First thing that comes to mind is Rx-100 and RE 350

Never found it to be crude, unreliable, leaky and plain OLD???? With the decades old british technology that was not updated till recent times, the RE deserves its place in the museum and not on the roads...

No offense bro...I am not raisin any objections to your opinion..just voicin mine.

And the fact that they are in many museums and numerous numbers on roads... and people still ride pimped up RE's older than 30 years for their regular use... still the first option in India to get respect on & off the road...

isn't that possibly the most deserving legend?

Now the question is, now near does any Bajaj product (except the Chetak) come to the RE?

Pulsars will definitely be considered a legend

Going by the literal dictionary definition of "Legend", a model has to be very popular during in its heydays or at least made a major impact during the time it was in production and "Not in production anymore" (only then it would make it to the "like in the old days" story list).

Eg: Bajaj Chetak (it is a legend ok even if people won't buy it anymore), Yamaha RX100, RD350 and to some extent the Original Hero Honda CBZ (for what it did to motorcyle scene in India)

If the production of Pulsars is stopped, then a few years down the line it willl be Definitely remembered as a legend. People don't realize it now since its available off the self very easily today.


On the other hand, I would consider Royal Enfield Models as "Living Legends".. reason being it has a 100 yr old british legend attached along with it and not everybody can buy into the brand. Unlike the Pulsars and the CBZs not everybody can muster up the courage/mindset/interest to own/ride/maintain a Royal Enfield.

We need not worry about pulsar's stoppage. Looking at the Bajaj's nature and trend, There would be regular 10cc-20cc upgrades in their bike with Pulsar and XCD has base name.

When comes to the marking a bike a legend, They I would say that how close that a bike is close to heart of the masses and they way they changed the biking scenario.

1. CD100
2. Splendour, Killed the scooter segment instantly.
3. Chetak, Though it doesnt even stand a chance when compared with LML NV interms of performace, quality and maintanance.
4. CBZ Classic, It still turns the head and introduced performance biking.
5. Karizma, Needs no explanation.

and future prospects are with R15, Though I would love to see the pulsar too if bajaj changes their core bike platform from pulsar to new bike.

I would like to politely disagree. Firstly, as you said, the sheer number of pulsar sales has been the backbone of Bajaj for many years. Therefore, I think the mass sales show that it is a bike that has been synonymous with youth, biking, performance biking for some time now. And they have changed the biking scenario in these aspects:

* Helped greatly in changing performance oriented biking in India with the launches of pulsar twins in 2002.

* Helped giving bikes a new design with the bikini fairings with pilot lamps and further enhanced design features each year

Love it or hate it, pulsar greatly helped evolutionize the Indian Biking Industry, which it has over the past few years.

I agree with you in the second point. If they change their current flagship series from pulsar to a totally new platform, then pulsar will be in the legendary field, IMHO.

Well my take is a bike has to somehow grab u by the genitals and make u scream for mercy [ a lil bit like a wife] the RD, RX and shogun and AX100 could do that and that is why their owner's love them so dearly , I dnt somehow remember any Bajaj bike capable of that.

So true! and there is nothing "uncommon" for a Bajaj bike. Does not connect with the heart. I have seen most people buying pulsars because their friends have bought it!

As I mentioned in one of my posts earlier, Bajaj lamps, toasters and mixer grinders are legends. But for bike, they have a long way to go.

May be too much of Bajaj bikes have killed that excitement amongst the prospective enthusiasts

this is one of the major reason why i dont prefer bajaj.
they are great bikes i would say bajaj is the one to start off the real biking scene in india. but i would not like to buy a BAJAJ cause every one has a bajaj. and i kinda want to be exclusive. and then it
now you would see why people would keep a BSA 1960 when given a chance to keep a RE BULLET 1960. because you can buy a Bullet even today but a BSA is rare. thats the only reason
now as some one mentioned here if you keep your DISCOVER till the time it is extint like say 2020 or some thing then yes people would love to ride one. cause not many people may be riding it.
for example My RX 100 is not one of the most power full bike on the road. but its peppy enough. i am sure a stock RX 100 can be beaten by any bikes that we have on the Delhi G2G. but what do i have it just cause i have it and not many people have it. i get the looks that one may not get on a brand new Bajaj. keep your discover well maintained not like a typical comuter and take it alond with you for next 20 years i am sure you would get the same feeling to what i get to day when i ride my RX.

and like HYDRO mentioned regarding the shoe brands.

Reboks may not be a lengend as nike cause NIKE does not keep a all year long 40-60% off. so to buy a NIKE you still have to shell may be 4.5 to 10 K so thats why a NIKE is a legend.

see we are talking some real exclusive thingi here and and very subjective choice factor.

Disagree with this point bro!
I am the kind of rider who wants the ride to communicate to me!
The vibes and the niggles add to the fun.
True, Most people buy the bikes coz their friends have them
But the sheer number of sales say that the bikes are good or else why would people buy them?(remember lml graptor 150cc? a good machine but a terrible flop too).Even if people dont like lil ol toaster maker's bikes, the'd still love to take the bajaj 220 for a spin for the sheer power and thrill of it!

No offences to anyone

Bajaj is synonymous with value for money. How do they achieve that?
Maybe by use of medium quality parts. The parts will need replacements sooner than say Honda's parts.

Bajaj put Indian common man on wheels! Much before Splendor did. I remember dad telling me stories about Chetak bookings.How people went crazy over that scooter.

But as far as legend thing goes, i think it has something to do with performance. Bajaj bikes were always about commuting and utility. U didn't care if it went fast around corners or straights.And if everyone out there has the same thing, why will it be a legend?

Lets hope Bajaj will do something about performance in future. Then only will it be called a legend.I dream of a Bajaj bike with no holds barred approach to it. Which has no considerations of high price and has high quality components.

Guess Pulsar also holds a place in ur List, cos it Dethroned the so called Legend CBZ Classic

The Pulsar twins were the sole reasons why the legendary CBZ went out of production. And it is not easy to dethrone a bike like CBZ which set many hearts on fire Bajaj acheived it through the Pulsar brand and it has been eight years now, and not much of a design upgrade. Every third bike u see is a Pulsar. Moreover it is getting a bit outdated in looks, and that is one of the reason thier sales charts are not as before. And through every upgrade of the pulsar, u can feel the differences between each n every upgrade by just riding them.

There are a few issues. Like the dust entering the headlamp,(I have the third headlamp in my bike but still dust enters,Have to blame Rinder for that),The pathetic silencers which rust soon with age. Other than these, i have no issues with it. And i do anything to maintain it as my prized possession with utmost care. It pays me back.

And as with few others, even my first love is a Pulsar, and it would be in my garage until i quit biking.

Legends are not born they are created with passion

Well the fact that why Bajaj bikes are not legend can have many reasons,but what i believe is that legends are created with passion.Why did the Shogun become a legend because of its Rivalry with the RX.that was the time when manufacturers were passionate about bikes that they make..
Its the same thing that made the CBZ & the Fiero a legend.theese bikes were not for the masses.they were just focused bikes excel in a single thing.built with a lot of passion(not HH passion)..
Where as Bajaj bikes no doubt are good but they lost their vision so soon.the original pulsar was tuned down to less aggressive to be soft & they tried to be the "jack of all trades" but they were master of none.

Now it seems that the glory days of motorcycling are coming back slowly but steadly..TVS fighting Yamaha and everyone is upping ther ante with each passing round..this is the breeding ground for 2 new legends to come..I am sure about it & i am vey happy about it..

^ u said it so right man. Any bike created with passion will stand out from the rest. No wonder an RX, RD, shogun stand out so well although there were so many other 2-strokes. The shogun was crafted with race-tech of over 6yrs by TVS. And it shows. The RX is still a killer bike. The most unbeatable 2-stroke in the country.
The Fiero was a legend among the 4-strokes, and the development was for a good 3-4yrs. Ruled the race tracks in road racing, dirt and motocross from 2000 till 2006, untill it was replaced with the apache.

+1.
You hit the nail buddy.

+1 again !..

I am trying to recollect, what makes a bike (or any automobile) a legend.
Yamaha R-15 is a prospective legend (say 20 years from today), but Yamaha FZ-16 is not.

With pulsar, the only good thing about this bike is the story behind its evolution and not the bike itself. Its more of a story about Rajiv Bajaj and his business ideas.

Pulsar does not give such a special feel, which for an e.g., u get while you are on a bull/RX/RD/ZMA ..