Buddy, helmet...........!!!!!!!!!! Else, hell, mate!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank goodness! After having toyed with the notion of making helmets mandatory, for ages, TN govt. has finally decided to induct the “ride with helmet” rule across the TN state in a phased manner. It is definitely something to heave a sigh of relief on as the grave reality has at last dawned on the senses of the govt. given the string of gory accidents, which has been ringing alarm bells all these years only for the corridors of power to turn a deaf ear to the wails. Who should we cast the blame upon for the delay? Is it the govt. which shelved this rule for eternity or the intransigent commuters who literally flee the scene when it comes to wearing helmets? Let’s contemplate.

Firstly, let’s discuss the obstinate commuters. It’s an open fact that helmets and commuters are an incongruous pairing in Chennai or any other city for that matter where a stern rule is not in place. Being a Chennai-ite myself and a dyed-in-the-wool bike enthusiast, I must mention that I have had a ring side seat when it comes to learning the hassles endured by them in wearing a helmet not to mention that I wear it at any cost albeit braving the about-to-be mentioned pitfalls. Adding to the usual excuses, Chennai is the epitome of typical Indian summer and this immediately rules out the possibility of making helmets mandatory.

Let me first zero in on the excuses made by people for dispensing with helmets, which are, to some extent, legitimate. Owing to scorching heat, the head inside the helmet has a greater chance of sweating and eventually getting drenched in it completely thereby leading to foul odour and hair-loss. We all know hair-loss is a nightmare for all and sundry. With helmets put on, the field of vision gets obstructed or limited, which again, is quite true. One also faces a brief hearing deterioration as the ears are almost shut, which can diminish the probability of hearing the horn-tooting vehicles and siren-blaring ambulances. Finally, all bikers are posers and would want to show off and look good without helmet, exposing their visage to the PYTs on road. Suppose, the rule gets enforced and helmets are made mandatory, I surmise, this would spawn a zillion new problems, finding and ironing out of which, would be Herculean task.

In spite of the hue and cry raised against helmets, if this rule gets imposed, we’ll have to face the music in the following imperceptible form. The rider may cough up a lump-sum in buying a helmet which doesn’t fit him snugly and might forget to fasten the chin straps up after wearing it, which again, is synonymous with going on a suicidal mission. Just for the heck of donning a helmet and escaping the clutches of extorting agents, oops… cops, one would knowingly or unknowingly settle for a low-quality, uncertified helmet, which in turn hangs the life of the rider in peril.

Roadside hawkers are a rage as they will jump at this golden opportunity and can pull a fast one on ignorant commuters by luring them into buying the spurious helmets, just for the heck of earning a quick buck. Believe me; they certainly have the gift of the gab to do it. With a tinted visor at night, the vision would be far from clear and can lead to many spills and close calls. With these entire intangible rule-flouting in place, which is just the tip of the ice-berg, with more to follow, we’ll have to end up championing a lost cause, if the rule gets imposed bluntly. This makes one thing clear that “rule enforcement” would turn out to be a bitter pill for the commuters to swallow, which has long been its besetting sin. This forces us to scratch our heads in devising a plan palatable to both govt. and commuters and which would ensure that helmets are worn religiously and with steadfast resolution.

After having expended our energy in learning the flip side of helmet-rule enforcement the hard way, let us try to invent some clever way of dealing this rather delicate situation. With bikes burgeoning like crazy in the market and roads getting narrower and more congested, the chances of accidents soars sky-high. This looming threat of helmet-free rides and wearing improper helmets can be tided over by having a two-pronged approach in place. Firstly, raise awareness amongst the commuters on “Importance of helmets”. This would draw educated and level-headed people. Secondly, a last ditch attempt needs to be launched in selling the helmets based on style factors, features and comfort and this attempt would appeal mainly to the snobs who are brought up and weaned in expensive creature comforts.

Apart from taking stringent action on those shirking from wearing one, they must be enlightened on the aftermath of an accident with and without helmet. Some work-shops by renowned bike-groups ( FYI, I hail from Korrupt Ryderz, Chennai :-)) can be put to good use in making people realize how helmets can turn up trumps at crisis. In order to leave a lasting imprint in the minds of commuters, heart-rending pictures of real life accidents, which could, at times, be nauseating, can be resorted to. After all, instilling fear is the key many a time in achieving something out of benign intent. The going rates of the helmets need to be slashed so that it is made easier on the wallet procure. Offering discounts when more than a helmet is bought and giving away freebies can also help. While only a modicum of points can be thought in explaining the importance of wearing helmets, a lot more can go in the form of style, technology and features in achieving the same.

Markets and countries, which have learnt the tricks of the helmet trade, can help other countries in bringing home the bacon. For instance, helmets with ducts and vents can alleviate the sweating issue. Air-conditioned helmets are also up for grabs. Ready made options to switch between plain and tinted visors can come in handy while riding during broad daylight and during wee hours. Helmets offering better field of vision with vents near ears can also eclipse visual/hearing hassles cited. As people are loath to buying plain-Jane designs, embossing Rossi/Schumy/Ferrari/McLaren effigies with jazzy hues which are akin to international standards can go down a bomb with buyers. Star-studded campaigns in propagating the same can ensure that it ain’t a botched mission. Helmet companies should kick start a custom of bringing family oriented helmet set (right from the notorious kid to the responsible missus) to the stores. To resolve the nagging problem of carrying helmets when the bike is parked at a lot, making helmet locks as stock fitment on the bikes can do us a world of good.

Adding to the slew of advantages what a helmet-donned ride has at its disposal, it keeps ominous exhaust spurts at bay, shoos swarming flies away, protects us from punishing sun beams (in case of a tinted visor) and does hell of a lot more. In spite of all the odds stacked against implementing this rule, govt. must take strenuous efforts in going the whole hog of persuading commuters in wearing one dutifully by spurring the narrated points into action tactfully instead of just inducting it. The underlying theme of this article is to make bike/helmet/rider combo indispensable by displaying the facts and injecting the oomph factor into the custom of helmet-donning. Helmet-buy should also be made a formality along with road tax, insurance and stuff when a new vehicle is bought. The OTR of any vehicle should be inclusive of an ISI certified helmet. This might sound like a quixotic project but we are in dire need of this rule ‘cause we ain’t Lord Ganesha to get blessed with a second head in case of accident.

~Rodeobiker

PULSAR – The bike that made Bajaj an overnight star…..!!!!!

The yesteryear heroes:
It was early 2002 and all the bike freaks were already happy with their RXs and CBZs which were the epitome of performance. It was also time every biker started rooting for 4-strokes, which are greener and also because the 4-strokers were the lesser of two evils. While 4 strokers had got the better of 2 strokers, CBZ was whole-heartedly confirmed and accepted as the first performance bike of the modern era. The man in the street didn’t have the capability to look beyond CBZs and was content with it. The RX has already been dubbed street hooligan and CBZ got the tag of being the most rakish bike possessing blue-blooded manners. The CBZ was an immediate hit. Its instant stardom was attributed to the absence of any competition in the 150cc segment and a deliciously welcome styling and it was just plain sailing in the 150cc waters from then on. TVS pitted its own 150cc challenger, Fiero, in a bid to steal the crown and it also gave a decent fight but the CBZ was not to be dethroned as it thrived on the much-revered Honda badge and commendable performance that pampered the average commuter and tingled the enthusiast. That was the time our home grown bike maker, Bajaj, who took a brave decision to soldier on relentlessly with more audacity even after parting ways with its ex-Japanese counterpart, Kawasaki, burst on to the scene with a bike which radically changed the face of Indian motorcycling. Yes, I am boasting about the Pulsar that stormed into the market in 2002 and is yet to be bested by even the best in the international business and has been a leading light ever since. Being a hardcore bike enthusiast myself, I decided to look back at some of the unrivalled Bajaj strategies that pulverized the competition and eventually made Pulsar a winner. Lets look back at the classic moves shall we?

The star is born:
Bajaj unveiled the classic Pulsar, more importantly, in 2 variants. The first one, which came fitted with a 150cc heart, was obviously for the mundane masses and its elder sibling; the 180cc version was absolutely meant for the performance minded and were christened Classic Pulsars by bike punters thanks to a host of visual and powertrain tweaks it got later. Little did they know the placid pulsar ripples would morph into humongous tidal waves in premium segment. The launch was a precedent of sorts as no bike maker, by far, has garnered the mettle to roll out 2 different bikes, one meant to straddle the quasi performance areas and the other to delight the speed freaks, under the same product name but in a segment which has consistently failed to rake in respectable numbers. This is the reason why all manufacturers kept shying away from exploring the 150 and beyond and dwelled in the happy 125cc medium. The classic pulsars were the most stylish machines the country has ever witnessed. With its macho lines, nicely chiseled petrol tank that looked like a body builder’s nicely toned up broad shoulder blades directly coming out of a gym after a strenuous workout. “Definitely male” slogan seems to have turned the tables on its competition. Till now err … even now, every bike has been addressed with a feminine gender but Bajaj is the one, which gave its bikes a touch of musculature thereby making everyone look at their bikes from a different perspective. That seems to have worked. The overall styling resembled a naked roadster and yeah, people fell head over heels in love with it. The performance of the 150 was not spine chilling but was ahead of its competition and set new benchmarks in the fuel efficiency areas too. Pulsars soon turned out to be a fashion statement among teens. Above par mileage, aggressive naked roadster styling, deceptively large fuel tank, class leading performance and head turning exhaust note were declared to be Pulsar’s hallmarks and the Bajaj’s sales figures already started to skyrocket. This is where Bajaj evokes our praise, as it was that first bike, which started selling as good as 100cc bike. Every Tom, dickk and Harry was complacent and couldn’t ask for more from the Pulsars but the bike makers themselves could not rest on their laurels and gave the classic Pulsars the first ever facelift. Here comes the DTSi.

DTSi storms in:
Yes, the DTSi made its way into the market like a bolt out of the blue. When classic pulsar’s full potential was yet to be harnessed, the DTSi avatar had us all at sea. This brand new avatar was there for a purpose and not for mere show-off. The DTSi’s sole intention was to increase the power and low-end torque along with a hike in fuel efficiency. This statement might sound absurd and would make you sport a derisive smile as the aforementioned features ameliorate at the cost of the other. Hey wait! Bajaj actually achieved the impossible. The DTSi version was already more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor thanks to the twin spark plugs that ensured better and full combustion of fuel. The performance improved by leaps and bounds with its top speed being in a different ballpark. The DTSi bettered the classic version in every possible facet, be it the 0-60,80 sprint, power/torque outputs, top speed, stability, fuel efficiency and even styling departments. Along with a slew of engine tweaks came in Pulsar’s first style tweak. The conventional round headlamp was dumped in favour of a jazzy fairing and voila it gelled well with the body and it gave a breath of fresh air to its overall styling. While the conventional round headlamp version was still available in the market minus an electric starter, its faired counterpart came laden with all the goodies. Here ends the first DTSi’s story but starts the story of another set of revamp that ensued the first one.

Bajaj’s makeover:
After the first revamp, which came out like a thunderbolt, the consumers woke up and started demanding more. The result, a Pulsar fan club website where all the Pulsar aficionados thronged to chip in with their valuable inputs and constructive criticisms to make it even better. We thought the Pulsar’s response time would be more but it again bounced back with a new makeover. This time, it had nothing to do with the product but with the company at large. The immaculate retro Bajaj logo, which was reminiscent of the urban scooters Cub, Super,Chetak, was removed. In came a contemporary logo that gave a fresh lease of life to the company’s new philosophy “Inspiring Confidence”. In the blink of an eye, there was a significant rise in the number of bikes that were sporting the new logo and it spoke volumes about how well the company was doing. The Pulsar, at this point of time, forces us to think about the drastic transformation the company underwent in a very short span of time. It started off its career by making just scooters, which catered to the urban and rural populace. They were doing quite well as scooters didn’t look odd at that time. Times started changing and scooters were claimed to be an anachronism from the past and apparently gained the status of a museum’s belonging. It spurred the company to veer off a bit and start concentrating on their bike manufacturing. Bajaj were quick off the blocks as good bike makers with its models 4 champion and others that followed. The bikes were just run-of-the-mill ones with nothing special about them but were accepted as safe products as fuel efficiency was the underlying theme of any Indian bike and Bajaj seemed to have got the equation quite right. Oh god, I am lost. Where am I? I was supposed to narrate the evolution and the success story of the Pulsar right? What the heck am I doin now? Ok, lets get back to the subject.

The revamp story continues:
After the DTSi bikes established themselves as quite a package, Bajaj started facing a knotty problem. While the 150 Pulsar owners were cock-a-hoop with their bikes, the 180 owners were simmering with anger, as there was no visual differentiator between the 150 and the 180. The reason for the anger is justifiable as 150 was just the spitting image of the 180 and that viciously hurt the pride of the 180 owners. They wanted Bajaj to do something about it. To make things clear, peel the “180” sticker off the tail panel and it’s a case of mistaken identity. Bajaj was a bit lethargic to respond in this regard but they did, ultimately, about which you will be reading in the later part of this article. The situation where every alternate bike is a pulsar arose but Bajaj was not to rest. By the time we started thinking about “is there any way of making this pulsar better?” and from most of the bike enthusiasts, the answer was a resounding “no”, Bajaj had everyone perplexed with its 3rd revamp. They were in a purple patch with every endeavour reaping rich dividends. The revamped bike was already up for grabs and every teen made a beeline to get one, as the styling was, in one word, jaw dropping. For the first time, alloy wheels came in as standard fitment along with a boost in power, again. With 13.3 bhp on tap, the Pulsar was all set to rewrite the rules in the 150 segment and the rival bike makers also followed suit but that’s a different point. The physical dimensions underwent a subtle revision, for good. The fairing was slung a bit lower and the petrol tank shrunk in size and it can hold only 15 litres of fuel vis-à-vis 18 litres on the erstwhile versions. It was a stunner in terms of looks and screamed away with the “style” award. The new look pulsar was heart-achingly beautiful and was peerless. A lot of tech stuff, which was almost Greek to all of us, accompanied the latest version. The SNS suspension was all set to make the ride pampering. The “EXHAUSTec” was the other tech weapon hurled to make this bike all the more special. The best bike in the 150cc segment was a foregone conclusion as none of its competitors could keep pace with Bajaj. Seeing off the fragile competition was nothing less than a cakewalk for Bajaj.

All about p-180:
When we keep blowing P-150’s trumpet for a long time, how can I resist from boasting about the maddening 180 power and wont I be perpetrating an unpardonable crime if I do so? Here comes the most interesting part to make the speed freaks let out whoops of joy. “One eighty DTS-I”…!!!!! Doesn’t it pamper you with gratification of all your senses? That’s the magical spell the 175cc power plant cast on the enthusiasts’ minds. While the 150 sibling was already destroying its 150 competition, 180 audaciously took on the 225cc class, the Karizma. The 180, even though, could sniff and at times outpace the Zma in short bursts of acceleration, the 50cc handicap was tangible when going flat out and as a result, Zma showed a clean pair of heels to the 180 in the straights. The Zma easily kicked dust in the face of the Pulsar in highway stints, no doubt. Nevertheless, Pulsar scored over its 225 rival on mileage front, which was paramount to Indians. But the clincher was the aggressively low pricing which already made Zma see the cloud in the horizon while it was a win-win situation for Bajaj. As usual, Bajaj stuck to their customary philosophy of evading the feeling of complacency at every possible turn of achieving success. Pulsar made Bajaj an overnight star, no doubt. The worst critic might dub their success as mere beginner’s luck but the very same baseless comment was rubbished and thrashed by the iconic status their company attained and more importantly, how they capitalized on it courtesy the Pulsars. Unable to bear the ignominy of Zma netting the “the fastest in the country” title, Bajaj boffins racked up their grey-matters to unveil the most ferocious beast, 180 DTS-i. This revamp, though not a major one on commercial lines, was a huge morale boost and a matter of pride for the Bajaj think-tanks.

180 gets the facelift:
Whilst the list of goodies on the 180 dtsi was as good as the ones in the 150 version, performance, power, speed and the ownership value was different altogether. The refurbished Dts-I hit the showrooms. The ever-hungry bike journos grabbed the machine and pitted the out-for-revenge Pulsar against the laidback karizma to ascertain the king of Indian roads. The hot tarmac under the blazing sun was all set for the biggest and hottest shoot-out. On paper, the Zma was the winner as it had the CC and BHP preponderance over the reworked Indian rookie. It was status-quo in initial drags but the Pulsar had every Indian aghast by registering almost equal top speed as that of Zma. While the Zma had an equally performing machine, Bajaj betters it as an overall package with excellent value for money proposition. There was a world of difference in pricing and fuel efficiency with equally stunning performance. Infact, the real world performance is more pronounced in the Pulsar thanks to the 175cc engine, which was sheer hooligan in its character. The writing was clearly etched on the wall. Before we all could learn about the 1st gen dtsi, we all ran amuck hearing about another round of revamp. The 180 version, along with the 150cc cousin, came fitted with 6-spoke alloy wheels. Enough has been boasted about the changes that accompanied the alloy-wheeled versions. The string of style upgrading plans was shelved for the 150DTSi but 180 DTSi kept marching ahead with its head held high. Here comes the final (well we are fools if we think this way) visual enhancement for the Pulsar. Atlast, Bajaj has refrained from turning their deaf ears to the angst filled cry of the 180 owners seeking a visual differentiator between the 150 and the 180. In a bid to satiate their hunger for difference, Bajaj painted the 16.5 BHP heart and the 17” alloys all black. The step taken was a simple one but the end results were jaw dropping and bore fruitful results especially for the imminent 180 owners. The look was red-hot. This new all-black version was popularly advertised and propagated as “fear the black”. The red-black combo was the meanest bike our country has ever witnessed and this very diabolic outfit could very well shame the likes of the universally renowned R1. The overall look resembled a bowelless satan unleashed right from hell to mercilessly chop the competitors’ heads off. The “fear the black” attempt clipped the wings of the foible Zma, which was already floundering in the face of the 180 DTSi. The Pulsar’s victory was pronounced officially but the Honda was way ahead of Bajaj in refinement but who cares, people preferred Pulsar’s rough nature to Zma’s laidback demeanour.

180’s envelope pushed even further:
Unable to hold its own horses, Bajaj, again, has refurbished the already-eye-popping 180 Ditsee. This time, swaying slightly away from 180’s unique lines, Bajaj forced the “Fear the black” to follow in the footsteps of the pipelined 220. The Zma beater pipped even the impending 220 at the post as it plundered many tech bits from it even before the pioneer’s launch. Will this surprising/shocking move of robbing 220’s USP and charm mar its repute? It is for the Pulsar fans to answer but I hope not. Zeroing in on the updates first. The 180 has been given an upper crust treatment and it says it all. Firstly, the most striking aspect for any speed demon, the Speedo. Bajaj has given a digital treatment here. With orange-lit background, the speedo displays almost-accurate speed at all times and to keep the biker’s passion hot, the analog tacho has been retained. The moment you insert the keys and turn it on, the tacho briskly zooms to the rev limit and comes back, which is a feature taken right away from the superbikes. Good work, folks. Its face has also been made up with a black treatment at right places to give it a frowning look. The tail has been sharpened to a razor’s degree and comes fitted with LED lamps now. Street racers and high-speed corner carvers can forget the pain of switching the indicators off after booming along the curve at breakneck speed as the bike itself does this dutifully courtesy the industry-first self-cancel indicators. The switches are also backlit to keep its visual appeal stunning even in the dark. Bajaj doesn’t believe in an all-cosmetic makeover and this 180 spruce-up is no exception. Bajaj has subtly worked on improving the already spine-chilling midrange and in the process; the top whack has gone up by a good 3 units at 121kmph. A shift indicator has been appended too, which serves a dual purpose of blinking at shift points and also by raising an alarm in the same fashion when the amount of fuel peters out to less than 4 litres in the tank. It has a digital fuel-gauge too. So, a Pulsar rider should never run out of fuel by any chance and if it happens, the blame has to be squared on the rider alone and not on the bike in any case. In usual style, the 150 DTSi has also been reworked. This time, the not-so-liked all-down pattern has been taken off to join the likes of other 150s by employing the universally renowned 1-down, 4-up pattern, which I think would do a world of good to us as well as to the 150. Power has also been reportedly upped to 14-odd BHP, which should see a hike in its already ballistic performance. All the mentioned 180 feature upgrades have made an appearance in the 150 too, which I think, is a fitting answer to the new CBZ Xtreme from HH. In a bid to keep 180 owners in seventh heaven, the all-black paint scheme has been avoided in the 150.

Keeping our fingers crossed:
Bajaj is going great guns with its current strategy. It sill plays second fiddle to HH in sales but its daredevilry approach in every facet premeditates Bajaj to be a formidable force to reckon with. We don’t have to be clairvoyants to predict this simple thing do we? Bajaj have conquered the 150+ segment and ruling it with dictator’s dominance. While it is level pegging in the 125cc class, HH still remain the drawing card in the 100cc segment. In typical Bajaj style, 2 fusillades, with a single-minded purpose of eating into HH’s share, CT100 and Platina were launched. The result, both have sent warning signals to the segment leaders by sporting a very low price tag, eye-popping fuel efficiency figures and respectable performance to boot thereby finding a very special place in Indian skinflint’s heart. Moreover, they have set the sales chart ablaze with stupendous marketing strategies. Bajaj may be no.2 in overall sales figures but the rate of growth of Bajaj is streets ahead of HH’s growth rate. Bajaj is closing in on HH for the world No.1 title like a raging pit-bull chasing its toy. They might snatch the title any time now and they truly deserve it. Won’t an out and out home-grown maker leading the biking world do us proud? Yes it will, without an iota of doubt. Anyway, Bajaj is still forging ahead with its trademark tenacity and a pugilist’s pugnacity. They have also planned to make the biggest and grandest launch in India with their forthcoming weapon, Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi. It comes with many “India first” and a few “Industry first”. Some tech stuffs are out of our imagination’s scope. Bajaj is the only manufacturer to officially pitch in a challenger to Karizma. Needless to mention that the upcoming 220cc is in a different plane altogether. Virtually, before the launch itself, Zma has been written off. Even though the P-220 falls in Zma’s category, DTSFi’s target is the much-awaited fazer250 and Twister250, which are the rumour mills’ latest churns. Bajaj still claims that the model road-tested by top-notch journos was just a prototype version and a host of works is still due to make it market ready. Can we ask for more? Seeing the kind of revamps, facelifts, upgrades what the Pulsar has seen in these four years, it really makes me wonder if the Flagship superbikes like the R1, Ninja or even the ‘Busa would ever have endured this many upgrades and attention. Well, that’s what makes Pulsar and Bajaj combo a special one in India and they are getting a universal acclaim too. Way to go guys. Beware, by the time you finish reading this rather long article, a brand new upgraded Pulsar might have hit the showrooms and that’s what I call wishful thinking.