Bajaj Discover 125T

Bajaj has been focusing on reaching out to more customers with their Discover brand and the new 125T is a step in this direction. The new Bajaj Discover 125T was launched just last month and is a lower spec variant of the popular Discover 125ST. The biggest difference between the 125 ST and 125 T is the mono-suspension on the older bike which has been replaced with a simpler Nitrox twin shockers at the rear. So technically, the difference with respect to things such as the mileage should not be very different on the two bikes. If you are eager to read our mileage report on the Discover 125 ST, click on the link.
Bajaj Discover 125 T
Let’s first talk about the specifications of the Bajaj Discover 125 T. This is a bike with a 124.6cc engine displacement that delivers a max power of 12.5 PS @ 9000 RPM and a torque as high as 10.8 Nm at 6500 RPM. You can reach a top speed of up to 105 kmph which is not much but very decent on a bike of this category. The bike has a 10 liter fuel tank with a 3.5 liter reserve. Measuring 2035x714x1070 mm in dimensions, the Discover 125 T weighs around 124 kg (kerb) with a ground clearance of 165mm. The bike is priced at Rs. 55,500 ex-showroom Delhi which is around 1000 rupees lower than 125 ST.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

In our discussion on the Discover 125 ST, we had noted the manufacturer’s claim on FE to be betwen 65-70 kmpl under standard test conditions. According to Bajaj, the new Discover 125 T is built for great power without compromise on mileage. According to tests done in standard conditions, the manufacturer claim you should be able to see 77.1 kmpl. That’s quite a benchmark to beat if it were true. We will need to look at customer test rides and feedback to see if the fuel consumption in real world conditions match up to this.

Customer Feedback

Let us start with the review on IamaBiker. The author does not offer any independent review of the bike other than providing a gist of the basic features. So it is difficult to ascertain if he has tested it himself. As far as fuel efficiency goes, he claims 60 kmpl could be the norm on the city roads.

According to BikeDekho, mileage is an area where the bike performs best. According to their review, the Discover 125 T should be able to deliver 50 kmpl on city roads that can go as high as 60 kmpl on the highways.

We do not have reviews from too many other sources. We will revisit this page when the bike is a few months older and we have feedback from many more people. Till then, keep posting your feedback and personal reviews in the comments section below.

Source City (kmpl) Highways (kmpl)
Official 77.1
IamaBiker 60
BikeDekho 50 60

Bajaj Discover 125 ST Vs. Honda CB Shine

Today we will compare two bikes in the 125cc engine category – the Discover 125ST from Bajaj and Honda CB Shine. The Discover 125ST is the more recent entrant to the market having made its way only in the mid of last year while Honda Shine has been around for around 3 years now. While both bikes are in the 125cc segment, Bajaj has had the luxury to extensively study the market before launching their new 125cc Discover. Consequently, they have been able to offer quite a few better specs in comparison to the peers.

The Discover 125ST arguably offers the best power in the 125cc bike segment. According to company brochures, the Discover 125ST delivers close to 13PS max power at 9000 RPM whereas the CB Shine only offers around 10.3PS @7500 RPM. The difference is not much in terms of torque though. While the Discover 125ST claims to offer a max net torque of 10.8 Nm at 7000 RPM, the corresponding value for the CB Shine is 10.54Nm at 5500RPM. The price of the lowest available variant on CB Shine is Rs. 54,782 while the price of Discover 125ST is Rs. 55,500 – both ex-Delhi. So as you can see, no one winner here. I shall tabulate all the major specs for a side-by-side comparison below.

Spec Bajaj Discover 125ST Honda CB Shine
Displacement 124.6cc 124.7cc
Max Power 13PS @9000 10.3PS @7500
Max Torque 10.8Nm @ 7000 10.54Nm @ 5500
Kerb Weight 124.5kg 120kg
Fuel Tank Capacity 10L 10.5L
Ground clearance 170mm 157mm
Price (ex-Delhi) Rs. 55500 Rs. 54782

Mileage Comparison
Let us first start with the manufacturer claims. According to Honda Motorcycles, the CB Shine can deliver about 65 kmpl under standard test road conditions. In comparison, the Discover 125ST delivers around 67.5 kmpl under similar conditions. Do note that the fuel economy that you derive on real world conditions may be vastly different.

To check how the two bikes fare on city roads, let us look at what third party blog and customer reviews have got to say. On MouthShut, both bikes have received a 4/5 rating for fuel consumption. The reviews have been extremely positive for Discover 125ST with the lowest reported mileage around 48kmpl and the highest over 60kmpl. The average is around 55kmpl. In comparison, the lowest reported figure for CB Shine is around 42kmpl while the average reported figure lies between 50-55kmpl. So the Discover wins by a slight margin on this one.

We do not have many other common sources that have reviewed both the bikes. Let us first take a look at websites that have reviewed the Discover 125ST. MotorBeam in their test reports around 55kmpl on city roads that goes up to 60kmpl on highways. ZigWheels reports a much better experience having seen around 62kmpl just on the city roads. The highway mileage is reported to be 77kmpl which seems quite unbelievable and I would term this is an exception and not a rule. BikeDekho in their review report a much lower figure. On city roads, the reviewer was able to see only around 50 kmpl although on highways this was much better at 65kmpl.

With Honda CB Shine, the story is not very different. The official review on BikeAdvice notes that the fuel consumption could improve after servicing although in their test, the reported figure was around 50 kmpl on city roads. The figures are slightly better on the Yahoo user reviews where the number lies between 55-60 kmpl on an average. The FE on highways though was noted to be higher at 62kmpl.

There were a couple of more sources that reviewed the CB Shine from a fuel economy perspective. IndiaGarage users claim to be seeing between 50-55 kmpl on city roads and 58-62kmpl on highways whereas the reviewer on MaxAbout reports 58kmpl on city roads and a massive 73kmpl on highways – again, this appears to be an outlier and do not expect your bike to reach this level of efficiency.

Here is a snapshot of what various reviewers of these two bikes have said. From the outset, the fuel consumption do not appear to be too different on both the bikes. Considering that the prices are not vastly different either, I would pick the Discover 125ST over CB Shine considering a better power on this bike for the same economy. What will be your pick?

Source Bajaj Discover 125ST Honda CB Shine
Official 65-70 65
BikeAdvice 50
BikeDekho 50
IndiaGarage 50-55
MaxAbout 58
MotorBeam 55
MouthShut 55 50-55
Yahoo 55-60
ZigWheels 62

Bajaj Discover 100T Vs. Hero HF Dawn

Bajaj Discover 100T and Hero HF Dawn are two of the most popularly searched bikes on MileageInfo.com. Both these bikes are in the 100cc category and they are a terrific value for money. However, the Discover 100T is priced almost 16,000 higher than the HF Dawn. While you can get a Dawn 100cc ex-Delhi at a price of Rs. 34,500, the corresponding price for Discover 100T is Rs. 50,500.

Hero HF Dawn vs Bajaj Discover 100T

Let us first talk about the technical specifications of both these bikes. First up, the engine – the Hero HF Dawn is built with a 97.2cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that delivers a maximum power of 7.8PS and a corresponding torque of 8.04Nm. The Discover 100T on the other hand is equipped with a 102cc 4-valve DTS-i technology engine that delivers 10.2PS power and 9.2Nm torque. While the Discover offers a better power, it also comes heavier. The 100T kerb weighs 121kg while the HF Dawn is much lighter at just 109kg. The basic fuel tank of both the bikes are similar though with a capacity of around 10 liters although the 100T has a higher reserve at around 3.5 liters. Let’s tabulate all of this below for easier reference.

Specification Discover 100T HF Dawn
Displacement 102cc 97.2cc
Max Power 10.2PS @9000 7.8PS @7500
Max Torque 9.2Nm @6500 8.04Nm @4500
Kerb Weight 121kg 109kg
Wheelbase 1305mm 1235mm
Fuel Tank 10 liters 10.5 liters
Reserve 3.5 liters 1.8 liters
Price (ex-Delhi) Rs. 50500 Rs. 34500

Fuel Comparison

While both the HF Dawn and Discover 100T are both targeted at the entry level audience and hence are both focused heavily on mileage, the price-tag of Discover 100T may suggest that this bike is positioned at the younger college demographic who demand more stylish features. According to the manufacturers, the Discover 100T can deliver 87kmpl while the HF Dawn can deliver 82.91kmpl. Both these claims are made under standard test riding conditions which are very different from the every day city road conditions these bikes may otherwise subjected to. The mileage that you see on these bikes may hence be vastly different.

Let us now look at what reviewers have got to say with respect to the fuel efficiency offered by both these bikes. I was unable to get a source that has reviewed both these bikes. For the HF Dawn (earlier known as Hero Honda CD Dawn), members of IndiaGarage have together rated the economy to be somewhere between 55-60 kmpl. The best figure comes from two source – Wheelmela and AutomobileIndia. Both these sources claim a mileage of around 75 kmpl on the HF Dawn. InfiBeam too concurs on this number although they say out of the box, the bike only offers 65kmpl that increases by 10 units after the first servicing.

Customer reviews have not been so kind though. MouthShut users together rate the fuel consumption of the bike to be somewhere between 55-60 kmpl. Olx, the popular classifieds site has quite a few HF Dawn bikes on sale where the listed efficiency is between 60-70 kmpl. Take this number with a pinch of salt though considering that these users are trying to sell their bike and wouldn’t be saying bad things about it.

There have not been as many reviews for the Discover 100T though. MaxAbout claims a city mileage of around 65 kmpl on the 100cc bike. While xBHP claims a similar figure, reviewers at MotorBeam paint a more optimistic 70kmpl on the 100T. Overall I would say that although the number is pretty similar to what the HF Dawn seems to offer,we still do not have enough real customer reviews here to understand what the actual city road figure might be.

So there you have it. Here’s a tabulated listing of mileages as offered by various sources.

Source Hero HF Dawn (kmpl) Bajaj Discover 100T (kmpl)
Official 82.91 87
IndiaGarage 55-60
WheelMela 75
MotorBeam 70
InfiBeam 65 (75 after servicing)
AutomobileIndia 75
MaxAbout 65
MouthShut 55-60
Olx 60-70
xBHP 65

It’s a difficult proposition to have a pick between these two bikes based on mileage alone. I would suggest customers looking to purchase a bike to look into the other features offered by the Discover 100T and see if it justifies the Rs.16000 extra cost. Don’t forget that 100T is a new brand that should be seen favourably too. All in all, this is a decision that is not easy to make for me. What would you pick between the two?

Hero Splendor Plus Vs. Bajaj Discover 100T

Yesterday we compared the new Bajaj Discover 100T against TVS Sport. It was a pretty interesting post considering we were pitting one new stylish 100cc bike against an older, more traditional looking bike. What’s interesting is that despite the differences, they turned out to be pretty similar on the mileage front and so there was no winner in that race.

Bajaj Discover 100T vs. Hero Splendor Plus

Today we will see how the Discover 100cc compares against the Hero Splendor Plus. This is again going to be exciting given the fact that the Splendor Plus has been around for almost a decade. Of course the bike has relaunched a few times since then and so we are not talking of a 10 year old model. So how do they measure up? Let’s find out –

Tech Specs Comparison

Specification Hero Splendor Plus Bajaj Discover 100T
Displacement 97.2cc 102cc
Max Power 7.5PS @8000 10.2PS @9000
Max Torque 7.95Nm @5000 9.2Nm @6500
Kerb Weight 109kg 121kg
Wheelbase 1230mm 1305mm
Fuel Tank 11 liters 10 liters
Reserve 1 liter 3.5 liters
Price (ex-Delhi) Rs. 42950 Rs. 50500

At a specification level, the Discover 100T is better than the Splendor Plus for most things. It has a higher displacement, a better power as well as torque. These things are extremely crucial to help you maneuver the road. In addition to this, the Discover also comes with extra stylish features that would definitely help you stand out. However that comes at an additional 8000 rupees. But let’s not jump the gun – we will compare the mileage delivered by these bikes first before arriving at which one is better than the other.

Fuel Economy Review

The Hero Splendor Plus weighs around 12kgs lower than the Discover 100T at dry mass. This difference is crucial because the Discover would now need more power to carry this weight along – that’s more fuel and lower mileage delivered. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case probably because the Splendor Plus comes with a less efficient engine overall. Hero claims the Splendor Plus to deliver 80.6 kilometers for every liter of petrol. In comparison, the Discover 100T is expected to deliver 87kmpl. Do note that these are both noted under standard testing conditions which are vastly different from the regular city roads. So unless we compare the two under these real world conditions, it is pretty hard to say. And that is exactly what we will do here.

Let’s start with the Hero Splendor Plus. We looked at reviews from five very reputed sources online for their report on the Splendor Plus’ fuel economy under city road conditions. Two reviews from BikeDekho as well as MaxAbout note a figure of somewhere between 65-70 kmpl. However the report from the rest of the sources don’t seem to be as high. IndiaGarage reports the lowest at around 55kmpl while the user reviews on MouthShut as well as on Olx report a slightly higher number at 58-65kmpl and 60-70kmpl respectively. Considering that MouthShut reviews are from real-world customers, I would suggest you give a lot of weightage to what these reviewers have got to say.

Next up, let’s look at the reviews for Discover 100T. Considering that this is a recent launch, we have not had too many customer generated reviews. However, the test-ride based mileage reports from the likes of MaxAboutand MotorBeam give a clear picture on what this bike is capable of. MaxAbout and xBHP report a city mileage of around 65 kmpl while MotorBeam notes 70kmpl.

I’ve tabulated all the findings below. At first look, it may look like the 100T is the winner among the two. However, it needs to be noted that test-ride reports for both the bikes have been positive and hover between the 65-70kmpl range. It is the customer reports on the Splendor Plus that has brought its average down. We will have to wait a couple of more months before we can get a similar report for the 100T.

Source Hero Splendor Plus (kmpl) Bajaj Discover 100T (kmpl)
Official 80.6 87
BikeDekho 65-70
MaxAbout 65-70 65
IndiaGarage 55
MouthShut 58-65
Olx 60-70
MotorBeam 70
xBHP 65

So for now, I would say both these bikes fare similarly on the mileage tests. If you think paying the 8000 rupees extra is justifiable considering the more stylish looks and features of the 100T, go for it by all means. If you would prefer to save on that amount, Splendor Plus is your friend. Have you made your decision yet? Tell us in the comments.

TVS Sport Vs. Bajaj Discover 100T

We have been seeing a lot of visitors over the past few days looking for information about the new Bajaj Discover 100T. As you should already know, this is the latest addition to the 100cc segment and has won praises from a lot of people for its pretty stylish looks and features that are better than most bikes in this segment.

TVS Sport on the other hand is not as new. It’s one of the three TVS bikes that are built for the mileage conscious customer. Unlike the Discover 100T, the Sport 100cc comes with pretty basic offerings and honestly does not have many things that truly differentiate it from the rest of the pack. Anyway, let’s now dive right into the specs comparison.

Bajaj Discover 100T vs. TVS Sport

Tech Specs Comparison

Specification TVS Sport 100cc Bajaj Discover 100T
Displacement 99.7cc 102cc
Max Power 7.4PS @7500 10.2PS @9000
Max Torque 7.5Nm @5000 9.2Nm @6500
Kerb weight 95kg 121kg
Wheelbase 1250mm 1305mm
Fuel tank 12 liters 10 liters
Reserve 2 liters 3.5 liters
Price (ex-Delhi) Rs. 37555 Rs. 50500

Except maybe for the fuel tank, the Discover 100T is truly better than TVS Sport in every possible way. However, look at the price – the 100T is nearly 34% more expensive than the Sport and that should play a huge role in your purchasing decision.

Anyway, before you go there, it is imperative that you find out how much your recurring costs with respect to the fuel is going to be. Find the mileage delivered by these two bikes compared below.

Fuel Economy Comparison

Let us start with the official claims. According to TVS Motors, the Sport can deliver a mileage of close to 82.9 kmpl under standard testing conditions. This is almost on par with the rest of the TVS 100cc bikes (the highest claim is on Star City with 83.9 kmpl). Bajaj though makes a pretty steeper claim. They say the 100T can offer close to 87 kmpl under similar road conditions. Do note that these mileages were tested under the best of road conditions (not to forget favourable wind conditions). It’s not realistic to expect a similar efficiency on your ride to your office on the pot-holes laden high traffic city roads.

The performance of these bikes could differ vastly on city roads though. MaxAbout – one of our trusted third party reviewers of bikes, reports a mileage of just around 50 kmpl on TVS Sport in city conditions. Their test on highways yielded 65 kmpl. On the other hand, the reviewer’s test of the 100T yielded 65 kmpl on city roads. To be honest though, MaxAbout does not explicitly state if the reported number on Discover 100T was what they derived on the test ride or what was provided to them by the manufacturers.

The low figure reported on TVS Sport by MaxAbout should not deter you though. Every other reviewer has reported a much better figure. BikeDekho and IndiaAuto have both reported a city fuel consumption of 70 kmpl while IndianDrives goes a bit higher at 75 kmpl. Most of the other reviews have painted a much more realistic figure between 55-75 kmpl. BikeAdvice reports around 55 kmpl while IndiaGarage notes a figure of around 68 kmpl. On the user reviews site, MouthShut, the reported number has hovered between 65-75 kmpl which is pretty good.

The Bajaj Discover 100T has not had as many reviews. MotorBeam, in their review, claim to be seeing around 70 kmpl on city roads while a reviewer on xBHP reports 65 kmpl.

Source TVS Sport (kmpl) Discover 100T (kmpl)
Official 82.9 87
MaxAbout 50 65
BikeDekho 70
IndiaAuto 70
IndianDrives 75
BikeAdvice 55-75
IndiaGarage 68
MouthShut 65-75
MotorBeam 70
xBHP 65

So there you have it. The fuel economy under city roads seem to be more or less the same on both these bikes. So personally, I would now take the mileage out of the equation while deciding on what bike to buy – would you mind spending 13,000 rupees more for better power, torque and more stylish looks? Or would you be happy going for more basic looks that perform as promised? That’s a question that only you can answer.

Do you have anything more to add for the rest of us looking for an answer? Do put it down in the comments below.

Bajaj Avenger Vs. Yamaha R15

Today we will compare two very powerful bikes available in India today. The Bajaj Avenger is a 220cc monster that is technically much powerful than the 150cc R15. However, in terms of power, the variation is not as much as you would expect. The Avenger delivers a power of 19.03 PS whereas the R15 can deliver up to 17 PS of power. Again, the Avenger is not for the mileage conscious, but the R15 is even more of that. The Bajaj Avenger 220 comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 76,835 at Delhi whereas the corresponding price for the Yamaha YZF R15 is a whopping Rs. 1,07,500.

Bajaj Avenger vs Yamaha R15

Let us first compare the major tech specs of both these bikes side-by-side.

Specification Bajaj Avenger 220 Yamaha RZF R15
Displacement 219.89cc 149.8cc
Peak Power 19.03PS @8400 17PS @8500
Max Torque 17.5Nm @7000 15Nm @7500
Fuel Tank 14 liters 12 liters
Kerb Weight 168kg 136kg
Fuel Claim 49.8 kmpl 46.93 kmpl

If you are someone who is contemplating purchasing either an Avenger or an R15, the mileage should be the last of your concerns. Both these are power bikes that are built keeping the requirements of the power and style conscious customers. When a motorbike is built with power as the priority, fuel economy is something that has to be compromised and it shows. Remember the comparison of 150cc bikes we made earlier this year? The R15 is at the bottom of the fuel claims chart that is topped by Bajaj Discover that claims to offer close to 72.3 kmpl.

Also, the 46.93 kmpl that we are talking here is the fuel consumption reported under standard test conditions. In the real world, where you have city traffic and pot-hole laden roads, this number is expected to come down much more drastically. Let us compare how the Avenger and the R15 compare against each other in the real world as reviewed by various sources including real world customers.

Bajaj Avenger 220 Review

The Avenger is a cruiser mode motorcycle that is not known for its mileage by any chance. PriceDekho in their official review report having seen around 32-35 kmpl on city roads. On the other hand, BikeDekho as well as ZigWheels, the Times group auto-review magazine in their reports claim a much better city mileage – they both report a consumption 1 liter for every 40 kilometers of city commute on the Avenger. While customers who had put up their Avenger for sale on Olx reported an average of 38 kmpl from their bikes, a few unhappy people on the customer complaints forum noted their mileage to be around 35 kmpl.

Yamaha YZF R15 Review

We reviewed the R15 from four different sources. According to a comment posted by a customer on MotorBeam, the R15 could deliver 40 kmpl with proper care. In a similar vein, an Ibibo user reports around 40-42 under city conditions. There are not too many reviews of the R15 from the point of view of fuel economy. According to one small blog called KannanKing, the R15 can extract around 32-35 kmpl on city roads.

Bottomline

It’s evident that the R15 can return slightly better economy compared to the Avenger – maybe an additional 3-4 kilometers for every liter. However, the decision to purchase one over the other should not be based on these numbers. Avenger is for cruisers while the R15 is a powerful machine for a 150cc bike. Test ride both the bikes and see where you fit better and go for that one.

Bajaj Discover 100T

One of the latest additions to the Discover stable is the new Bajaj Discover 100T which is one of the most stylish and better featured bikes in the 100cc category. Looking deeper into the technical specifications, we see that the Discover 100T has a 102cc 4 valve DTS-i engine that can crank up a power of up to 10.2 PS and a torque of 9.2 Nm at 6500 rpm. The bike is slightly longer than the other bikes we have seen in recent past with the length measuring around 2.038 meters and width around 0.714m. The bike is 1.07 meters tall.

Bajaj Discover 100T

The Discover 100T has a kerb weight of 121 kg and has a fuel tank that can hold 10 liters when full with 3.5 liters on reserve. You can buy a 100T at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 50,500 at Delhi.

Official Mileage Claim

You may have noticed that the kerb weight of the Discover 100T is much higher than other bikes in the 100cc segment. For example, the Hero Splendor Plus weighs 109kg while TVS Sport has a dry mass of just 95 kg. Technically, under such conditions, the mileage of the bike is expected to suffer because the engine now has to burn more fuel in order to pull the higher mass. However, if you go by the official metrics, the fuel efficiency doesn’t seem to have suffered much. According to Bajaj, the Discover 100T can deliver 87 kilometers for every liter of petrol under standard test conditions.

Test Ride & Customer Feedback

As always, let us start with MaxAbout. Considering that the bike is one of the new launches, there is still no official review from the website at the time of writing. Also, I am not sure if the mileage they have reported on the site is from official sources or what they have noted from their tests. In any case, according to MaxAbout, the Discover 100T will give you 65kmpl on city roads and 87kmpl on the highways.

MotorBeam has a solid test review of the new bike. From their test ride, the reviewer notes that the features on 100T are identical to what is available on the Discover 125ST. Along with the half chain case, Nitrox suspension and the conventional long mud guard makes the 100T feel like a larger motorcycle than it actually is. The website reports a fuel consumption of 70 kmpl which is pretty average for a bike in this segment.

xBHP in their review note that the bike is extremely durable and is built with the necessary “majbooti” that offers a tempting alternative to the “plain jane” offerings from Honda and Hero. While there is no scientific test of the mileage, the reviewers report seeing around 65 kmpl of fuel economy in their test.

TopGear doesn’t seem to have performed their own fuel economy test. In their review, they report a claimed mileage of 84 kmpl, although I am not sure about the source of this figure.

BikeDekho in their review claim that the 100T is the “best looking” bike in the 100cc category with “applauding shape and alignment of ergonomics”. While it is unclear if the reviewer actually tested the bike for mileage, he notes that the average FE on the bike should be around 70 kmpl which is on par with the rest of the reviews we have seen till now.

That is what we have got for now. AutoCarIndia is yet to come up with their review at the time of writing. MouthShut still doesn’t have any reviews from customers. We will wait for these reports and update this article as and when it is done. If you happen to read this article in a couple of months from now, do comment if I have not updated the article by then. Here is a snapshot of the economies as claimed by various reviewers.

Source City (kmpl) Highways (kmpl)
Official 87
MaxAbout 65 87
MotorBeam 70
xBHP 65
TopGear 84
BikeDekho 70

Bajaj Pulsar 180

The Bajaj Pulsar is available in 5 different engine variants. We have already seen the lower end 135cc and 150cc bikes. Today, we will see how good the mileage delivered by the 180cc DTS-i variant of Bajaj Pulsar is. Pulsar 180 is one of the original models being first introduced way back in 2001 along with the 150cc variant.

Bajaj Pulsar 180cc

Let’s talk specifications. The Bajaj Pulsar 180 comes equipped with a 178.6cc 4-stroke single cylinder engine that can crank up 17.02 PS power and 14.22 Nm of torque (at 6500 rpm). The bike has a 15 liter capacity fuel tank that also has a 3.2 liters reserve capacity of which 2 liters is usable. Other important specs of the bike include a 150mm ground clearance, 147 kg kerb weight and a 260mm frontal disc/130mm rear drum brake. The Bajaj Pulsar 180 is available at a price of Rs. 70,321 ex-showroom in Delhi.

Official Fuel Efficiency Claim

As oft-quoted on this blog, with great power comes lower mileage. In our previous reviews, we have noted that the official mileage as quoted by the company for the 135cc and 150cc variants of the bike are 68.1kmpl and 64kmpl respectively. Now, the fuel consumption for the 180cc variant is expected to be lower than this, and it is. According to Bajaj, the Pulsar 180 delivers 58.1kmpl under standard conditions.

Customer Feedback

AutomobileUpdates has reviewed the revamped version of the Pulsar that includes equipment more modern than the ones they originally came with a decade back. They report a city consumption of 43 kmpl and on highways this appears to notch up as much as 51 kmpl.

MaxAbout calls the redesigned 2009 variant a ‘well-built vehicle with a lot of bulk’. In their test ride, the websites reports having seen between 45-50 kmpl on highways that falls down to 38kmpl on city roads. As they rightfully note, under these running cost conditions, the bike no longer remains an option to consider for those on a budget.

The reported numbers seem to hover around the 40+ mark across reviews. On BikeDekho, the reviewers call the new bike a ‘perfect blend of the vibrant contours of the older 180 and the muscular build of the 2009 model’. The fuel economy tests derive 43.4 kmpl under city traffic conditions that goes up to 46 kmpl on highways.

BikeAdvice in their comparison of the Pulsar against Apache RTR 180 note the better performance of the Pulsar in the fuel department reporting 41-46 kmpl on city roads and 46-51 kmpl on highways.

Let us next check out what the reviewers on MouthShut.com have got to say. There are over 150 reviews for the 180cc Pulsar and as rated by these users, the bike gets a 4/5 as far as fuel consumption is concerned. Most reviewers seem to get a mileage of around 45 kmpl which is definitely a good return from a 180cc bike. If you are looking for a range, then be rest assured, you should expect something between 43-50 kmpl. Only one user claims to be seeing around 40 kmpl on Mumbai roads.

Things are not very different on Olx, the classifieds website. A whole chunk of customers who have put their Pulsar 180 up for sale claim to see a fuel economy of between 40-45 kmpl on their bike.

So there you have it. The 180cc variant of the Pulsar is a pretty good bargain on the fuel front considering that except for a couple of sources, most of them report a 45kmpl economy which is a pretty decent expectation from this high power bike. Here is a snapshot of numbers as reported by various sources. From our side, we give this bike a thumbs-up!

Source City kmpl Highways kmpl
Official 58.1
AutomobileUpdates 43 51
MaxAbout 38 45-50
BikeDekho 43.4 46
BikeAdvice 41-46 46-51
MouthShut 43-50
Olx 45

Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS

There are currently five different variants of the Pulsar in the market. Although the Pulsar brand itself has existed for more than a decade, the Pulsar 135cc model has only been around for around 3 years. Bajaj introduced this light weight sports bike in 2009 and is the first bike in India to contain a 4-valve DTS-i technology instead of the 2-valve technology that has been the norm.

Bajaj Pulsar 135cc

So in terms of specifications, this bike does not disappoint. The Pulsar 135LS has a 134.66cc single cylinder 4 stroke engine delivering 13.5PS maximum power and 11.4Nm maximum torque. The bike weighs 122 kg when dry and can hold up to 8 liters of fuel (1.6 liters usable reserve). The bike is being targeted at the adventure lovers and so has an above average ground clearance of 165mm. The Pulsar 135 is priced at Rs. 58,963 ex-showroom Delhi.

Official Mileage

As a category, the Pulsar 135 lies somewhere between the bunch of bikes available in the 125cc and 150cc segments. Consequently, we do not have a benchmark of what the ideal mileage for this bike is. Regardless of this, Bajaj claims the bike can offer a good mileage of around 68.1 kmpl under standard conditions. Considering this is a sports bike that would hardly be rode on standard test condition roads, it would be interesting to see how this bike performs on city roads.

Customer Reviews

MaxAbout has a raving review of the Pulsar 135 calling it a bike that “oozes style”. However it is unclear whether the city mileage that they report is from their own internal tests or something claimed by the company. In any case, according to them, the Pulsar 135 should offer 52 kmpl on city roads.

BikeDekho tells us about the signficance of the 4-valve technology on the Pulsar 135. They note that thanks to the 4-valves, the Pulsar 135 can deliver the same power as is offered by the regular 2-valve 150cc bikes. The mileage doesn’t seem to be affected by that though. Their tests report an average fuel consumption of between 58-65 kmpl.

The review on the blog AutomobileUpdates is less glorifying at least from the fuel economy perspective. Although the blog commends the bike for its “aggressive styling”, they report a city mileage of just around 50 kmpl with the highway performance going up to 65 kmpl.

On IndiaGarage, the reports are all over the place. While one user claims to see a mileage of between 40-45 kmpl with the Pulsar 135, another customer claims to see a much better 54 kmpl.

Sriraj, a small blog reviewing bikes and gadgets does a great job test-riding the Pulsar 135. For their review, the writer rode the bike for close to 150 kilometers in peak Delhi traffic between 5PM and 9PM. They report having seen a mileage of close to 61 kmpl under these conditions.

BikeAdvice has a similar verdict on their owner-review post. While the writer has not posted the mileage of this bike on highway roads, according to him, it would deliver a good 60 kmpl on city roads which is absolutely impressive stuff.

Finally, let’s check out what reviewers on the user-review site, MouthShut have got to say. There are close to 85 reviews of the bike with the customers rating the bike 4/5 on fuel economy. A striking feature of the reviews is the consistency at which a majority of the people have rated the fuel consumption of the bike. Barring a couple of outliers who report a mileage of either 45kmpl or 65kmpl, almost every other reviewer has reported seeing a mileage of around 55 kmpl on city roads.

So here’s the bottomline – the Pulsar 135 is as good as a 150cc in terms of power. In terms of mileage, it can consistently deliver a mileage as good as the bikes in the 125cc range. As I see it, this bike seems to deliver the best of both the worlds and is a definite buy. Here’s a snapshot of the mileage as reported by various sources.

Source City Mileage (kmpl) Highways (kmpl)
Official 68.1
MaxAbout 52 68
BikeDekho 58-65
AutomobileUpdates 50 65
IndiaGarage 40-54
Sriraj 61
BikeAdvice 60
MouthShut 55+

Bajaj Pulsar 150 Vs. Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler

Here we are to compare the Honda Unicorn Dazzler with one another impressive bike in the 150cc segment. If you are looking for more comparisons, please check our earlier review of the Dazzler against Hero Hunk.
Unicorn Dazzler vs. Pulsar 150

Right, so this is one comparison that is so often made by potential customers becausae both these bikes are priced at a pretty similar range. The Pulsar 150 is available at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 67,110 while the CB Unicorn Dazzler is available at Rs. 66,738. Here is a comparison of the important specifications in tabular format.

Specification Bajaj Pulsar 150 Honda Unicorn Dazzler
Displacement 149.01cc 149.1cc
Max. Power 15.06PS 14.19PS
Max. Torque 12.5 Nm 12.74 Nm
Kerb weight 143 kg 138 kg
Fuel tank 15 liters 12 liters

The above table gives you loads of information on some inherent advantages of the Unicorn Dazzler over Pulsar 150 with respect to mileage. Not only does the Dazzler come lighter by around 5 kgs, it also has a smaller fuel tank which means the weight pulled by the engine is higher on the Pulsar compared to the Dazzler for any given rider and hence the mileage “may” possibly be lower on the Pulsar. We will however test the same. The Pulsar however has a marginally smaller displacement which means the fuel consumed at any particular time is lower than the Dazzler and so the mileage delivered could be theoretically higher than, not considering the other parameters of course.

Mileage Comparison

The official fuel economy as reported by the company officials is under standard test conditions. These are primarily highway-type roads with favourable wind conditions and minimum load. Consequently, the economy reported here are always on the higher side. According to Bajaj, the Pulsar 150 can draw 64 kilometers for every liter of petrol under standard conditions whereas Honda claims their Unicorn Dazzler can only reach up to 60 kmpl. Fret not however, since real-world conditions are much different and there is always a possibility of a different winner here.

We will first look at what MaxAbout has to say. In their review of the Pulsar 150, they note that the bike was not great during their city road test. Pulsar 150 could only offer 45 kmpl whereas in a similar test on the Unicorn Dazzler, they were able to see 50 kmpl. On highways though, the Pulsar returned 62 kmpl while the Dazzler was stuck around 60 kmpl.

BikeAdvice in their review though give a thumbs-up to the Pulsar 150. They report a fuel consumption of between 50-52 kmpl on the Pulsar whereas a similar road test on the Dazzler returned just 48 kmpl.

MouthShut is a website that I often refer to considering the plethora of real-customer reviews available there. We had close to 46 reviews for the Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i and the customers have rated the product 4/5 in terms of fuel efficiency. The reported mileage from these customers though varied quite a bit between 40-53 kmpl. So you have happy as well as not-so-happy customers here. In comparison, there were close to 76 reviews for the Unicorn Dazzler on MouthShut. Although the ratings was still a 4/5, the reported mileage figures are more consistet between 48-52 kmpl.

So there you have it. Pulsar seems to be a good bike on the highways. But when it comes to a road test on inner city conditions, the Dazzler appears to win the race in a photo-finish. Although BikeAdvice gives the Pulsar a higher rating, in terms of the sheer number of reported figures, the Dazzler seems to have a more consistent mileage that seems to better the Pulsar 150.

Source Bajaj Pulsar 150 Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler
Official 64 60
MaxAbout (city) 45 50
MaxAbout (Highways) 62 60
BikeAdvice 50-52 48
MouthShut 40-53 48-52