Bajaj has launched the 220cc DTSFi in Pune. The shocker: An on the road price tag of Rs. 83595/-.

It has effectively set the bar for all future competition in this segment.

It is available in 3 colours as of now. Black, Red, and Blue. It is expected to produce about 21 bhp.

The 220cc DTSfi has a 220 cc Fuel Injected engine. It is also oil cooled(as compared to air cooled for most of the other Indian bikes).

For those who dont know what Fuel injection means, I will try to explain.

In a regular bike engine, there is a carburettor. This carburettor (as you may have learnt in IX std Physics ) mixes the air and fuel to an optimum level and then feeds this mixture into the cyliner where the air-fuel mixture is burnt by igniting it with the help of a spark plug.

In a fuel injected bike, the carburettor is done away with and there is a nozzle which squirts fuel directly into the pipe leading to the engine. The Fuel injection mechanism is completely electronic and so, depending on various conditions (speed, throttle position, amount of air, etc..), the right amount of fuel is injected into the engine. The fuel is injected more as a fine mist rather than a stream of liquid.

This ensure crisper throttle response and better combustion of fuel leading to more power and better mileage.

One of the revolutionary features of the 220cc DTSFi is that it has a rear disc brake in addition to the front disc brake. This is the first Indian bike to have a disc brake as standard in the rear.

It will be available from January. The DTSFi is now available for test rides in Pune.

Along with this, the 200cc bike has also been launched. It now costs about 72K on the road in Pune.

Also, both these bikes are electric start only. Bajaj have done away with the kick start lever on both these bikes.

The superb pricing means that the Karizma is dead . Hero Honda has to perform some miracle to sell the Karizma.

Pics of the 200cc Pulsar.







Pics of the 220cc Pulsar DTSFi


FOr more pics, see this superb thread by BLade_Runner
Bajaj Pulsar 200cc & 220cc DTSi-Fi


Will keep updating the thread with more details.


UPDATE:

Bajaj officials confirmed that the Pulsar 220cc DTSFi has been launched in Pune at a price of about 84,000 Rs. Officials say that 20 units of the bike have already been booked.

The bike is available in 3 different colours --- Black, Red and Blue.

Bike can be booked by paying an advance of 10,000 Rs.

35 bikes will be sold from the Pro-Biking showroom. Delivery is on first come, first serve basis. Interestingly, only those who can show proof of residence in Pune can buy the bike. The waiting time for the bike is 10-12 days.

Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi 220 has a single-cylinder, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine, belting out 20 bhp of power with 1.95 kg of torque.

This results in high combustion efficiency and low performance variability between engines, precise metering of fuel for highest outputs and lower emissions. It also helps in easy engine starts in all-weather conditions and altitudes.

Also for the first time in India, the bike will be launched without a kick start lever.

The bike also boasts of the best-in-class fuel economy with natural, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine employing a oil cooler, a first in India.

People who missed the launch will now have to wait till February for the next batch of bikes to be delivered.

The launch of the bike was a very low profile one done away from the usual media glare.

Bajaj has gone for a soft launch technique and will play the waiting game to gauge the public response to the bike.

The bike will be launched in Mumbai during the second half of January 2007 and will be seen in other Bajaj showrooms across the country only in February.

The 220cc DTSFi will be priced around 88,000Rs in Mumbai.

The Pulsar 200cc is the next big launch from Bajaj for the year 2007. It will be priced in the range of 70,000-80,000 Rs. It will be a direct launch unlike the soft launch of it's fuel injected big brother.

The 200cc bike will be pitted against the Hero Honda Karizma which is also priced at the same level. They both offer about the same power output. Hero Honda is currently testing the Fuel injected version of the Karizma which will be released by February-March 2007.