2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250
This is the 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250, and like its siblings, that is the NS125, NS160, NS200, N150, N160. This one, too, has received a lot of new bits.
And what exactly is new? What has been carried over? Well, that is what we’ll find out.
What’s New In N250?
Speaking of the things that are new, well, the first and the most obvious bit is red paint scheme.
It’s paired with a shade of maroon and white, and three colors give the N250 a very enhanced look and enhance its muscular profile.
Then the second bit are golden USD forks. Now, Bajaj is giving the golden USD forks only on red color and the white color.
There’s a third option as well, the black color, which was available earlier, but it only gets the black USD forks.
For reference, the older model got conventional USD forks. And then the third bit is the rare tire. The 2024 N250 gets a 140 section, which is 10mm more than the older bike.
And then there are a lot of new features as well. For starters, it gets a brand new fully digital instrument console.
It packs various readouts and gets smartphone connectivity, call SMS notifications, and turn-by-turn navigation as well.
What else is new on the feature front is the addition of traction control. Then it also gets three ABS modes: road, rain, and off-road.
And the ABS intrusion on these varies, and in the off-road mode, it is the least. So the rare-tire locks, but the ABS still kicks in in the later stage.
And you can turn off the traction control only in the off-road mode. Well, the addition of all these features sounds very nice and enticing and makes the overall package quite desirable.
What’s Similar?
While we do see a handful of changes on the 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250, it’s still retains several elements from the previous year’s model.
For starters, the overall design is unchanged and you get the same center-set projector LED flanked by a couple of LED DRMs.
Then the split seat with the slick tail section also appears the same.
Alongside the cosmetics, the 2024 Pulsar N250 is powered by the same engine and the output figures are also similar.
Then the Mono shop, the brakes, and the wheels are also retained from before, but that’s not it. Even the ergonomics for the 2024 Pulsar N250 are the same.
Ergonomics :
Another thing that has been essentially carried over from the previous generation of the N250 are the ergonomics.
The N250 gets a seat height of 800mm, the ground clearance is 165mm.
And once you are in the riding position, the handlebar feels slightly on the front side and the riding position is slightly committed, slightly sporty, which gives the N250 a sporty commuter feel.
Even the footpegs are slightly on the rear side. However, none of this is taxing.
You are fairly comfortable, and even the overall leverage that you need while riding is just there in the right manner.
Engine Performance :
Another thing that remains unchanged on the 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 is engine.
It’s a 249 cc single-cylinder motor and makes 24.5 BHP and 21.5 Newton meters of torque, and it also gets the same five-speed Gearbox.
Now, the addition of a six-speed Gearbox would have made sense, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
Now, the older model had a very basey, meaty, and nice exhaust note.
Along with the numbers, the engine character, too, remains unchanged. The bike feels slightly refined, but two major changes have been made.
Now, that’s a good thing as well as a not so good thing, and here is why.
If you are riding the Pulsar N250 in the city, its puffy and quick-rimming nature makes zipping the bike around city traffic a nice an engaging experience.
You can make quick overtakes, modulate the clutch, let the bike crawl in bumper to bumper traffic, and then accelerate further quickly as much as needed.
Exhaust Sound
The new N250 also gets the same raspy and basey exhaust note as before.
Since this engine holds a good low and mid-range, it’s extremely usable for commuting.
But the problem lies in the higher revs. As you approach the 7,000 to 8,000 RPM mark, there’s a notable bus and vibrations in the seat and the handlebar.
If that is something you can live with, the fact that the engine itself feels stressed at high speeds is an indication that the N250 needs a sixth gear.
Unfortunately, Bajas has used the same 5-speed gearbox, and that’s one of the limiting factors for this bike.
Ride Quality
Moving further, the N250 still holds a nice mix of sporty and commuter stance.
Since you sit slightly crouched at the front, the riding posture on the N250 feels commanding.
That said, the bike is spacious and you can move around on the seat if needed.
Speaking of comfort levels, the N250’s front forks are fine in the way they respond to undulations, but the Mono shock feels slightly on the firm side.
This could change with the payload if there’s a pillion on board or even if the rider is on the heavier side, but the bike feels confident and planted when you are riding at high speeds or even if you are taking it around the corners.
While we couldn’t put its grip to a proper test due to the limited time, we look forward to doing that once the N250 comes in for a thorough road test.
The rear spring’s firmness was the most evident when we rode the bike over sharp bumps or portals or even bridge joints.
But apart from that, the suspension is just about fine. The braking pro is on the N250 slightly on the mellow side.
The front and rear have decent bite, but the feel on the front liver could be more pronounced. You feel the front break is in effect when the liver is close to half of its travel.
It stops the bike as you would expect, but could do better with more feel.
And since the Pulsar N250 now gets ABS more, it should be easier for to get used to riding in rain or even gravel patches.
The off-road mode allows you to lock the rear disk and slide the bike in a controlled manner until the ABS intervenes.
You can even turn off the traction control in the off-road ABS mode. However, to switch to the setting of the ABS and traction control is a tedious task.
You need to click the Mode button twice, then toggle through the three ABS modes, and once in off-road mode, there is another array of settings you will have to walk through to turn off the traction control.
Should You Buy It Or Not :
Now, at the end, the money, the pricing is the deal breaker or the deal maker in this commuter segment.
So should you spend your hard earned 1.5 Lakh Rupees, on the 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250? Well, here’s the thing.
It has rectified quite a few things that were missing on the earlier model. The N250 now gets smartphone connectivity, a fully digital dash.
It even gets traction control and ABS modes.
Then the addition of the new paint scheme makes the bike look better, enhances its overall dimensions, and the addition of these USD forks also makes the front-end look slightly chunkier.
Then the wider air tire offers more stability at higher speeds, and even the overall handling and the flickability of this bike is slightly better than before.
But there are other areas where we still feel Bajaj could have improved.
For example, this engine still feels strained at higher speeds, and there are vibrations at around 7,000 to 8,000 RPM.
Maybe this This could have been avoided if Bajaj included a sixth gear, but unfortunately, the brand has still gone with the same 5-speed setup.
Then there are other areas where the welding feels a little shoddy, and the right quality could have been better if the rare suspension was set up at a slightly softer site.
But overall, when you look at the grand scheme, what you get new compared to the price height that you pay over the previous model, is very small.
You just pay 1,000 Rupees more, and you get so many new things over the previous model.
So it’s clear as this bright day that the 2024 Bajaj Pulsar N250 now offers a lot more value for money.
But what happens when you compare the N250 with its rival, that is the Suzuki Gixxer 250? Well, the Gixxer already gets smartphone connectivity in its ride connect variant, but that bike costs 1.98 Lakh Ex-showroom, which is substantially more than what you pay for the 2024 Pulsar N250. So the 2024 N250 currently offers a better deal overall.