The Urban Cruiser! . Review on Bajaj Avenger

The Urban Cruiser!

Most of us are bikers by compulsion (most often financial, and sometimes due to the traffic conditions) not by choice, but sure it is a welcome if I get an opportunity to mix pleasure with my daily dose of thrill. When it was time to say goodbye to my seven year old mate from school days (a Hero Honda CD100 SS), I was on a lookout for the perfect replacement. With my love for chrome and struggle to get away from sporty looks, I was left with a limited choice between the various RE models. I had almost bought a Machismo, until I heard that Eliminator was back re-christened as Avenger. Contacted the dealer and surprisingly found that they did have a couple of vehicles for test ride, I immediately booked one moved by the price, styling and DTSi, and came to be the first proud owner of Avenger in Mysore.

Here are a few points (I could gather in about 20 days), hope are helpful –

Although driver’s seat is more than comfortable, my girlfriend keeps complaining about the odd pillion position.

Seating posture is like when driving a car seems awkward at first but one gets used to it fast enough.

Head lights are two thumbs up! So powerful that I get signaled to use the dipper even by oncoming large vehicles.

Suspension is awesome, longest in the front I have seen and even rear is five step adjustable.

Riding is absolute pleasure in organized traffic. Come uneven, jam packed roads, it becomes difficult to handle. At low and uneven speeds, it gets difficult to figure out the proper gear and on slopes it takes a lot of effort to steer. Also can’t negotiate tight corners very well.

Bizarrely enough there’s a button to start the engine (self start) but no button to kill the engine. Even more painful is the fact handle bar lock is on the opposite side of ignition! But hey, it is a cruiser!

Mileage 45 kmpL. (Before first service)

Since the bike is heavy and low, it seemingly gathers a hell of inertia, good breaking is a virtue the bike needs and has.

Pickup and power are too good for a cruiser. Although it is not justified to compare the performance with sporty bikes, still way better than likes of Yamahas.

The bike holds a careless demeanor but the engine is quick to respond, what it might mean is that the bike is cruiser offering enough control in regular city driving. I prefer to look at it as an ‘Urban Cruiser’, responsive enough to take you through the mad city traffic and relaxed enough to make a long distance ride tireless.

In all what I felt with the bike was that it is indeed a technology showcase of Indian two-wheelers, every bit value for money, it demands and deserves a patient driver, and it needs its own space to maneuver. Another amusing experience is that the bike is so comfortable that I have to make a conscious effort to stay alert on the road. Avenger is sheer indulgence and to quite some extent fulfills the ‘Feel like God’ promise; but I would recommend it to mature riders only.