Less than a week after launching the updated Pulsar NS400Z with a revised 349cc engine, Bajaj Auto has reduced its price to Rs 1.80 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. The original price when the 349cc version launched on April 20 was Rs 1.93,900 ex-showroom, unchanged from the outgoing 373cc variant. The price cut of roughly Rs 13,000 to Rs 14,000 brings the motorcycle to a more competitive position in the 300 to 400cc segment.
The engine change is central to understanding why the price cut happened and why it took a few days to arrive. Bajaj downsized the NS400Z’s engine from 373.27cc to 349.13cc by shortening the stroke from 60mm to 56.1mm while keeping the bore size the same at 89mm.
The new unit produces 40.6 PS at 8,500 rpm and 33.2 Nm, compared to 43 PS and 35 Nm on the outgoing motor. Power drops by about 2.4 PS and torque by 1.8 Nm.
The reason for the downsizing is straightforward: tax. Motorcycles with engines below 350cc attract a lower GST rate of 18 percent, while those with engines at or above 350cc attract 28 percent plus a compensation cess.
The 373cc engine in the previous NS400Z pushed the motorcycle into the higher slab. By moving to a 349cc unit, Bajaj can access the lower tax bracket, which allows it to reduce the price without cutting margins proportionately.
Bajaj used the same logic with the Dominar 400 recently. The Dominar was updated with a sub-350cc engine and received a price reduction of around Rs 37,000. The NS400Z’s price cut is smaller in absolute terms, partly because the starting price was already lower than the Dominar and the room for reduction was different.
The NS400Z’s chassis, equipment and features are unchanged. The motorcycle continues with a liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine, a perimeter frame, USD forks at the front, a monoshock at the rear, disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS, and 17-inch wheels.
The feature set includes Bluetooth connectivity for call and SMS alerts, turn-by-turn navigation, four riding modes, a quickshifter and traction control. These are the features that made the NS400Z a strong value proposition at Rs 1.93 lakh, and they carry over intact to the Rs 1.80 lakh version.
At Rs 1.80 lakh ex-showroom, the Pulsar NS400Z is one of the most feature-rich motorcycles available under Rs 2 lakh. Its closest direct rivals include the KTM Duke 250 and 390, the Yamaha MT-03 and the Honda CB300R. The Duke 390 has more power and a stronger performance pedigree, but it is priced higher. The NS400Z’s combination of a quickshifter, traction control, ride modes and navigation at this price point makes it difficult to match feature-for-feature in the same budget.
The power reduction from the engine downsizing is real but modest. In everyday riding, the difference between 43 PS and 40.6 PS is unlikely to be perceptible to most riders. The torque drop from 35 Nm to 33.2 Nm is similarly small in practical terms.
What the buyer loses is a small margin of outright performance that only matters at the upper edge of the rev range. What they gain is a lower on-road price and the same complete hardware package as the outgoing motorcycle.
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