Bajaj Pulsar is a motorcycle brand owned by Bajaj Auto in India. The two wheeler was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with motorcycle designer Glynn Kerr Tokyo R&D. Currently there are four variants available -with engine capacities of 135 cc, 150 cc, 180 cc and 220 cc. Previously it was also offered with a 200cc DTS-i oil cooled engine, which now has been discontinued. More than a million units of Pulsar were sold by November 2005. With monthly sales of more than 48,000 units in June 2009, Pulsar is the leader in the 150 cc segment in India with a market share of 43%
History
Before the introduction of the Pulsar, the Indian motorcycle market trend was towards fuel efficient, small capacity motorcycles (that formed the 80-125 cc class). Bigger motorcycles with higher capacity virtually did not exist (except for Enfield Bullet). The launch and success of Hero Honda CBZ in 1999 showed that there was demand for performance bikes. Bajaj took the cue from there on and launched the Pulsar twins in India on November 24, 2001.ince the introduction and success of Bajaj Pulsar, Indian youth began expecting high power and other features from affordable motorcycles.
The project was faced with internal resistance, reservations by Mckinsey and doubts on its effects on Bajaj's relation with Kawasaki. The project required approximately 36 months for completion and cost Bajaj Rs 1 billion.
Technology
DTSi
DTSi stands for Digital Twin Spark Ignition, a Bajaj Auto trademark. Bajaj Auto holds an Indian patent for the DTSi technology.[citation needed] The Alfa Romeo Twin-Spark engines, the BMW F650 Funduro which was sold in India from 1995 to 1997 also had a twin-spark plug technology, and the Rotax motorcycle engines,more recently Honda's iDSI Vehicle engines use a similar arrangement of two spark-plugs. However very few small capacity engines did eventually implement such a scheme in their production prototypes.
Patent infringement allegations
In September 2007, Bajaj Auto filed a claim accusing that the development of TVS Flame was in violation of their patent for DTS-I. TVS Motors countered by threatening to sue Bajaj Auto for libel. On February 2008, the Madras High Court in Chennai restrained TVS from launching it with the twin spark plug technology. TVS appealed against this decision, claiming that crucial evidence was not taken into account and in March 2008, launched the Flame with a modified engine containing one spark plug. The DTSi idea is a simple one to understand - it involved usage of two spark plugs (instead of one) per engine cylinder. On September 16, 2009 the Supreme Court of India permitted TVS motors to manufacture and sell the 125cc TVS Flame with Twin Spark Technology.
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