I had written a review on Avenger in August 2011, titled " My respect for this bike has reached a new high".
First of all, I would like to thank all those who have read and appreciated my review, which has encouraged me to pen this review.
I hope this review would be useful to few confused minds and hearts, and guide them to decide upon their love.
Attention: This is a long review!
Brought home on: 3rd June 2011
Purpose: Daily commuting and long cruises
So far: completed 10, 400 K Ms in 9 and a 1/2 months
Price: I must say that this bike is a real-value-for-money. Rs.87 K for a cruiser is a superb deal. Not many bikes offer you this kind of package for under-Rs.90 K. In my opinion( I know no one cares for my opinion, but still.), other bikes launched recently, are over priced regardless of what they have to offer, be it looks, performance, features like ABS or brand.
Looks: I have not come across a single negative word about bike's looks till date. My cruiser got a great deal of attention when it did not have the windshield. No feature looks out of place. Everything looks proportionate.Initially I felt windshield would not look good. However, in December, I added windshield and I must say that windshield actually completed the looks. Now, I cannot imagine the bike without windshield. I must say that after adding windshield, it has grabbed more eye balls than before. And you cannot stop feeling great when people turn back and look at you riding this machine, be it on highways, country-roads or traffic signals.
Comfort: I must say that the bike is quite comfortable. It does not take more than a day to get used to riding and seating style. I am glad that this does not have butterfly handle bar like Enticer. In the beginning experienced back ache, probably due to changed riding style. But, not anymore. Rider seat is very broad and comfortable with a simple straight handle bar. even for so called short people( I am 5'7'), this bike is very comfortable. I can not say the same for people who are more than 5'10". Pillion seat is narrow, and I have got mixed opinions by pillions. One who rode with me to office said he gets lot of pain at the wrong place. Another one who was pillion for 780 K ms in a recent trip said he felt very comfortable compared to other bikes. So, it's a mixed opinion. Suspension needs improvement as rider is thrown off the seat while overcoming humps and potholes. But, you get used to tackle this as you ride on.
Fuel efficiency: ==After 10, 000 K Ms, These are the figures
Daily office commuting and riding in the city: 37/l or 38/l(top speed up to 60 Km/hr)
Highway: 47 / l(Speed ranging between 60 Km/hr and 90 Km/hr)
Highway: 42 / l(Speed ranging between 90 Km/hr and 115 Km/hr)
Highway, country-roads, ghats and spoiled-roads: 39 / l(Speed ranging between 40 Km/hr and 100 Km/hr)
According to me these are superb figures. When I bought this bike I thought figures could be better. but after witnessing figures of other bikes of 150/ 180/ 200/ 220/ 250 CC, I had to change my opinion.
Handling and control: Very easy to handle. It would take some time for you to tackle U-turns because of long wheel base resulting in longer turning radius. However, I have to say biggest drawback of this bike is its control. According to me control is equivalent to braking and Tyre grip. Braking and Tyre grip are poor. You must be very careful with braking especially when you are new to this bike. Bike skids a lot. Bike does not have any grip while riding on gravel, sand and wet surfaces, more than any other bike. Poor braking resulted in an accident and couple of skids due to Tyre-grip, which could have been detrimental, if it was not for low height due to which I could put my feet down and control. Braking and Tyre-grip do not inspire confidence to ride this bike at top speed of 120 Km/hr. I must say that poor brakes and Tyre grip did make me think, especially after accident, about getting another bike, especially Honda CBR250R with C-ABS. To me safety comes first. Gradually, I have learned to tackle braking and Tyre-grip. Apply rear brake first and then front brakes, and no front brakes whatsoever on wet and loose surfaces, and speed not more than 20 to 30 Km/hr during rainy season, unless you are ready to pay a visit to hospital. I would also like to say, probably my panic-braking technique could be not up to the mark as well, resulting in skids and accidents.
Reliability: I do not have any practical knowledge about bike-mechanism and technology. I do not even know how to adjust idling and cleaning spark plug. Forget changing throttle and clutch cables, and using puncture kit. I just trusted my cruiser and went for really long rides. Not a single issue which obstructed my trips. To me that is reliability. A brief about my trips:
B'lore-Mysore-B'lore:310 K Ms
B'lore-Chitradurga-B'lore: 410 K Ms
B'lore-Mysore-Madikeri-Mangalore-Suratkal-M'lore-Hassan-B'lore: 748 K Ms in 21 hrs during heavy rainy season. That was crazy on my part.
B'lore-Chitradurga-B'lore: 410 K Ms( Non-stop for 200 K Ms)
B'lore-Hassan-Kudremukh-Kalasa-Horanadu-Hassan-B'lore: 780 K ms in two days. That was a great trip.
To me this bike is absolutely reliable on any trip on any route. Be it National Highway, state highway, country-roads, completely destroyed stretch( Western ghats during monsoon), off-road, Ghats and even B'lore potholes.
In order to enjoy and experience true and safe cruising, I would suggest to maintain a speed not more than 80 Km/hr. You can ride at higher speeds, but I am sure you definitely cannot enjoy the breeze in your face and beauty of the nature around.
Improvements I would like to see:== I would not mind paying Bajaj extra Rs. 30, 000 if they could give me a quality ABS, Tyres with better grip and slightly bigger mill of 250 CC.
All said and done, it is very important to respect a bike's strengths and weaknesses, gradually understand them and then ride within it's limits. I am sure a perfect bike has not yet been made which would fulfil all the desires of a biker. Please ride responsibly and do not race in city limits. Ride to enjoy, not to impress. Moreover, Avenger is not a racer, but a cruiser.
No offence to anyone who wants to race. But I am sure a true racer understands that racing is done on tracks and with full safety measures.
Finally, thanks for patiently going through this lengthy review. Sorry, if it bored you. Hopefully, I have managed to give you a better insight about this bike.
Ride hard, ride safe.
Happy riding:)
