Prologue:
I always thought of writing about my darling! (No girl can be happy here), but never really found an appropriate canvas to paint my thoughts.
I was basically a layman in terms of technicalities of bikes, though I was a proud owner of a Splendor during 2nd yr of Engineering. I never really bothered about the popular jargons like torque, capacity and power. Only thing I knew was to roll my fingers on the throttle and zip through the city and highway traffic to reach college and come back (80 kms up and down the Nagpur plateau). I used to look at the cruisers in and around Nagpur City, mainly Enticers and Eliminators, occasionally a Harley (Nagpur had a Harley group, don’t know if they were real or modified but one of them looked like a FatBob) and dreamt of owning one someday!
It took me a year after I started earning to eventually touch and feel my dream. It was December of 2008, and the chill that went through my spine, at the first look of my machine, was surely not because of the weather around. Exquisitely polished in Teflon with a silvery shine on the wheels, it stood out from the rest of the lot! Royal Black, she was standing tall like a majestic queen.
Dealer Experience:
After I was ready with the cash, I gave a call to the Bajaj Dealer at Bhubaneswar- ‘Navdurga Bajaj’ . To my surprise they told me they don’t sell Avengers, here in Bhubaneswar. He didn’t even give me a pointer as to where I can get it in Orissa. After discussion with one of my friends who owned a P200, I got the contact number of ‘Utkal Bajaj’, the sole Bajaj Probiking showroom in Orissa. It was in Cuttack, around 25 kms from Bhubaneswar. I gave a call to Mr. Devang who was the Sales Manager there. The sentence that he uttered after the brief dialogue can be nominated for a customer service award “Sir, you come in an hour, your bike will be ready and you can take it home today itself”. It was already 6 in the evening and I never thought I would touch my dream that day itself. I was extremely satisfied by the service Bajaj provided to me. No wonder they are growing on sales every year!
Tech Specifications related experience:
ENGINE
Type : 4 stroke, Air and Oil cooled, SOHC, Single cylinder
Displacement: 198.8 cc – The engine is just another P200 engine, and pulls comfortably at any gear
Maximum Power: 17.5 bhp (12.88 KW) @ 8000 rpm – Good one for city and highway cruising
Maximum Torque: 16.78 Nm (1.71 Kg-m) @ 6000 rpm – Looks okay in comparison to other city bikes, but once you go to the mountains, you tend to feel you own a good looking muscular physique, sans the strength.
Starting: Electric Start only – can be a issue if battery goes insane, but never experienced a cold start in 1 year. Starts at the first shot
Ignition: Digital C.D.I with Load Sensing & non-contact TPS – The ignition position can be pain point since you need to fish down the tank to put the keys in, but I don’t see any problem now, out of sheer habit.
Fuel tank capacity: 14 litres – good enough
Reserve: 3.4 litres - is a bliss for long tours. You can cruise at least 100 kms before you spot a filling station
Useable reserve: 2.8 litres
SUSPENSION
Front: Telescopic Forks 140 mm Stroke – very ordinary considering the low height.
Rear: 5-way adjustable, Hydraulic Shock Absorbers, Wheel travel 90 mm -
BRAKES
Front: 260 mm Hydraulic Disc – this has to be used with precision; since the rear of the machine is heavy sudden front breaking in inclined position can guarantee you kiss the ground. I fell once during the 2nd week.
Rear: 130 mm Drum – not satisfactory
WHEELS AND TYRES
Tyre size (Rear): 130/90 X 15” – Big One indeed, provides excellent grip
ELECTRICALS
Head lamp: AC, 60/55 W – This is an asset of the Avenger, you sometimes feel like driving a car in the night
Tail lamp: 5 W
Stop lamp: 21 W – An added feature which helps in illumination on dark highways without the ignition on
Speedometer: Mechanical type – This is traditional and no RPM’s for you..Mine got busted in 11 months, both the ODO and Speedo
Fuel Gauge: Tank mounted, Mechanical type – Don’t trust this freaky meter, go by your calculations if you are a gas saver
Turn signal lamp: 21 W X 4 – useless positioning, I tend to miss turning this off at times, since it’s just not in the frame of your eyes when you drive!
TYRE PRESSURE
Front (solo/pillion): 1.5 kgf/cm2
Rear (solo/pillion): 1.75 kgf/cm2 – Pretty comfortable
DIMENSIONS
Length: 2195 mm – This is one of India’s longest bike
Ground clearance: 169 mm – Pretty low bike, very easy to balance
Minimum turning radius: 2540 mm – This can be pain sometimes, if taking sharp curves
WEIGHTS
Kerb weight: 154 kg – This is heavy for any city bike, but considering the cruiser body, 154 aren’t too much. I never faced a problem while riding because of the weight.It’s too well balanced to be influenced by the weight
Riding Experiences:
RIDING COMFORT
I have been riding my dream since 1 year and took it to almost all terrains. This literally goes by the tagline “Feel like God” if you are on a smooth highway. On gravel roads or bizarre terrain, the low suspension can pain your butt and spinal cord.
One drawback is the pillion seat, it’s too narrow even for averagely built people. Pretty uncomfortable in long rides
RIDING POSTURE
The riding posture is extremely comfortable, though can seem awkward initially. The foot rest is perfectly positioned for a cruiser and you can forget about sore knee joints after long rides.
BRAKING
The brakes are pretty impressive if used judiciously. I was driving across the narrow mountain hugging roads in Bhutan, with a blind curve after every 10 secs and the brakes performed really well.
FUEL EFFICIENCY
I generally get an average of 40 kmpl in the city. Even in the mountains I got a steady 32-35!
All said and done, every bike has its share of drawbacks and plus points, but what makes Avenger special is that it is the only 1 of its kind in India and the only way to fulfill a middle class Indian’s dream of owning a cruiser!
Cheers and Happy Avengering!
