Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review: Price, Mileage, Colour & NS 400 Feature

Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

Now, it’s been over two decades, 24 years, in fact, that the brand Pulsar from Bajaj has been around in India.

And since the early 2000s, with the early 150s, the 180s, the carb-rated versions down to the 220 FI, well, they have been delighting customers all across the country with what they had to offer in in terms of affordable performance machines.

Now, up until today, you had the N-Series and the NS-Series.

The N-Series are slightly more diluted versions of the pulsers, you could put it that way, more commuter-focused, you could say, and the NS-Series are proper performance-oriented machines.

Now, up until now, you had the N250, which was previously the most powerful, largest capacity Pulsar that you could get your hands on.

Today we are talking about the latest model NS400 Z. It is now the most powerful Pulsar that you can get your hands on, the biggest capacity, of course, and it is packing a good amount of performance and features.

It is an NS motorcycle after all. With the pricing that Bajaj has priced it at 1,85,000, it is also the most affordable 400 cc single-cylinder bike that you can get in the country today. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

Pulsar NS 400Z Styling

Now, the styling of this motorcycle has received quite a bit of flak from the online community.

But in all honesty, this motorcycle doesn’t really look all that bad once you actually have it standing in front of you.

Now, in terms of esthetics, this is an NS Series motorcycle at the end of the day, and that stands for naked sport.

So of course, it’s sharp, it’s sporty in terms of design.

And although the rear of the motorcycle does resemble what we’ve seen in the previous smaller generation, smaller capacity pulsers of the NS Series, well, there’s a lot going on in front and there’s a lot to talk About.

the NS 400 Z borrows some of its parts from the other Bajaj built bikes, like the mirrors that are taken right off the domina. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

Then you have the turn indicators from the KTMS and the tank and split seat from the smaller NS bikes.

Headlamp Unit

But it all falls into place quite nicely with the new parts on there, like the headlamp unit. Lighting all around is LED, and the headlamp has some snazzy Z-shaped DRLs on either side of the projector lamp, which looked nice.

The 43mm upside down fork up front lends the bike a browny stance, while the tank extensions, which neatly flow into the radiator cowl, keep things at the start of the midsection neat indeed.

There are these small curves at the tail panels that contribute to the tidy design flow at the rear as well. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

From afar, now this bike’s silhouette may resemble the older, smaller capacity NS bikes, but on closer inspection, the finer details will be a lot more evident. Overall, I find the bike to look very nice and tidy indeed.

Pulsar NS 400Z Features

Now, in terms of features, well, the Bajaj NS 400 Z does pack quite a few of them. Now, this is the first Pulser to actually have a ride-by-wire throttle.

Then you have stuff like, adjustable leavers at both ends. That’s a slip and a sit clutch, which makes things, life in the city and out on the highway, quite easy.

Of course, you do have riding aids like traction control, riding modes, ABS, four riding modes that alter the way the ABS kicks in and of course, you have bonded glass reverse LCD screen that has a small section that allows you to toggle between your Bluetooth commands and your turn-by-turn navigation.

Now, someone will have also noticed that the NS400 Z doesn’t get clip-on bars like the smaller NS200. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

But out here, the wide hydroformed tube bar is meant to offer good amount of stability while proving not to be tire sim over long rides, which is a good thing.

Ride Modes In Pulsar NS 400Z

There’s four ride modes on this bike, and you have full access to the 40 PS of power and tap in sport mode, while the power delivery is dialed down through road and off-road modes to rain mode.

Now, ABS over here can’t be switched off completely, and each ride mode dictates the way the dual channel ABS intervenes.

Sadly, these settings are fixed presets and can’t be tweaked around at all. So you can’t go all gung-ho with full power and tap in sport mode with the least amount of ABS interference, which is currently in the off-road setting.

Performance & Handling

Traction control can only be switched off in sport and off-road modes as well. The part about the way it puts down all its power and handles out on the road.

Now, it gets the same 373 cc single cylinder, liquid-cooled motor that powers the Bajaj Domina 400, and it retains the same state of tune, too.

Power & Torque

Power and torque figures remain unchanged at 40 PS and 35 Nm, but its rate of delivery isn’t as relaxed as on the touring friendly domina.

The power and torque delivery has altered tremendously on account of the largest pocket at the rear by one tooth. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

Then you have the ride modes with different power maps and also mainly due to the 18 kg weight deficit.

The lighter handlebar, the wheels, the swing arm, the suspension units all contribute to keeping the weight of this bike low.

Now, in terms of posture, well, pretty upright and nice. But then again, once you really get down to riding hard and fast, this motorcycle feels really up for it as well.

It’s quite comfortable and you can ride this bike fast.

It allows you to because the way it’s set up, the way the suspension is set up, it allows you stick into corners nicely and of course, decent ground clearance as well.

Pulsar NS 400Z Wheelbase

Now, the wheelbase has been shortened by around 20mm from the Pulsar NS 200, which is great. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

So you do have that additional bit of a little more agility, let’s say. And of course, powered by the same engine as the domina.

You do have the same power on tap. But then again, this motorcycle weighs around 18 kilograms lighter, which is a world of a difference, and it’s all there to be felt.

As soon as you chuck this one into a corner, it just leans in so much faster. It just feels so agile. It’s really good fun out on the road.

Internal Feature In Pulsar NS 400Z

Now, although Bajaj says that you can change the ride mode on the go, the process to execute this is a bit off.

You see, the bike won’t allow you to access the ride mode and traction control menu unless you completely close throttle.

After you close throttle, it takes a couple of seconds to toggle through and change the mode you’re in. I know it isn’t much, but it still is a bit of a waste of time.

It should ideally let you enter the menu first before asking you to close throttle and change mode. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

Still, the bike feels light and sprightly right from the get-go, and the engine isn’t as viby as the unit on domina, which is awesome.

Load down the power band there’s a good amount of power that will get you off the line briskly, just as you would expect a bike of this kind should.

Power and sport mode is lively and linear and very predictable. While in Road and Off-Road mode, the power delivery is a bit dialed down.

Rain mode, that’s when you want to be downright cautious while riding through slippery road conditions.

The motor is quite tractable and the clutch is nice and light, which is great for the city. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

You can pull away from as low as 40 km/h in sixth, while the NS will allow you to cruise down the highway at 100 km/h at about 5,000 RPM in the same gear without a worry in the world.

You can even carry out overtakes at the speed without a fuss.

Now, if you want to extract serious performance from this bike and motor, you’ll have to really wring it through the gears, hitting the red line on each count.

And the NS, well, it will happily comply. And have you nodding your head in approval almost every time.

Tyre Specifications

Now, the only downside that I see to this motorcycle currently has to be the front tire, which isn’t a radial trade like the one at the rear.

And it just seems to let go when you drop anchor hard and you need it the most. The 320mm disk up front doesn’t fare bad at all, but that tire, well, it can really read to some scary instances.

So that’s definitely the first thing that I would swap out on this bike.

Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Acceleration

I almost forgot. The NS400 Z also got a lap time on that.

Now, although this bike feels like it’s built to a budget, it definitely is a thoroughly entertaining machine, this. Bajaj Pulsar NS 400Z Review

Now, Bajaj claimed that the NS400 Z will go from zero to 60 in 2.8 seconds and hit a ton in 6.9 seconds, which is one second off the KTM 390 Duke sprint time.

And let’s be honest, there’s no way you’d call this one slow. Now, right from the beginning, the Bajajaj Pulser was known for one thing, how it democratized performance.

It brought power to the people, in the motorcycling sense, of course, because you didn’t have to be overly wealthy to own a fast-stocked bike, and it was easy to repair as well.

Now, the NS400 Z continues in that tradition, which is brilliant. Yes, it may not be the fastest factory stock out there, but it definitely is fast given its class.

It’s also the most affordable motorcycle in said class as well. It’s a bike that has evolved into a different beast out in the road altogether.

The fact that Bajars have named it the Z would imply that there will be other, better equipped, and probably more powerful variants to spawn down the line.

So interesting times ahead if you’re into brand Pulsar. But for now, I’d go so far as to say that the NS400 Z is by far the best Pulsar there ever was.