The urban employed youth in India prefer a motor bike as a personal vehicle rather than a car because of the easiness in handling it through the congested city roads. The 150cc bikes are quite powerful though the fuel efficiency is less compared to 100 cc or 125 cc bikes. The Bajaj and the Hero Honda are the major bike sellers in the Indian market. A comparison of the top class models of these two brands will be helpful for prospective customers.

The two wheelers in India lacked power till the entry of the Hero Honda CBZ in 1999. The Bajaj Auto introduced the Pulsar twins 135 cc and 150 cc in 2002. In 2003 the Digital Twin Spark ignition was introduced by the Bajaj in the Pulsar. The Pulsar DTSi was upgraded in 2005, 2009 and 2010. The Honda Unicorn was launched in 2005 to compete with the Pulsar. The prices of both these best selling 150 mm bikes are almost identical. The Pulsar is priced in the range of Rs. 59,260-85,631, while the Unicorn is priced at Rs. 63,208.

The Pulsar with the new city light (wolf eye) headlights and the razor sharp tail lights looks better. The Pulsar has digital speed meter, neutral and turning indicators with side stand indicator and a rear grab rail. The digital speed meter is missing on the Unicorn.

The Pulsar 150 DTSi comes with a 149 cc, 14.09 bhp, 12.76 maximum torque, air cooled 4 stroke engine. A 149 cc, 13 bhp, 13 NM torque SI engine powers the Unicorn. The manufacturer claimed mileages are 65 kmpl for the Pulsar and 60 kmpl for the Unicorn. The Pulsar gives slightly less mileage on the road. The Top speeds of both the bikes are 118 kmph. Both the bikes have battery and kick start facilities. The Pulsar has a better pick up than the Unicorn.

The physical dimensions of both the vehicles are almost identical. The Unicorn has a better ground clearance of 179 mm than the 149 mm of the Pulsar. The Unicorn has 18’’ and the Pulsar 17” tyres. The suspension of the Pulsar is telescopic with anti friction bush at the front and 5 way adjustable Nitrox shock absorbers at the rear. The Unicorn’s telescopic suspension at the front and the monoshocks suspension at the rear make the ride quality better than that of the Pulsar.

The Pulsar has disc type brake at the front and drum type at the rear and the Unicorn has disc type at both the ends. The braking effect is better for the Unicorn. The 15 litre fuel tank of the Pulsar is bigger than the 13 litre tank of the Unicorn.

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