1 week ago
Bajaj Pulsar Refreshes Legacy Brand for Its Next Growth Phase
Pulsar is a motorcycle brand made by Bajaj Auto.
It recently celebrated its 25th birthday by updating two popular bikes.
The new bikes have a new engine, gearbox, LED lights and Google Maps navigation.
Pulsar has sold 20 million motorcycles in 50 countries.
However, its share of the motorcycle market in India has gone down.
Other companies now sell sporty bikes with modern digital features.
Experts say Pulsar needs to understand younger riders and offer more technology and riding experiences.
Bajaj is trying to do this through social media, creators and biking communities.
The company has also changed its slogan from “definitely male” to “definitely daring.”
Bajaj Auto refreshed the Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 125 as the brand marked 25 years.
The updated motorcycles feature a new engine, gearbox, LED lighting and Google Maps navigation.
Pulsar reached 20 million sales across 50 countries in 2025, but its motorcycle-only share fell to 15.6% in FY26.
TVS Motor’s Raider 125 and Hero MotoCorp’s Xtreme 125R are adding competitive pressure with sporty designs and digital features.
Bajaj is broadening Pulsar’s marketing through influencer partnerships, creator collaborations and biking communities.
- Who
- Bajaj Auto and its Pulsar motorcycle brand, alongside competitors including TVS Motor and Hero MotoCorp.
- What
- Pulsar refreshed the Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 125 while planning its next phase of growth.
- Where
- Pulsar motorcycles are sold across 50 countries, with India as a key market.
- When
- The brand marked its 25th anniversary in 2025; its motorcycle-only market share figures refer to FY26.
- Why
- Bajaj is responding to changing consumer expectations and stronger competition in sporty motorcycles.
Bajaj Auto’s Confidence
Experts’ Concerns
Brand strength
Bajaj Auto’s Confidence
Bajaj Auto says Pulsar remains an iconic leadership brand whose consistent design and performance have built a strong following.
Experts’ Concerns
Experts say its macho imagery still works but needs reinvention to remain relevant to younger riders, especially Gen Z.
Product direction
Bajaj Auto’s Confidence
Bajaj is refreshing legacy models with updated engines, gearboxes, LED lighting and navigation features.
Experts’ Concerns
Experts argue Pulsar has not updated its models enough and should offer more technology, leisure-riding support and family-oriented utility.
Future growth
Bajaj Auto’s Confidence
Bajaj is expanding influencer marketing, creator partnerships and engagement with biking communities.
Experts’ Concerns
Experts say the brand must create with young riders through customisation, riding experiences, gaming, communities and eventually electric performance.
Key facts
- Brand anniversary
- Pulsar marked 25 years since its launch in 2001.
- Updated models
- The Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 125 were refreshed.
- New features
- The refreshed motorcycles include a new engine, gearbox, LED lighting and Google Maps navigation.
- Global sales
- Pulsar reached 20 million sales across 50 countries in 2025.
- Motorcycle-only share
- Bajaj Auto’s motorcycle-only share fell to 15.6% in FY26 from 18.2% two fiscal years earlier.
- FY26 revenue
- Pulsar generated more than Rs 11,000 crore in domestic revenue, nearly 19% of Bajaj Auto’s Rs 58,732-crore standalone revenue.
- Tagline change
- Pulsar changed its tagline from “definitely male” in 2024 to “definitely daring.”
Quotes
Sumeet Narang
President of marketing at Bajaj Auto
“Pulsar’s most powerful legacy is not that it has survived 25 years, but that it repeatedly gave young Indians a motorcycle their parents’ generation did not have. If it can do that again, through new technology, new communities and eventually electric performance, its past will become a platform for reinvention rather than nostalgia.”
financialexpress.com
“Pulsar’s macho imagery and messaging still sell, but they need some reinvention with a greater focus on technology, borrowing from the success of EV two-wheeler brands in the market.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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