Top 5 200cc Bikes In India

This is the segment of our country which serves as the base point for a serious rider. It doesn’t mean that if you ride a 150 cc bike then you’re not committed to the art of motorcycling but having a 150cc as your only bike probably puts you in the range of an intermediate rider who still has a long way to go. With that being said let’s take a look at top 5 motorcycles in 200 cc range to act as the perfect companion to your newly earned rider status.

1: Bajaj Pulsar 220: Want an easy to maintain, torque-filled and fun motorcycle. Then 220 is the best way to go. The added fairing at the front makes it ideal for “sports touring” and with sports touring I mean, riding at average cruising speeds of 120 km/hr. on the highway. The bike despite being a decade old still does a top speed of 135 or even 142 km/hr., in those cases where the wind is less and so is the rider’s weight.

The reason for the bike being popular is a case which requires some deduction but a gross statement which can define its success is that it was the first game-changer in India, from where those with a hunger for going fast and just a respectable amount of cash made this into a cult phenomenon. The stories of how someone’s big brother or a senior at someone’s school almost wasn’t able to handle the raw power of a machine made little kids like us want it more, so as every one of us grew up with those stories we bought the bloody bike as soon as we started earning.

The bike produces 19 Horses which hit early enough and 21 horses which makes you go fast enough, Front and rear disc, clip-on, Headlamp which looks like it’s from another dimension are the things which make this bike a best-seller. You can get this baby at an On-road price of approx. Rs 1.10 lakh.

2: TVS Apache RTR 200: Originally meant to challenge Pulsar 200 NS (about whom we will talk a bit later), but it got ended up being compared with the likes of Duke 200, Pulsar 220 and RS 200 because Bajaj pulled the plug on the production of 200 NS a while back. Coming to the bike itself, Key points include “Most refined Apache yet” “Fastest Apache yet” “Most stable Apache at top speed yet” “Best cornering motorcycling” and “One of the best motorcycle with hair-raising acceleration”, all these points under 200 cc.

You can easily see the pattern here; TVS came out with their 200 cc competitor way after Bajaj already had one of theirs on the field. This makes the Apache as something too little too late. But don’t be discouraged here. I am criticizing this bike because I know what this bike could have been. Looking at the specs we can see an air-cooled engine, Fi and ABS as a variant, 5–speed gearbox and 20 PS of power.

So the conclusion is that TVS Apache is a pretty good bike for pretty much every one of your needs. The bike is an agile beast which can pop wheelies and stoppies all day without breaking a sweat and even your bank and the bike has a ton of variants on offer with variables being stock or Pirelli tyres, Carb or FI and ABS or non-ABS. You can get this bike on-road at a price of approximately Rs 1.12 lakh.

3: Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS: The second Bike from Bajaj on this list is the perfect representation of what a cult following can help a company accomplish. This bike has inspired a huge fan following in the form of an international Motorcycle Group known as Naked Wolves. This bike is a breeze to ride everywhere, on highways it is scarily stable, and whose proof you can easily see on Youtube.

Pulsar 200 NS has pulled from production a few years ago and only came into being a while back and with all the problems of its past version as rectified. It is butter smooth throughout the rev range with and always has enough power on hand. The engine is a liquid cooled unit with a 6-speed gearbox but sadly only the Carb variant is available in our country.

Recently an ABS version has also been launched by the company which was much needed and expected. In conclusion, Bike is smooth, efficient of fuel, powerful, good on twisty roads, stable and pretty fast on the highway thanks to its perimeter frame. You can get this naked wolf with an on-road price of Rs 1.10 Lakh.

4: The KTM twins, RC and Duke 200: The success of Bajaj’s sports series is partly due to Austrian manufacturer, KTM. The famous trellis frame and 199cc Engine is fundamentally the property of these bikes. Duke 200 sits few positions above in the 200 cc range due to its relatively high build and ride quality. Talking about the Duke 200, It is a naked bike with aggressive styling, hard-seat, superb handling and top of the line acceleration.

Coming to the RC 200, it is a Moto 3 racing bike incarnated with a 200 cc Engine, the stance which this bike offers is super aggressive. Handling is razor sharp and so is the acceleration. The things which work against this bike include a high cost of buying and maintenance and a lack of ABS. For RC 200 it is specifically it’s specialization as a track machine. You can’t take this bike on long roads unless you’re accustomed to such an aggressive riding position or are very stubborn. Duke 200 can be ridden on the road by paying an amount of Rs 1.64 lakh and for RC 200 it is Rs 1.93 lakh.

5: Bajaj Pulsar 200 RS: The fastest Pulsar on the road, this bike deserves to be a worthy competitor in the 200 cc segment. This fully-faired bike is a definite head-turner with a really busy fairing design and a horde of stickers on its body, but again the design of this bike is something which you will either absolutely love or absolutely hate.

Coming to its performance, it is powered by a liquid cooled 200 cc engine which is Fuel injected and paired with a 6-speed gearbox. It produces 24.5 horses and 18.9 Nm of torque. It handles pretty well again courtesy of the perimeter frame, and the riding position too isn’t just performance focused. Out on the highway, it really shines, you can squeeze 150 km/hr. from this bike and still get a fuel economy of around 35-38 km/litre. It comes in both an ABS and a non-ABS version. On road price of this bike is Rs 1.37 lakh for the non-ABS version.

Final thoughts:

The bar on the entry-level performance bikes is being raised as we speak; with upcoming bikes like Ninja 250 offering twin cylinders packed in an engine to give birth to a super high revving motor so it is only logical that we prepare ourselves for the coming time for motorcycling is going to be jam-packed with action.

For everything related to motorcycles, stay tuned to BikesMedia.

By: Yetnesh Dubey
Originally Posted On 18th Aug'2016
Top 5 Affordable 200cc- 250cc Motorcycles

We Indians need power. Now it could be in any kind really, but I am not going to into something that might have me thrown into prison, as people have the tendency to get offended really fast. Speaking of fast, the current Indian biking scenario is witnessing a lot of fast bikes being launched. Going at the speed of 100 kmph is really not fast enough anymore, and we have been looking for bikes that could surpass this figure quite easily. So it is no surprise when the 200-250cc class of bikes made it to India to decimate the 100 kmph figure and breathe a new adrenaline rage in the youth of the country. But then as Indians we always want something that is not just fast, but also cheap, and so for all those, we have for you the list of top 5 affordable 200-250cc bikes in the Indian market.

1. Hero Karizma R
2. Bajaj Avenger 220
3. Bajaj Pulsar 220F
4. TVS Apache 200 4V
5. Bajaj Pulsar 200AS

1. Hero Karizma R: Now interestingly, you would have has never expected the Karizma to make it to the list if you were to say, compile a list of the best 5. The bike is old, the update really didn’t make any headway into the market, and most importantly, the other options available to us today are far better than the Karizma to be fair. But what Hero has an ace up its sleeve is the price factor, since the Karizma R is the cheapest 200cc bike in the country.

In terms of performance, the bike is not all that bad. It comes with an air cooled 223cc engine churning out 19.2 bhp of power at 7500 RPM and 19.35 Nm of torque at 6000 RPM. The figures are not the best, but they are not really the worst either. The bike is quite a capable performer and complaints in terms of build quality and after sales have been negligible. The bike is a solid performer under any circumstances, but the new EBR based looks have pretty much killed its presence in the market. You can make the Karizma R yours for just INR 84,550/- ex-showroom Delhi, and mind you, this cost is less than some of the 150cc bikes out there today. You could give it a serious thought.

2. Bajaj Avenger 220: Bajaj really hit a sweet spot with the Avenger as the country was longing for a cruiser and was bored with the usual Royal Enfield bikes. The rest of the crop in Harley Davidson was way beyond the reach of the normal man, while the cheaper versions in the Yamaha Enticer was too much for the eye to fathom. The Avenger has everything in just the right proportions with a modern classic look, an able engine at its heart and the comfort to ride into the wilderness without a spot of bother.

READ ALSO: Bajaj Avenger Street 220 Road Test Review

The bike went through multiple revisions and upgrades, the latest being a year ago where it received two new versions in the Cruise and Street, both built for the purpose they are named as. The engine though remained the same 220cc mill as in the other Bajaj bike which is oil cum air cooled and putting out 19.03 PS of power and 17.5 Nm of torque which is just a slight rise over the previous version. The bike is all yours for the cost of INR 85,497/- ex-showroom Pune.

3. Bajaj Pulsar 220F: What made the Bajaj Pulsar 220F so special was the big engine with the displacement only on the Karizma twins from Hero Honda, and yet it provided so much more power for so much less, it really was the fastest Indian until the Pulsar 200NS made it to the market. Even after the multiple upgrades earlier and nothing at all later, the bike still manages to sell in huge numbers, co-existing along with the Pulsar 200cc bikes. The Pulsar 220F is the bike everyone wanted once upon a time, and given an option, will still do.

READ ALSO: Pulsar 220F 3 Years Ownership Review By Anurag

The Bajaj Pulsar 220F was the first Indian made bike to breach the 150 kmph speed barrier and hence made all the headlines for the right reasons. The bike is powered by the same engine as in the Avenger which is an air cooled 220cc engine, but is tuned for more performance out of it. The output figures stand at 21.05 PS at 8500 RPM and 19.12 Nm of torque at 7000 RPM. The bike was also the first from Bajaj to get a half-fairing and hence allowed the bike to slice through air on the open road with a lot of ease. The bike currently retails for INR 88,195/- ex-showroom Pune and is one of the top selling bikes even today.

4. TVS Apache 200 4V: The TVS Apache 200 4V is the newest entrant to the market and is already creating quite the storm due to its immaculate design, and most importantly the low cost. After lots of R&D and testing, TVS finally has launched the bike in the market and the sales are already starting to rack up. TVS is offering loads of options with the bike as add ons, but the basic form is available for just INR 88,990/- ex-showroom Delhi.

READ ALSO: TVS Apache RTR 200 4V Test Ride Review

What you get with the basic version is the entire bike with a 197.75cc oil cooled engine with RAM cooling system to aid faster cooling and a composed engine. You also get twin discs and the rest of the toys that come with it. The tyres though are the new Remora compound tyres that TVS launched along with the bike. With a little extra investment, you can even get fuel injection, Pirelli tyres, and ABS, but that would rile the price of the bike quite high. But then again the basic is what we are checking out. The engine is capable of 20.05 PS at 8500 RPM and 18.1 PS of torque at 7000 RPM for the carbureted version of the bike that we are discussing here.

5. Bajaj Pulsar 200AS: After the major success of the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS with the triple spark engine and butt loads of power from the 200cc single, Bajaj launched the adventure version of the bike, the Bajaj 200AS. It is exactly the same bike as the 200NS, but with a semi-fairing, a windshield, and most importantly a tad cheaper than the NS. Now even with all that, the bike was not able to rack up the sales owing to the NS, so Bajaj eventually discontinued the NS, but there are reports rife of the company expected to bring in the updated version soon.

READ ALSO: Bajaj Pulsar AS 200 Comprehensive Road Test Review

As for the 200AS, it gets the same liquid cooled, triple spark DTSi engine from Bajaj which is a 199.5cc mill churning out 23.5 PS at 9500 RPM and 18.3 Nm of torque at 8000 RPM. There is nothing that the bike cannot do, and hence is one of the most capable bikes in the segment. You can buy the Bajaj 200AS for INR 91,604/- ex-showroom Pune and is the 5th affordable bike in our list.

If you happen to notice, Bajaj pretty much has the market covered with three bikes out of the 5 as the most affordable bikes in the class. If we only check out the statistics for the class, you can notice that Bajaj is pretty much the market leader for the class and that is undisputed. So if you wish to have performance, but are tied down owing to the lack of funds, this list right here is your saving grace.

By: Pratik Patole