Every time Bajaj drops a teaser for a new Pulsar, the most natural thing to do is count the number of Pulsars that are on sale now. With the introduction of the N125, there are 12 Pulsars to choose from, and three in the 125cc space itself — the Pulsar 125, NS125 and the N125. But Bajaj feels strongly that there’s enough room for each of them. And considering the efforts that have gone into making this bike, Bajaj definitely isn’t bluffing.
The N125 is one of the best-looking Pulsars in my books. That’s also because it doesn’t share its design with its bigger siblings, at least for now, unlike the other two 125s. It looks fresh and appealing from every angle. Right from its aggressive headlight, the floating panels flanking the unit as well as on the rear panels and the distinct tail lights, everything is unique to this Pulsar. Yes, I am not ignoring the big plastic fork covers, and though I wasn’t a big fan of the idea when I saw the pictures, they don’t look half as bad in the flesh. In fact, the small, high-mounted headlight, beefy fork covers, slim profile, tall stance and the flat seat almost gives it a silhouette of a supermoto. Well, maybe that’s why Bajaj got us to ride this bike on a go-kart track.
Even though it looks tall, the 795-mm seat height isn’t really bothersome because of how narrow the seat is. The moment I sat, all those supermoto-related thoughts disappeared. I was comfortably perched, almost upright, and the footpegs weren’t too rear-set, either. It was a near-perfect posture for commutes… but on a go-kart track? Well, it turned out to be quite fun.
The ergonomics and the petite proportions of the bike meant I was in total control. And the narrow seat made it easy for me to shift my weight from one side to the other. Unlike the other Pulsars that share their chassis with other bikes, Bajaj developed a new one specifically for this bike. Coupled with the slim tyres, the go-kart track seemed like the perfect playground for this Pulsar. And while agility is a strong suit of the N125, the engine plays a vital role, too.
Just like the design and the chassis, the engine is a new unit, too. Unlike the oversquare engines on the other two 125cc Pulsars, this is a square unit, which means there’s a good balance of top-end power and low-end torque. Its 11.83 bhp and 1.12 kgm is on-par with our segment-favourite TVS Raider 125. Though the Pulsar has a healthy bottom-end grunt, it felt like the engine could do with a bit more to make it feel as enthusiastic as the chassis. And even though the power is more than the Raider, the Pulsar’s power delivery quickly tapered down towards the top, which made it feel slow.
What was concerning was a sudden loud mechanical grinding noise that went on for a few seconds, until I came to a halt and the noise subsided. The bike was swapped, and the next bike had a similar issue, though the noise wasn’t as loud as before. A similar issue was noticed in some of Bajaj’s previous bikes, and it was eventually rectified, so I hope the case is the same with this one.
But apart from this, everything worked as expected or even exceeded the expectations. The front disc brake, for example, offers enough stopping power to get the rear wheel in the air on demand. And even when slamming the rear drum brake, there was no drama, even though the wheel would occasionally lock. Now, even though the brakes know how to stop, more feedback from them would have been appreciated, given the sporty nature of this bike. With the limited time I had to test the suspension, it felt just about right the way it absorbed bumps and potholes, as long as I wasn’t belting the bike. High speed or aggressive riding on bad roads resulted in a slightly tossy ride. But on the track, it didn’t feel wallowy or too soft for some spirited riding.
Considering how fun and engaging the N125 was on a small go-kart track, I am sure that commutes won’t be boring with this bike. Even though it is a small 125cc bike, the agility and eagerness is what makes it immediately feel like a Pulsar. At ₹ 94,707 for the non-connected variant, and ₹ 4000 more for the one with Bluetooth connectivity (both ex-showroom Delhi), the Pulsar N125 is not a bad deal at all for what it has to offer. Even though the Pulsar is a hoot to ride, it didn’t feel as special as the Raider, or maybe riding them together will change that perspective. But for now, this Pulsar surely doesn’t feel like just another addition to the ever-growing family.
