Has Bajaj lost the plot for the Pulsar NS200?

Bajaj recently unveiled an updated version of their most coveted street fighter in their lineup – Which first saw face back in 2012, and became a cult classic, more than a decade since its inception NS 200 has only seen a few minor changes here and there to give an illusion of moving forward – more often than not these upgrades were limited only to visual upgrades more specifically – the changes were limited to graphics and decals, and very little mechanical and overall physical appearance of the motorcycle.

Each time Bajaj teased their Pulsar Fanbase with the possibility of a new NS200, they raised hopes for a fresh new bike but much to everyone’s disappointment it always turned out to be the same bike with few cosmetics changes and price raised by a few bucks- but the bike stayed relatively same.

Back in 2023– Bajaj made some more than usual changes to the Motorcycle – such as USD front forks, upgraded front brakes, and dual-channel ABS to keep up with its competition but visually the motorcycle stayed in 2012.

Now, in 2024 Bajaj has unveiled yet another iteration of the motorcycle – This time it seemed at first Bajaj was abandoning their tradition –and so they did but halfheartedly, along with the usual decal changes this time Bajaj finally upgraded the NS200’s physical appearance, a new headlight design which is an LED unit with boomerang-like shaped DRLs.

Change Image   |   Delete Image

Along with a new face, the NS200 now comes with a digital gauge cluster, gone is the old gauge cluster that was a combination of an analogue tachometer with a small digital speedometer – this new unit comes with varied connectivity features – which I guess will keep the NS200 fresh for a few years and now puts it on par with its competition in terms of equipment.

Now my frustration with this peculiar strategy of Bajaj for their most coveted model is, that The Pulsar NS200 is in its 11th year and its physical appearance has started to age for a while now, and Bajaj’s reluctance to update its styling seems odd, considering how significant Pulsar NS200 has been for the brand and its image when it was launched – sharing its engine technology with a certain Austrian Duke 200 and suspension and frame that is on par with any Japanese or European motorcycle from the segment – NS200 did wonders for Bajaj and its Pulsar brands image-From a Mediocre commuter motorcycle brand with sporty aesthetics to a serious contender in performance and fun.

Change Image   |   Delete Image

 No doubt Pulsar and NS 200 fans will still support it no matter how old it gets, those who have been around since NS200 came into existence NS200 street fighter looks set it apart from other models in Pulsar’s lineup, but its unique styling not only did set it apart among its siblings but also from its competition.

Its Unique styling made it stand out in the crowd of your regular run-of-the-mill commuter bikes, but that’s no longer the case many commuter motorcycles have taken a more radical approach to their design language and now, there is not much that makes the NS 200 standout among these commuter motorcycles.

Except for the Dominar 400, in the past decade, Bajaj hasn’t brought up any exciting models. Sure, models like the Pulsar N250 and N160 were a breath of fresh air, but my issue with the brands stays the same Bajaj is making their Pulsar brand redundant and now with the unveiling of the 2024 Pulsar NS 200 it seems Bajaj no longer cares for its performance brand and has a very lazy design team.

No doubt the NS 200 is one of the finest motorcycles on the market, especially with its 24 hp producing 200cc engine that oozes character and loves to rev out, making every ride a joyous one – But if their attitude remains unchanged for future models then it’s a grave concern for one of Indias finest motorcycle.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you still buy a 12-year motorcycle with fresh new equipment?