Hero Honda Hunk vs Bajaj Pulsar 150 cc DTSi - Comparison review

Two big names in the Indian biking scenario: Hero Honda Hunk and Bajaj Pulsar. Both these have taken the market by storm, while Hero Honda is a global name for being the leading bike manufacturer the Bajaj Auto is a top name in the Indian bike market scene. The very first thing that riders would associate with Hero Honda bike is their impeccable service and dependability and whereas the Bajaj bikes come up with novelty rather innovations and the Indian market has showered great love and regard for the Bajaj bikes.

The Indian market has a line up of bikes in the segment and they are a hit among the masses mainly because of their incredible performance with an affordable price tag. Bajaj's introduction of Pulsar 150 cc DTSi was an instant hit among masses as was expected by the market experts but soon the company felt the pinch of competition from the Hero Honda who launched the Hunk. This made the consumers a little indecisive when asked to pick one between the two bikes. Here is a brief analysis of the two bikes that will aid the bike buying prospects' decision.

If looks alone matter?
HH Hunk has an elegant yet a muscular looks, which kind of is an appealing factor. The front forks have golden touch whereas the central section gets a silver finish, and the other eye-catching feature is the butterfly-shaped headlight. But, Bajaj Pulsar stands apart in the style and looks thanks to the styling department. Pulsar's design was tweaked in Japan and it was given a rugged look with a huge fuel tank (that surely is a macho quotient anyone would vote for) and cool headlight. As to the tail end of the bike, it is much like the edge of a razor. Along with these distinct features Pulsar comes fitted with edgy (glitzy) electronic gadgets that will create quite an impression on the buyer. I would vote for pulsar for the looks although it's a factor that is subject to an individual's personal choice that may quite vary.



Engine, performance, handling and mileage are those things that really matter for a biker
Bajaj Pulsar bears the 150 cc DTSi engine and generates a power of 14.09 Ps @ 8500 rpm and the maximum torque is around 12.76 Nm at 6500 rpm. While Hunk also has a 150cc engine but the power out put is slightly higher than that of Pulsar, it is 14.2 Ps @ 8500 rpm and torque is 12.98 Nm @ 6500 rpm. Despite the engine in the Pulsar is smooth the bike emits a lot of noise at top speed whereas Hunk does not produce any vibration even if the bike is zooming at 80 kmph.



Because of the DTSi technology used in the Pulsar the throttle response seems to be pretty good and it is not bad in Hunk too. But the gearbox needs to be tweaked in Pulsar. The five speed gearbox in the Hunk helps in the effortless gear shifting and in fact even the clutch is pretty smooth. The Pulsar is fitted with disc brakes but one needs to be careful while applying them as they are quite sensitive and applying the front brakes too quickly might trigger loss of balance. HH Hunk has disc brakes but they are well equipped to suit the Indian roads. And this is where Pulsar lags behind and Hunk scores better.

As we know that Pulsar is a bit nosier and with age the noise produced by the bike becomes more evident but Hunk seems to be better in this regard. Pulsar gets heated up once the bike touches a speed level of 60 kmph and while riding Hunk you need not worry of the vehicle getting heated, as it will remain cool even at great speed. In terms of comfortable riding, Pulsar does give a comfortable ride but the pillion rider might complain a bit while in Hunk the cushioned seats offer great comfort especially if you plan a long ride.



Hunk scores greater points in terms of fuel efficiency as well. If you are riding in the city you can expect it to give 55-60 kmpl and on highways it could be around 65 kmpl which is very neat. Pulsar gives around 45-50 kmpl on bumper-bumper traffic conditions while on the highways you can squeeze arund 52-55 kmpl, which also depend on the kind of a rider you are; ride smooth and expect better mileage.

Color and Price
The Pulsar 150 cc DTSi comes in colors of plasma blue, cocktail wine red, misty grey silver and midnight black with an on-road price of Rs 68,000.

The Hunk is available in four color choices of black, red, silver and blue with an on-road price tag of Rs 65,000.

Final Word
Hunk gets outscored by Pulsar only in the looks department (you can well ignore looks in my opinion) otherwise it is Hunk that scores better in other aspects such as performance, quality, handling, comfortable on long rides, dependability and hassle free maintenance. And it obviously gave competition a run for money to stay superior in the Indian market, more so in the 150 cc segment. In fact it's the most modern bike by many parameters in the 150cc segment.