After reigning the streets of India for the last 21 years, the beloved Pulsar 180 will finally say goodbye to the country. Recently the two-wheeler manufacturing giant Bajaj Auto Limited very sneakily pulled the plug and discontinued its long-running 180cc motorbike – the Pulsar 180. The update on the Pulsar 180 came as the company’s official website now does not list the model in its lineup. Also, some dealers have also reported that no new stock of the Pulsar 180 was offered from the company.
According to speculations the reason for the discontinuation of this iconic model is vested with the dwindling sales. In recent times the Pulsar 180 sales shrunk to all-time lows and keeping it in the lineup did not make sense for the company. On the flip side, it is believed that Bajaj could also be gearing up to launch a newer iteration of the same moniker-bearing model. But as of now, nothing is concrete.
The Bajaj Pulsar 180 was launched in November of 2001 and this year marked the 21 years of the bike in India. Although this is also not the first time that the Pune-based automaker has discontinued this bike. The model was superseded by its semi-faired brother, the 180F, and was retired for the first time in 2019, ahead of the BS6 emission standards. The Pulsar 180 was then relaunched by Bajaj in February of last year, replacing the 180F in exchange.
The 178.6cc, air-cooled, DTSI engine that propelled the Pulsar 180 before it was discontinued. The motor produced a decent 16.76 bhp and 14.52 Nm of maximum torque. It had a 15-litre petrol tank and a five-speed transmission. The motorcycle had telescopic forks, dual springs with five-step preload adjustability, and 17-inch alloy wheels on both ends. It weighed 151 kg. A single disc was used for braking at both ends and single-channel ABS was standard.
In other Pulsar news, back in April of this year, Bajaj Auto Limited also trademarked two new names in India. The names trademarked are Pulsar Elan and Pulsar Eleganza and speculations are that these could make their debuts on one or two new models from the brand in the coming period. According to the reports, the trademarks were filed at the beginning of March.
Rumours around the interweb have also suggested that Bajaj could be reviving its famed 150cc motorbike – the Pulsar 150 with one of these two new monikers but it is yet to be confirmed. Other rumours meanwhile have also stated that it could just be the fact that the Pune-based bikemaker could be trademarking all these names just for the sake of saving them for any future use, however, the real reason still remains unclear.
Recently it also took the covers off of its N250 naked streetfighter and F250 semi-faired street racer motorcycle’s new “All-Black” iterations. The bike’s All-Black versions, as the name implies, feature a glossy Brooklyn Black paint job with matte black embellishments. Additionally, the bikes also feature some allusions with striking red and white stripes.