Bajaj Pulsar CS400/ Kratos VS400 Production Commenced; Launch By Mid-December

It will be the most powerful bike till date to roll out of the Chakan plant and is expected to carry a price tag ranging from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.7 lakh (ex-showroom)

The wait is finally over as Bajaj Auto has announced that start of production of their most powerful bike till date. With the official name to be disclosed when launched, the bike was unveiled as a concept called the ‘Pulsar CS400’ at the 2014 Auto Expo. Later, there were reports of the production bike to be called the ‘Kratos VS400’. However, there is no confirmation regarding that as well. The launch of the new bike will be a great milestone for Bajaj Auto as the first Pulsar was launched by the company 15 years ago in November 2001. Also, the roll-out of the new bike is unique since it was assembled on the production line that is managed only by women engineers.

Creating a new segment of affordable power cruisers in India, the new motorcycle borrows its design cues from the Ducati Diavel. The bike comes with an LED headlight assembly, a first on a Bajaj motorcycle. It will sport a dual instrument cluster, which will show the speedometer and gear indicator on a display situated above the fuel tank, while other information such as tachometer, trip meter, fuel gauge will be displayed on the all-digital unit. The bike will come with telescopic forks instead of USDs in order the keep the costs low. Braking duties will be handled by disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS.

Powering the bike will be the 373cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, motor that also does duty on the KTM 390 Duke. To better suit the characteristics of a power cruiser, the engine will be re-tuned to develop around 35PS of max power and 33Nm of peak torque. The engine will come mated to a 6-speed gearbox with tweaked gear ratios for better low-end power delivery. 

With the launch to be held by mid-December, the new Bajaj motorcycle is likely to be offered with an ABS and non-ABS variant. Prices are expected to range from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.7 lakh (ex-showroom).