Graptor pales compared to handsome DTS-i
Paint quality and fit and finish are of a higher order on the Bajaj bike, the LML a little out of its depth here. Overall, the Pulsar is a fine looker, leaving one struggling to stop drooling over its cat-set-to-leap stance. The front bikini is as good as it gets, complementing the more familiar shape of the rest of the bike. Attention to detail is stunning and instruments complete and familiar with a sporty touch.
From here on, it's a familiar vista, the hefty tank blending into seat and running to the tail, but alas, the attractive tank knee-recesses still fail to house tall knees. The smart silencer has grown to look good and Bajaj now ordains this bike with its new logo. We have said it time and again, the Pulsar's grips could do with improvement, but it would be tough to improve the switchgear — simply the best in its league and miles ahead of the Graptor units. The wide mirrors are far improved over the view-restricting units of the older Pulsar. The DTS-I handlebars are satin-finished, unique from the standard chrome on all other machinery. There's more to commend about on the Pulsar, especially its emphatically brilliant headlamp, though the Graptor shines forth just as positively each night.
The Graptor stuns at a glance. But move in for a detailed observation and it disappoints. Its rakish front and the way in which the tank drops sharply to meet both side panels is nice. It's in the attention to detail where this machine fades. Quality, though not appalling, is not at the altitude the competition is at today. At night one is faced by a fluorescent blue-lit twin-pod cluster, which we found distracting and a tad too flashy. There's a sporty rev counter along with the usual goodies, all fitting well into place and easy to view. A hazard switch graces this bike, though one wonders which biker will need to use it.
Both bikes have powerful twin-sirens to bleat while shredding through traffic. The Graptor tank is macho, well contoured with an aluminium look-alike frame, which harks of the theme begun on Kinetic's GF series. There's even a fake mesh-looking sticker on the tank that will have you thinking why they omitted the real thing.
Moving back, the Graptor seat upsets in its dual-tone colouring as well as inadequate padding; the Pulsar feels better in spite of not being too comfortable itself. The tail panels are smart with flashing decals, but again a far cry from the DTS-i's fit quality. A neat and original touch is the Graptor’s grab-rail-fitted tail-lamp which flashes a supplementary brake warning. The centre of the bike appears heavy with the silencer similar to the CBZ. Another simple, yet novel safety feature is the side-stand which locks gears while down.
To sum up, the Graptor feels a touch flashy and is hardpressed to match the established styling and engineering of the Pulsar.