Bajaj Pulsar 220 ABS and 180 ABS are spotted at dealerships as dispatches have already begun across the country
Bajaj Auto updated its Pulsar range only recently but the much-awaited mandatory ABS system has not been made available just yet. Courtesy of the upcoming stringent safety regulations, all existing motorcycles of above 125 cc engine capacity will have to be equipped with ABS before April 1, 2019 while the new models have already been receiving the treatment since April 2018 with either single- or dual-channel units.
In the first quarter of 2019, two-wheeler manufacturers across the board will update their models with ABS if they have not done it already ahead of the deadline. Bajaj has the Pulsar and Avenger range at the core of its volume sales, besides the mass market Platina and CT100, and they are getting ABS safety feature very soon.
We can expect Bajaj to launch the Pulsar 220F ABS and Pulsar 180 ABS along with the Avenger ABS range in the first month of New Year. The Pulsar 220F ABS and 180 ABS have already started reaching dealerships across the country ahead of the official unveil.
We have got access to the spy pictures of the Pulsar 220F and 180 ABS, and they clearly show a single-channel system as seen in the flagship Pulsar RS200. The inclusion of single-channel unit instead of the dual-channel should be down to cost reasons. The former will cost around Rs. 10-12,000 over the standard dual-disc variant whereas the latter will raise eyebrows among customers for further difference in pricing.
The ABS system comes with standard lift-off protection at the rear and is implemented on the 260 mm front disc on both the motorcycles. The Bajaj Pulsar 220F’s price currently starts at Rs. 98,694 while the Pulsar 180 costs Rs. 85,523 (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Expect price hike of around Rs. 10-12,000 as mentioned above considering the difference between NS200 non-ABS and NS200 ABS sitting at Rs. 12,000.
No cosmetic or mechanical changes are made as the Pulsar 180 ABS uses the same 178.6 cc four-stroke air-cooled engine making 17 PS and 14.2 Nm while the 220 cc single-cylinder DTS-i engine delivering 20.93 PS and 18.55 Nm is employed in the 220F ABS. Both the powertrains are mated to five-speed transmission. Bajaj V15, Pulsar 150 and Pulsar NS160 will also get the ABS addition sooner rather than later.