PULSAR RIDE SUPERIOR, UNICORN HANDLING SHINES
This
is where both bikes proved to be thorough gentlemen. Both are
smart-handling motorcycles with different character born of
varying set-ups.
 The Pulsar coaxes the rider into a sporty riding position with
its low handlebars. The previous 150 DTS-i used higher ’bars
than its elder brother, the 180 DTS-i, but future 150s will
have lower handlebars. While a younger rider will enjoy this
sporty bent, commuters may not approve of the lower stance or
the slight increase in effort that shorter handlebars demand
at traffic-mingling speeds. In such tight situations, the Unicorn
proves easier to manoeuvre. However, once speeds increase, both
bikes manage to swiftly eat up vast sections of tarmac with
scorching, cornering ability and nice, straight-line stability.
The Pulsar has jumped down to 17-inch, six-spoke alloy rims
endowing it with a lightning-fast (and willing) steering response.
It also offers increased suspension travel thereby ensuring
a good ride without making the bike uncomfortably tall.
Both bikes use capable MRF rubber all round, while the Bajaj
150cc contender now shares thicker 100/90 x 17-inch rubber with
its elder brother — the 180cc Pulsar — a brave decision
which we hope Honda too will take.
The Pulsar frame is dual-cradle, with a straightforward box-section
swingarm. The major change, other than added suspension travel
at both ends and a lengthened 1330mm wheelbase, is the gas-filled
rear shock absorbers, termed Nitrox by Bajaj. The fast-responding
gas that provides immediate damping over even minute bitumen
ripples is superior to oil units.
 The Unicorn frame is diamond type with a single, down-tube.
Its engine hooks in as a stressed member, while the rear differs
from all current Indian bikes offering a monoshock ally for
its beefy swingarm. Monoshock implies a single-shock absorber
(three-way adjustable in the Unicorn's case), placed close to
the swingarm pivot, replacing two individual shockers otherwise
commonly seen.
The Unicorn has ride quality with an undoubtedly sporty touch,
surely not as pampering as the Pulsar but adequate enough for
a good ride quality. The Honda is shod with puncture-resistant
3.00 x 18-inch rubber at the rear.
Brake evaluation sessions for both bikes from 60kph turned out
equally fender-bending stop distances with the Pulsar DTS-i
halting in 15.53 metres to the Unicorn's 16.06 metres. The feel
through the Pulsar’s lever is decidedly sharper, while
the Unicorn borders on the correct side of a thin line between
progression and a woolly lever.
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December 2004 