Bajaj Auto recently marked 25 years of its Pulsar motorcycle brand by refreshing two of its iconic bikes, the Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 125. Launched in 2001, the brand has often been credited with creating India’s performance biking culture, transforming the category from everyday commute to flamboyance, style and technology. While its newly launched models continue to embody the original Pulsar brand DNA of performance and attitude, they also offer a new engine, gearbox, LED lighting and Google Maps navigation.
In 2025, Bajaj Auto hit the 20 million Pulsar sales milestone across 50 countries. However, as per Bajaj Auto’s annual report, its motorcycle-only share fell to 15.6% in FY26 from 18.2% two fiscals ago. Experts ascribe this to heavy competitive pressures and lack of timely updates to some legacy models. Pulsar today faces stiff competition from the likes of TVS Motor’s Raider 125 and Hero MotoCorp’s Xtreme 125R, which flaunt sporty styling and digital features.
From legacy to Gen Z
Pulsar, which once defined youth and style, now has to prove it belongs to today’s youth and to Gen Z in particular. Shekhar Suman, co-founder of Brandshark, believes the answer lies in moving from communicating to young riders to creating with them. It can do that through communities based on customisation, riding experiences, gaming and more. Suman believes the brand’s #MyPulsarStory is a step in that direction, allowing Pulsar owners to become storytellers.
Sumeet Narang, president, marketing at Bajaj Auto, says the brand is iconic. “The Pulsar paved the way for performance bikes in India to be exported across the world and meet global standards.” What has worked well for it is the consistency in design and performance, representing the thrill and adrenaline rush that come with performance biking, he adds.
Experts agree the brand has built a strong following across its models from consumers aged between 18 and 45 years.
But competing brands like TVS are now changing the category’s language in the way that Pulsar did 25 years ago, with a greater focus on technology and biking culture.
According to Naresh Gupta, co-founder and CSO, Bang In The Middle, “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. Today, there is a great opportunity in the form of consumers seeking weekend biking adventures or engagement with fellow biking enthusiasts. This is an area Pulsar can tap.”
A lot of Pulsar’s core consumer base, who were in their 20s at the time of the brand’s launch, are now in their 40s with evolving aspirations, says Ajimon Francis, MD India, Brand Finance. “These consumers are seeking bikes that offer more than just power and styling. They are looking for bikes that support leisurely rides or family requirements, and Pulsar has not innovated on its models enough to meet these needs,” he says. Moreover, brands like Royal Enfield, Yamaha and Harley Davidson have offered these consumers a range of higher end biking models.
Widening the net
Despite its falling market share, Pulsar continues to be a major growth driver for Bajaj Auto. It generated over Rs 11,000 crore in domestic revenue in FY26, nearly 19% of Bajaj Auto’s `58,732-crore standalone revenue. In its advertising too, Pulsar has tweaked its messaging and tagline. In 2024, Pulsar’s tagline of “definitely male” evolved into a more inclusive “definitely daring” tagline. “As a leadership brand, we need to be aware of changing times and sensibilities,” Narang points out.
The brand’s marketing mix has also broadened to include influencer marketing and creator partnerships. “It is getting increasingly difficult to reach consumers at a time when they are receptive to brand messaging, and therefore, our media mix includes not just conventional advertising but also social media and influencer collaborations, where we are actively strengthening our engagement with biking communities,” he says.
“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,” sums up Suman.