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The Major Islands

   Republic of the Philippines

Republika ng Pilipinas

National Language
Tagalog, English

Regional Languages
Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Kinaray-a, Maguindanao, Maranao, Pangasinan, Tausug, Visayan, Waray-Waray

Government
Unitary Presidential
Constitutional Republic

Capital - Manila

Largest City
Quezon City

President
Benigno (NoyNoy) Aquino III

Vice President
Jejomar C. Binay

Kawasaki Rouser 200cc

    These are the motorcycles we run on our tours, the Kawasaki Rouser 200cc. This motorcycle is actually manufactured by Bajaj Auto Corp. in India and shipped in a knock-down condition to the Philippines where it is re-assembled at port by Kawasaki of the Philippines. Kawasaki and Bajaj have had a working relationship for over 25 years where Kawasaki provides the technology and engineering and Bajaj does the manufacturing and assembly.

    Bajaj is the most respected motorcycle manufacturer in India and, unlike the various Chinese brands such as MotorStar, Lansin and Skygo that are referred to in the Philippines as disposable motorcycles, Bajaj motorcycles are considered of equal quality with Japanese manufacturers such as Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. It was only in the summer of 2009 that this motorcycle was released for sale in the Philippines under the Kawasaki name and branded the "Rouser". This motorcycle has been sold in India ever since 2003 branded as the "Pulsar" where 180cc and 220cc versions are also available.

    The Rouser features what Bajaj calls DTSi (Digital Twin Spark Ignition). The single cylinder engine has 2 valves. SOHC and 2 spark plugs combined with CDI Digital Processor ignition and one of the largest carburetors ever installed on a single cylinder motorcycle. The result is power and torque that exceeds even 250cc bikes and the fuel economy of a 150cc bike. Coupled with a radiator style engine oil cooler, these motorcycles run hard, strong and long without tiring or overheating, even on the hottest tropical summer days.

    The seating height and handle bar placement of the Rouser make it a very comfortable motorcycle to ride, even on treks of 3 to 4 hours of non-stop riding. The weight of the motorcycle, obviously much less than a large displacement bike, is still sufficient to keep you from being blown around by crosswinds and keeps the motorcycle very nimble. This becomes very beneficial when trying to dodge the ever present dogs and chickens crossing the road and the occasional coconut in the road. An improvement to the Kawasaki Rouser 200 over the Bajaj Pulsar 200 equivalent was the introduction of gas charged rear shocks and oversized front forks/shocks, resulting in a very well handling bike in almost any road condition you will encounter.

    About the only mod we have made to these motorcycles is the installation of a padded back rest for the rear seat passenger that also includes a small luggage rack. Most people decide to slip away now and then and do a little shopping at the public markets and malls so we had the luggage racks installed to help you get your souvenirs back to the resort.

   The patented technologies incorporated on the Rouser 200 include:

DTSi (Digital Twin Spark Ignition) a Bajaj Auto trademark. The DTSi involves the usage of two spark plugs per engine cylinder coupled with a CDI Microprocessor ignition. Bajaj Auto holds an Indian patent for the DTSi technology. The Alfa Romeo Twin-Spark engines, the BMW F650 Funduro which was sold in India from 1995 to 1997 also had twin-spark plug technology, and the Rotax motorcycle engines, even more recently Honda's iDSI Vehicle engines use a similar arrangement of two spark plugs.

ExhausTEC (Exhaust Torque Expansion Chamber), a Bajaj Auto trademark. This technology involves the use of a small chamber connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine to modify the back-pressure and the swirl characteristics, with an aim to improve the low-end performance of the bikes. This was attempted in response to the issue of a reported lack of low-end response in Bajaj's single-cylinder four-stroke engines. The ExhausTEC technology is claimed to be highly effective in improving the overall engine response, especially the low-end torque characteristics. This enhanced performance is claimed to come at no loss of top-end performance or engine smoothness.

    For those of you interested in the specs on these motorcycles, I have included the Rouser 200 / MotorStar 250 comparison chart below.
 

Kawasaki Rouser 200	MotorStar Z250 Explorer
Manufacturer
Bajaj Auto Corp (India)	Zongshen Chongqing Group (China)
Engine Type
4-Stroke, Air cooled, Oil Cooled, Single Cylinder, DTS-i 2 valve SOHC	4-Stroke, Air Cooled, Single Cylinder 2 valve SOHC
Carburetion
single carburetor	single carburetor
Displacement
198.8 cc	230 cc
Compression Ratio
9.5:1	10.9:1
Bore and Stroke
67mm x 56.40 mm	72.5mm x 55.7 mm
Max Power
17.76 hp  / 13.35 kW @ 8000 rpm	17.42 hp  / 13.0 kW @ 8000 rpm
Max Torque
12.66 ft.lb.  / 17.17 Nm @ 6500 rpm	9.59 ft.lb. / 13 Nm @ 6500 rpm
Acceleration (150 lb / 68 kg rider)
(0-100kph / 0-62.5mph) 7.57 sec	(0-100kph / 0-62.5mph) 10 sec
Rated Top Speed
130kph / 81.25 mph	120kph / 75 mph
Front Suspension
Telescopic forks 135 mm stroke	Inverted telescopic
Rear Suspension
Coaxial, trailing arm, triple rate spring, 5 way adjustable, gas charged Nitrox shock absorbers	Mono-shock, 2 way adjustable, Swing arm
Front Brakes
Single disc, Single caliper	Dual disk, Double caliper
Rear Brakes
Drum type	Single disk, Single caliper, ABS
Front Tires / Wheels
90/90R17 Tubeless / Aluminum Alloy	110/70R17 Tubeless / Aluminum Alloy
Rear Tires / Wheels
120/80R17 Tubeless  / Aluminum Alloy	140/70R17 Tubeless  / Aluminum Alloy
Fuel Tank Capacity (Full)
15 liters (3.75 gal.) / 2 liters (0.5gal.) reserve	20 liters (5.0 gal.) / 2 liters (0.5 gal) reserve
Transmission
5 speed, constant mesh, 1 down - 4 up	5 speed, constant mesh, 1 down - 4 up
Instrumentation
Analog Tachometer Digital Speedometer, Instrument cluster & Fuel Gauge	Analog Tachometer Analog Speedometer, Fuel Gauge
Turn Signals
Auto cancelling	Push to cancel
Actual Cash Price - PHP /
96,300 (Emcor - Butuan)	81,300 (MSS Cycle Trading - Butuan)

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