.
Happily, the new chassis makes up for this in its sheer lightness and behaviour. 125kg is nearly on par with the TVS Raider, and just like that bike, the N125 has a delightfully nimble, easy-going character without any nervousness. Bajaj let us experience this on a go-kart track, and the N125 was genuinely good fun, displaying an eagerness to change direction and lean over. The footpeg placement enabled plenty of cornering clearance without any scraping, and the bike never displayed any fidgety moments you might expect with a very light machine. The MRF tyres were nice and grippy in this situation as well, and the only thing I’d have liked was a bit more initial sharpness in the front brake.
Bajaj Pulsar N125 engine refinement, mileage
Nevertheless, the N125’s dynamics will translate into an enjoyable experience on densely packed city roads. Going nicely with this is a very light clutch effort, which they say is 50 percent less than the competition. With 12hp, the new engine is the most powerful in the segment alongside the NS125, but this bike has a much better power-to-weight ratio of nearly 100hp/tonne.
More importantly, the engine is smooth and tractable, and it makes a nice sound as well. While the strong acceleration only arrives at quite high revs, the engine can also pull you along in third gear (out of 5) as low as 20kph, which is crucial in a city bike like this.
Refinement is excellent, but I noticed that the motor would stall if the revs got too low without any of the typical warning signs (like a juddering sound or feel) that come when an engine’s revs get too low. This isn’t really an issue on its own, but the problem arises in that the N125 doesn’t have a gear position indicator or even a rev counter. With its tractable nature, you will often find yourself riding around at rather low revs in heavy traffic, and that’s when these stalls can catch you out, so it’s something you’ll need to learn to work around.
Bajaj claims a 0-60kph time of 6 seconds and a top speed of 97kph, although you’ll see over 110kph on the display. The bike hits about 80kph quickly, and overall performance feels up to the mark of the best in the segment. The company also claims an overall fuel efficiency of about 60kpl.
Bajaj Pulsar N125 price, features and verdict
One of the big success factors with bikes like the Raider and Xtreme 125R is that they offer the looks and feature set of bigger 150-200cc machines. When it comes to the latter, the Pulsar N125 isn’t quite up there with its rivals. On the one hand, it has a front disc brake and LED head/tail lamps as standard, while the top model gets Bluetooth connectivity and a silent start/start-stop system. But then it misses important things like a rev counter, gear position indicator or single-channel ABS – although Bajaj says it will introduce the latter if there’s demand.
While the Pulsar N125 probably won’t sway buyers with segment-leading features, it has most of the essential fundamentals in place, the key among them being the price. At Rs 95,000 for the base model and 98,000 for the top model, it is more affordable than a similarly specced Raider and on par with the Hero Xtreme 125R. As of now, we can’t confirm whether it’s the best in its segment, but the new Pulsar N125 definitely has a fighting chance.
Also See: Bajaj Pulsar N125 video review
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