The Bajaj Pulsar 150 AS offers the most power against the Suzuki Gixxer SF and Yamaha Fazer FI while also boasting of more tech like a 4-valve engine and a perimeter frame.
The Bajaj Pulsar onslaught began in March this year with the RS 200 and was followed with the most surprising twins, the Adventure Sport (AS) 200 and 150 models. Bajaj’s maiden attempt at creating an adventure offering, the Pulsar 150 AS is the smallest dedicated tourer you can purchase and also the most powerful bike in the 150cc segment (Yamaha R15 and Honda CBR150R aside). But with competition having booted up its offerings very recently, we pit the Pulsar 150 AS to the good looking Suzuki Gixxer SF and the capable tourer Yamaha Fazer FI V2.0 to find out out what floats our boat.
The Bajaj Pulsar 150 AS is the newest bike to go on sale in this comparison, but quite frankly the Suzuki Gixxer SF and the Yamaha Fazer FI 2.0 aren’t that old either. Like the others, the 150 AS shares its design language with its naked counterpart and gets sharp lines, an aggressive half fairing and a segment first project headlamp. In contrast, the Gixxer SF gets a more sedate design language that is also the most aerodynamic, being a full fairing. Inspiration from the bigger GSX models also works well for the 150cc Suzuki that will certainly get you the most attention. The Yamaha Fazer FI 2.0 despite its sharp styling, appears a bit mundane in comparison but does feel well put together with some neat looking muscular lines. Based on pure aesthetic value, the Gixxer has the most appeal in the segment.
By a long shot, the Pulsar 150 AS is the most powerful bike in this segment. A 150cc engine is found under the belly of all three bikes, but the Pulsar makes the highest power of 17 PS and 13 Nm of torque, followed by the Gixxer SF that makes 14.8 PS and 14 Nm while the Fazer FI makes 13.1 PS and 12.8 Nm of torque. All the bikes come paired to a 5-speed gearbox as standard. That said, the Pulsar AS 150 is also the heaviest here with a kerb weight of 143 kgs; whereas the Gixxer is 4 kgs lighter at 139 kgs while the Fazer is 6 kgs lighter at 137 kgs.
The Gixxer SF and Fazer FI sport the same wheelbase length at 1330 mm, while the Pulsar is the longer one here measuring 1363 mm. This also makes the Bajaj more friendly to accommodate the rider and pillion. Save for the Gixxer SF that gets a step up seat, the Pulsar and Fazer have split seats on offer. The Pulsar also features an underbelly exhaust while the Japanese rivals come with a midship unit. All three bikes feature a 12-litre fuel tank with a decent fuel economy figure with the full-faired Gixxer posting the highest figure of 63.5 km/l.
The Fazer misses out on the LED tail light that is surely disappointing since it is available on the other two offerings. All three bikes offer an upright seating position making them capable of long distance riding while the Bajaj and Suzuki come with a feature loaded all-digital instrument cluster. The Pulsar 150 AS gets a digital-analog instrument console that also packs in a host of information and looks sportier compared to the others.
Bajaj knows the Indian customer very well and has priced the Pulsar 150 AS at Rs. 79,000/- which is very competitive and undercuts the competition by a good margin. The Fazer is the technologically enriched motorcycle here with fuel injection on offer and is priced at Rs. 86,720/-, being the most expensive offering but lacks a lot in terms of power. The Gixxer SF is marginally more expensive than the Pulsar 150 AS at Rs. 83,859/- (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi) but offers an impressive blend of power and performance along with the full-fairing that certainly gives it additional brownie points.
