Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z: Should You Buy One?

Never before has this much performance been offered for this little money. The Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z is too good to be true—or is it actually too good to be true?

Let me be direct: the NS400Z is a great deal, but it’s not a great motorcycle. And that’s sad, because all the signs say that had Bajaj taken their time, this might actually have been something truly great.

The Timeline Problem

In October 2021, Bajaj celebrated 20 years of Pulsar with the N250, claiming it would be the largest Pulsar ever. Then, just 31 months later, the NS400Z arrived. That’s crazy fast for motorcycle development.

Motorcycles can be fast, but creating solid two-wheeler products cannot be rushed. Anytime someone shortcuts that process—take Ola’s early product quality issues for example—things go sideways.

Performance: The Headline Act

The NS400Z wears a heavily retuned Dominar engine making 40 PS. It’s fast, though in an unexpectedly calm and restrained way.

Two ways to look at it:

For new riders discovering serious performance—calm restraint is very good
For those expecting Pulsar’s performance DNA—the missing aggression might disappoint

Aspect	Details
Power	40 PS (retuned Dominar engine)
Highway range	60-120 km/h comfortable
Fuel economy	21-26 km/l depending on riding style
Vibration	Noticeable at ~5,000 RPM, smooth above 7,000

The Riding Modes Mystery

Four riding modes. Why? The top two modes (Road and Sport) have the same net performance with only minor throttle response differences. Sport mode isn’t even aggressive enough to justify a milder Road mode existing.

Here’s a telling detail of the rushed development: in the mode display, Sport (the top mode) appears in the middle of the list. When you make a list, the top item goes at the top—unless you didn’t have time to think it through.

Fueling Issues

This is unusual for Bajaj, whose fueling is generally slick. The NS400Z surges and stumbles occasionally—more prototype behavior than production-ready fueling.

The Best Part: Comfort

Far and away the best thing about the NS400Z is comfort:

Familiar NS200-style riding position (slightly sporty, unchallenging)
Good seat foam
High handlebar
Feet only slightly tucked
Suspension setup that’s comfortable but sporty

You can ride this motorcycle for long durations without aches and pains.

Where It Falls Apart: Cornering

This is why I can’t recommend the NS400Z.

Initially, it feels great—sharp, confident, grippy tires. Then one day, in a fast corner, you’ll feel like you barely have any control. Here’s what happens:

79 km/h: Great, controlled, good feeling
81 km/h: Excellent
82 km/h: Excellent
83 km/h: Suddenly, without warning, the feeling disappears

The bike becomes vague in how it steers. It’s not going where you want it—it’s roughly going where you want it. Very unsettling, not good for confidence.

Is this why there’s no aggressive riding mode? The chassis needs significant tuning and refinement. If you like cornering, avoid this motorcycle.

Design: A Missed Opportunity

The NS design is now a dozen years old. With the NS400Z, Bajaj had a chance to completely overhaul an iconic lineup. Instead, we get this—barely fresh.

From the bridge truss number plate hanger to the S-shaped DRLs, when an NS400Z or NS200 goes by in traffic, it’s hard to tell which is which. When you upgrade from your current NS200, will this design signal your arrival? Doubtful.

Quality Improvements

Credit where due: Bajaj has picked up slack on quality since the N250. Park an NS400Z next to a new NS200, and you’ll see the difference:

Better quality plastics
Neater panel gaps
Superior build quality
Should age naturally, not accelerated aging like older Bajaj bikes

The Verdict

On Paper	In Reality
40 PS	Reasonably smooth
Traction control	Bargain basement basic
Riding modes	Utterly pointless
LCD screen	Cluttered, more Maruti than Kia

Don’t buy if:

You care about cornering confidence
You expect the electronics to actually help in the real world
You want a design that signals an upgrade from NS200

Consider it if:

Pure value-for-money is your primary concern
You’re mostly commuting and highway cruising
You can live with the cornering limitations
You understand this is a rushed product

The NS400Z is underwhelming. In October 2021, this motorcycle likely wasn’t even in Bajaj’s product plan. Somehow, in less than half the usual development time, production started. Haste has made what it usually does.

But here’s the silver lining: Bajaj has fixed chassis problems before. The 220F had similar issues. Maybe one day we’ll see a properly developed 400F that gets it right. Until then, this isn’t the one.