Bajaj Pulsar N160 SS First Ride Review: The Perfect Pulsar?

Bajaj is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Pulsar this year, and over the past few months, we have seen a lot of new additions in the Pulsar family. What we are riding is the latest addition in the Pulsar family, the Bajaj Pulsar N160 SS. As you can see, cosmetically, nothing much has changed, but the big update is in the powerplant as it gets a four-valve head. Apart from that, there are a lot of new features, and even the hardware has been upgraded. So let’s find out how these updates have impacted the Pulsar N160 SS.

Performance 

The new motor is an oversquare engine as the bore and stroke figures are different compared to the two-valve engine. It also gets four-valve technology and more importantly, it also gets an oil cooler. Bajaj claims that the Pulsar N160 SS is the quickest accelerating motorcycle in its segment, and you can feel that rush of speed when you’re going hard on the power band. My only issue with this motorcycle is the hollow mid-range because when you want to overtake a motorcycle between 5,000 - 7,000 rpm, you feel there is a flat spot, and one has to go down a gear to overtake the vehicle in front. Bottom-end performance is decent, but you have to be in the right gear when you’re riding at city speeds. 

Helping you out when you’re riding in the city traffic is the crawl function as it ensures the motorcycle doesn’t stall at low speeds. The clutch action of the motorcycle is light, while the gear shift quality is very great. Once you hit the highway, the motorcycle can do speeds between 100 to 110 kmph very easily, and feels very stable. The only issue is that post 85 kmph, you can feel vibrations kicking in on the seat and the handlebar. 

The vibrations are contained, but it does feel a bit fuzzy, and during that moment, you feel that it should have got a six-speed transmission. So the overall performance is nice, it is the quickest motorcycle in the segment. Even the top speed is the highest. So the Pulsar DNA has been maintained in this motorcycle, but the mid-range is a bit disappointing.

Style & Features

On the styling nothing much has changed as the basic design remains the same but it gets new colour options and revised graphics. The chunkier USD fork finished in gold gives the front-end a muscular appeal compared to the standard bike. 

Where the big updates have been made is in the feature department - the SS variant gets a crisp TFT instrument console, 4 ride modes, traction control, lap timer and multiple trip meters. The N 160 SS also is the only motorcycle in its segment to feature Google Maps navigation, for which you need to pair it with your phone via Wi-Fi. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity for message alerts, call alerts and music control. With respect to features, the new Pulsar comes loaded! 

There’s also a revised switchgear to handle the multiple features on the TFT screen. Build quality is also good as the panel gaps are consistent, no loose wires and none of the panels rattled despite riding the bike over some very bad patches of road. 

Ride, Handling and Braking

So apart from the engine, there are a lot of upgrades on the hardware front and the SS version gets a fatter upside-down fork. Now, talking about ride quality, even on the N160, the ride quality was very comfortable, and that same story continues with the 160 SS variant. It feels very compliant on broken roads, undulations, or potholes. So, in terms of ride quality, it still remains comfortable.The upgraded front fork also ensures the handling dynamics of the motorcycle has improved. 

It feels very confident when you’re turning into fast corners, and feels very composed. Although the N160 doesn’t get the perimeter frame that we have seen on the Pulsar NS series, Bajaj claims that the frame stiffness is better. Helping us out on the wet roads was the rear radial tyre on the SS variant, giving the rider more confidence. Now, coming to the braking hardware, again, the SS variant gets a larger front disc. The braking prowess is very good, the stopping power is nice, the bite from the pads are good.

Verdict 

The main question was, have these upgrades made the N160 SS a better motorcycle? And the answer is a definite yes! Now compared to the two-valve engine, the four-valve engine carries a premium of ₹10 - ₹11,000 (₹1,42,585, ex-showroom). And should you spend that extra money? And my answer would be yes, because the kind of upgrades that Bajaj has made on this motorcycle makes the new Pulsar N160 SS feel like a flagship variant.. So that ₹10,000 extra is well worth spending.

Now coming back to the motorcycle, yes, in terms of cosmetics, it still looks the same as the standard N160. But the main change is on the engine. The four-valve engine makes this motorcycle very peppy and the acceleration is strong. Even the top speed is the highest among other motorcycles in the segment. So if you want a fast, exciting motorcycle, the N160 SS does deliver.

With respect to features, you get Google Navigation, a proper TFT instrument console, ride-by-wire, four riding modes, and traction control. So this motorcycle comes loaded with tech.

And the handling dynamics, as I mentioned before, the Pulsar N160 was a great handling motorcycle and the same thing continues with the SS variant as well, and it still remains comfortable. So it’s not like the handling dynamics have affected the comfort aspect of the motorcycle. So if you’re in the market looking for a 150 to 160 cc performance motorcycle, you should definitely consider riding the N160 SS because the upgrades have made this motorcycle even better.