UNICORN’S REFINED ENGINE ECLIPSES MUSCLE-FLEXING PULSAR
Bajaj's R&D team had earlier proved its mettle with DTS-i. This twin-spark plug technology, first implemented on the Pulsar twins, helped their engines perk up, with all-round gains. Not only was power and torque output ramped up, but surprisingly Fuel Economy also received a fillip.
While the air-cooled engine retains its 143.9cc cylinder volume, it has been further tweaked and milked for a boost in power output now at 13.5bhp at 8500rpm. When DTS-i is at work, both identical spark plugs fire at the same moment, offering uniform flame propagation for healthy combustion. A throttle-related digital Capacitor Discharge Ignition (CDI) system offers precise ignition on both the competitors.
Using the Pulsar's accelerator and clutch is a smoother and more pleasant experience. Enhanced torque is on call in the Bajaj powerband and the rider enjoys a crisp, knock-free response at any point. A tuned exhaust-chamber, as seen on the Discover, has also been added to the Pulsar’s Christmas bag
of goodies. It sets up exhaust pulses to boost low-end torque and the silencer baffles too have been reworked, with noticeable results.
The Pulsar's five-speed heel-and-toe operated gearshift let us down though. In an all-down pattern, it loses severe ground to the Honda’s super slick one-down, four-up pattern. Shift quality on this Pulsar is its principal failing as it is not as positive as the Honda's gearbox and false neutrals are frequent.
In the no-nonsense Unicorn engine, smoothness doesn't arrive any better for an air-cooled unit and under no situation is it induced to knock or cough. Displacing 149.1cc, its two-valve four-stroke unit puts out a slightly lower peak output to the Pulsar's at 13.3bhp at 8000rpm.
Honda uses to good effect noticeably taller gear ratios coupled with a slightly higher peak torque of 1.3kgm at 5500rpm, 1000rpm lower than the Bajaj. The Honda's exhaust is muted and lost in traffic, drumming out a pleasant beat at higher speeds. A paper air-filter element and Keihin CV carburettor are the norm, while an in-built two-way air-jacket creates dual air streams for better heat dispersion.
Friction-cutting bearings for the rocker arms are present on both the Unicorn as well as the Pulsar. The Honda motor offers an offset crankshaft, reducing friction loss and guaranteeing sunny utilisation of combustion energy. Honda's miserly attitude in leaving out even a self-starter on the Unicorn is a serious error and merits brisk rectification.
On the test track, both bikes showed acutely different natures and yet came up with comparable results. There is a Performance difference — the Pulsar shoots off the blocks on its petite rims and maintains a narrow, but perceptible lead on the Unicorn to the fag end. However, it loses out with an insignificantly lower top speed of 108kph to the Unicorn's 113kph.
The Bajaj needs 5.35 seconds to attain 0-60kph while the taller Honda takes 5.86sec. More useful than this outright acceleration advantage over the Honda is the Pulsar’s roll-on acceleration figures that increase to powerful margins as the gears shift higher. Low-end torque on the Pulsar is more useable, assisted by the rims and tweaked silencer. Only first gear ratios have been made taller on the Pulsar, with the remaining gears staying the same as before.
Overall, when comparing engines, in spite of the Pulsar's sprightly Performance, our testers preferred the ultra-refined Unicorn.