Pulsar N 160 SS | Photo Credit: Prashant Shetty

All of the significant Bajaj Pulsars in history have been of the short-stroke variety. The Pulsar, as demonstrated by its own example, is best served with an oversquare engine and so, it’s only befitting that its rather popular 160 has inherited one as well, with a four-valve head, at that.

This matters because not all Pulsars in recent history have necessarily impressed. Nearing 25 years as a nameplate, the Pulsar is the motorcycle that many of us attribute to the genesis of our motorcycling dreams. While we may have transitioned onto other brands or formats, but Pulsar being true to its legacy still matters to many of us. In this scheme of things, the N 160 SS is a proper Pulsar.

well-equipped motorcycle

Bajaj has been generous with configuring it, seeing as it has the ever-impressive TVS Apache RTR 160 4V for a rival and the result is a very well-equipped motorcycle. The N 160 SS gets an upside-down fork, meaty rubber, strong brakes, a TFT dash that offers connectivity features and also phone mirroring for Google Maps, four ride modes, an electronic throttle body and a split seat among other smaller details. It’s a good-looking bike, too, and if the one in white or blue doesn’t impress you, the one in black certainly will.

What impresses even more is riding it. I thought I might be a bit large for it (and I am), but the ergonomics put me at instant ease. Yes, it’s a sporty rider’s triangle, but the handlebar is tall enough to make it a fun but comfortable urban motorcycle. The seat is well-padded, too and there’s a lot more room on it than you might think. It fires up to a busy thrum — not quite as bassy as on the NS 400 Z, though — and you can feel a noticeable shift in refinement, especially if you have other Pulsars as a reference point.

Super speed

That refinement stays even as you get busy doing characteristically Pulsar things with it (i.e. riding hurriedly). It’s quick off the line (Bajaj claims a 0-60-kph time of 4.5 seconds), has ample mid-range, hits a bit of a lull at around 5500 rpm and then pulls away strongly again, all the way to its top speed. To be honest, I couldn’t tell sport and road mode apart, so I stuck to sport and just focused on having a really good time snaking through the city of Pune. It was a good decision because the N 160 SS is such a spirited, happy and evolved motorcycle to ride. It feels powerful and energetic and yet refined and composed in a way you’d expect on a larger-displacement bike.

Furthermore, it’s not just a fast bike, it’s also rather well-sprung. There’s a mild stiffness over the most jarring roads, but other than that, the N 160 SS’ suspension feels comfortable and sophisticated. That, along with a strong set of brakes, good tyres and a 151-kg kerb weight, makes it a dynamically sorted motorcycle, one you can take lots of cornering liberties with.

While I empathise with Bajaj’s compulsions to equip the N 160 SS with a TFT screen (which is easy to read in daylight; the night mode looks even better) and connectivity features, I wish Bajaj had instead — if not in addition — given it a quickshifter, too. Now that would be a real USP in this segment! More colour options wouldn’t hurt either, although those Bajaj can stir up quite easily.

At ₹1.43 lakh (ex-showroom), the Pulsar N 160 SS doesn’t undercut its competition, but instead gets you performance and kit that comfortably justify its price tag. If you’re in college and are about to launch a hunger strike at your parents in favour of wanting a new bike, I assure you, the N 160 SS is absolutely worth it.

@TheMotorGram

Published on August 21, 2026