A lot of you will surely doubt about it. Here in the Philippines, we have a lot of Quality motorcycles available if you just know where to find them. But one particular bike that is selling like pan cakes due to its price and displacement are the Motorstar Explorer Z200 and Z250. This bike is made in China by Zongshen but assembled locally and we all know that when a particular item is from China most of Pinoys have always negative comments about it. I have seen some questions and uncertainties about that bike and the Z2 owners say that their bike survived the endurance test. Well that’s an achievement and I salute them for that.
Now this year there is a new breed of motorcycle being distributed by Kawasaki in our local market and that’s the Bajaj Rouser 200 which is made in India but also assembled locally. Since both of these bikes fall under the same category, there is a little bit of fire between some of the Z2 owners and the new fans of this new bike. I am not saying that the owners of Rouser have this feeling toward the other group because what I see is that some people who are fanatic of this bike are the only ones making this flame. However I believe that there should be no exchange blows between them. For God’s sake let’s just respect each other, alright?
To answer the question above, just this month Daniel Velandia, a 34 year old biking aficionado from Columbia made it possible. He travelled from South America to South Africa and to India in just 14 months. He took a trip with his Bajaj Pulsar for an amazing 35,000 mile journey.
Article 1: Daniel Velandia - From South America to India on a Pulsar 180!
A personal challenge, a life experience, an adventure, a physical, mental and technical challenge and a dream fulfilled! Daniel Velandia, a biking enthusiast from South America achieved a milestone when he traveled rode his Pulsar 180 across 23 countries covering over 30,000 miles, to visit the birthplace of his Pulsar. The adventure was made possible by the sponsorship of Auteco and Bajaj.
Daniel is 34 years of age and has been riding bikes for the past many years. Daniel did not have a smooth sailing life. This is how he describes his journey, “Go past the first thirty years of my life running around from one place to another, from one job to another, I’ve worked on so many things for so long that I do not remember everything I did, I washed airplanes at a time I was a fireman at a gas station and messenger countless times, I began to study languages at the University of Antioquia, but had to retire due to lack of income and conviction”.
He only knew about motorcycles and was passionate about them. He was a test rider at a local factory in Columbia and then worked as a test rider for the Columbian Magazine La Revista DEMOTOS. During this tenure he got the opportunity to test some of the world class motorcycles.
The ride of a lifetime started from South America, on his Pulsar 180, which he calls Elvira, included the African continent and concluded in Asia. On the way he traveled through countries like Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile in South America.
Colombian biker, Daniel Velandia traveled across three continents astride his Pulsar 180 DTSi UG II, finally ending his epic journey in Pune at the Bajaj plant.Daniel began the ride from Medellin, Colombia and then headed south towards Argentina before flying to South Africa for the second leg of the journey. Daniel and Elvira set out again on the road from Lesotho and from there on they went northwards all the way up to Turkey via several mystifying places like Namibia, Tanzania, Sudan and Egypt. After surviving the torturous cold in Sudan, the Colombian adventure rider started in the direction of India and passed through Iran and Pakistan before entering the Indian sub-continent on 30th April, 2009.
The only hairy experience Daniel had was in Namibia, where he had a nasty crash over loose gravel and ended up pretty messed up. However, his bike took little damage and he was back on the road with minor repair work. The Bajaj Pulsar 180 DTSi held up throughout the journey except for a magneto failure issue in Turkey. Bajaj Auto shipped a replacement for the magneto from Pune to help get Daniel back on the bike. Surprisingly, unlike the common belief in India about the Pulsar build quality and reliability, this is quite a revelation since Velandia did not face any sort of breakdowns or reliability issues with his Pulsar 180. Impressively, Daniel also rode the bike in complete stock form with a stock headlight, stock handlebars and other stock cycle parts. The only bit altered on the Pulsar was a crash guard for the front bikini fairing, a GPS holder and fitments that will hold the two big panniers in place. After crossing continents and rough terrain, by the time Daniel entered India he was running the bike with third pair of tyres.
This is just another addition in the long list of accolades that the Pulsar has gathered over all these years since its debut in 2002. The Bajaj Pulsar also has the honour of being the first and only motorcycle to successfully complete the prestigious Pan Americana Rally, held in Mexico in 2006. Now with the Pulsar Stunt Mania already underway, expect the new breed of Pulsars to get back in action and further strengthen their market position in the premium segment in India.
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Daniel Velandia, a biking enthusiast from Colombia in South America has achieved a milestone, by riding his Bajaj Pulsar 180 from Colombia to India. The bike enthusiast rode his Pulsar across 23 countries covering over 30000 miles, to visit the birthplace of his Pulsar. This was a journey of a lifetime and of self-discovery for Daniel, experiencing the freedom and magic that can only be sensed onboard a motorcycle, to the commands of a Pulsar 180, which Daniel calls Elvira.
“I am delighted on completing this journey on my Pulsar 180. My dream of traveling and riding across the World has become a reality. This has been an unforgettable adventure, filled with unparalleled experiences, surviving difficult times in which both human and machine strength were tested, but from which both came out proud,” said Daniel.
He was struck with the idea of combining his passion for motorcycling and traveling across the globe in the year 2007, giving birth to this adventure. His journey started from South America, through the African continent and concluded in Asia. Along the way he passed countries such as Columbia, Argentina, South Africa, riding country by country towards northern Africa, passing by the Suez Canal to the Middle East, and finally arriving in India. Daniel’s motorcycle was equipped with some trimming protections to save him from any fall and was loaded with two cases for his limited luggage.
Daniel Velandia is 34 years old and has been riding motorcylces for the last 9 years. His first possession was a Plus (Chetak 150) model, year 93 and over the last 5 years, he has dedicated his life to motorcycles. He was a test rider at a local factory in colombia and then a test rider for the colombian magazine La Revista DEMOTOS where he had the opportunity to test some amazing motorcycles. During the course of this trip, he got the opportunity to pursue some riding courses, both off road and race road riding, in South Africa. He hopes in future to get some kind of a PhD for riding.
