Bajaj Pulsar 350 cc bike – more than a rumour?

We have been hearing about a Bajaj Pulsar 350 cc motorcycle for a while now. I have generally thought that this is a rumour. So far, the company has not done anything dramatic, despite its successes with the high end Pulsar models over the years. So far, the highest capacity motorcycle from Bajaj is the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-i – aka the ‘fastest indian!’

But the rumours keep popping up with alarming regularity – and if it is true, I would look like a fool not writing about this mythical 350 cc Pulsar motorcycle. Today, the Motorbeam blog had a post about the upcoming Pulsar 350, and Indian Autos Blog had one on 4th August 2009. I guess the rumour is becoming more believable now. Here’s hoping Bajaj actually goes ahead and gives us a 350 cc motorcycle worthy of being a true successor to the Yamdoot 350!

According to the above blogs, Bajaj is halfway through the development of the Pulsar 350 and is targeting 2011-2012 for the launch. It is believed that like the Pulsar 220 DTS-i, the 350 cc bike would also have an oil cooled system. A bit funny, then, that our iconic 350 cc from our school days – the Yamaha RD 350 – was air-cooled!

Remember that while we would be thrilled to see a Pulsar 350 cc motorcycle, none of the mainstream newspapers have reported this so far. So this could be a case of bloggers getting info before the media does – or a case where they got carried away by rumours. I hope it is the first!

Several of the pics which appeared in forums seem to be photoshop work, or designs created by Pulsar fans.

Kawasaki Ninja 250R for India, from Bajaj - finally!

The other fact is that Bajaj Auto has already announced its intentions to bring Kawasaki Ninja motorcycles to India. The Kawasaki Ninja 250R will be priced at above Rs 2 lakhs, according to what Rajiv Bajaj told the media at the launch of the Bajaj 135 DTS-Si. Would Bajaj come out with a 350 cc Pulsar when it already has plans for a 250 cc motorcycle from Kawasaki? A 350 cc Pulsar would be priced below a 250 cc Ninja, I guess, if they do. But how will they position the motorcycles in the market? Would the 250 Ninja be the super-sophisticated and expensive cafe racer while the Pulsar 350 cc will be the cool and affordable road-bike? But then, would the 350 Pulsar produce more horsepower than the 250 Ninja?

Questions, questions…