The Bajaj Pulsar NS400 is expected to be launched on May 3
In 2016, Bajaj forayed into the 400cc for the first time by launching the Dominar 400. The motorcycle was tagged as a sports-tourer motorcycle but unfortunately, the Dominar never performed well in terms of sales figures. In fact, the Dominar has been so poor that Bajaj talks about the Dominar 400 or about its future. In fact, in last eight years, the Dominar has not even received a significant update.
In a nutshell, Bajaj failed to create a position for itself in the 400cc category – a space heavily dominated by the Royal Enfield Classic, Bullet and Meteor 350, Honda H’Ness 350 and the KTM Duke 390. Therefore, Bajaj has finally decided to launch its second-ever 400cc motorcycle – the much-awaited Pulsar NS400. As per numerous reports, the motorcycle is expected to be launched on May 3, 2024.
As of now, no details have been released about the motorcycle and therefore, in the following paragraphs, we have listed our expectations from the motorcycles.
The NS400 is likely to be based on the Duke 390 as is the case with the NS200 which has always been based on the Duke 200. As of the now, the new-gen Duke 390 is powered by a new 399cc liquid-cooled, Euro 5.2-ready, single-cylinder engine which makes a peak power of 44.86PS and a maximum torque of 39Nm.
The new-gen Duke 390 and the old-gen Duke 390 in a single frame
However, this new engine has not been employed on the ADV 390 and RC 390. Our fear is that Bajaj will use the old-gen 373cc engine that was used on the KTM Duke 390, which produces 43.5PS of peak power and 37Nm of maximum torque.
What we would like to see is the Bajaj NS400 with the new-gen 399cc engine instead of the old-gen 373cc engine. After all, in 2024, it makes no sense to launch a brand-new 400cc motorcycle with an old-gen, backdated engine from KTM’s stable.
In terms of features, we do not expect the Bajaj to match KTM’s level, given Bajaj products come with a more reasonable price tag. However, we definitely expect to see a fully digital instrument cluster with speedometre, tachometre, odometre, fuel gauge, engine temperature, engine caution, and side stand caution light. We also hope the dashboard features Bluetooth connectivity with SMS/call alerts and other data such as average speed, top speed, USB charging point, and real-time distance to empty. Moving on to other hardware, we certainly hope all-LED lightings and safety features such as dual channel ABS and traction control.
The updated cluster of the NS200 2024
The most important thing for us is the improved quality. For years, Bajaj has had a flagship crisis. For example, at the moment, none of Bajaj’s motorcycles can be pointed as flagship products. After all, in a bid to satisfy India’s price-sensitive market and capture the audience, Bajaj offers some of the most affordable 150cc and 200cc motorcycles, but their build quality is not up to the mark. Therefore, we would love to see the NS400 with build quality close to the KTM Duke 390, the TVS Apache RTR 310 or the Yamaha R15.
The all-black Yamaha R15 2024
Last but not least, we know Bajaj will keep the price tag in check, but we firmly believe Bajaj will not make the motorcycle too affordable, so it becomes less accessible, and it manages to maintain a flagship tag.
