I took delivery of my Avy 220 (Blue) on 16th Feb, after a lot of hassle and tussle in clearing my outstation cheque, delay in registration number etc. Let me be straight, I will not write a typical technical review of the bike. It was my dream to have a bike (since the time my first bike got stolen within 3 months of purchase, 9 years back) and now that the dream has come true, let me enjoy it. I’ll not become a professor of Physics and criticise it.
However, I will share with you, few aspects of the bike, which I found good / ’not so good’. To me, this is probably the most comfortable bike, currently available in Indian two wheeler market. Yes, the pillion seat is narrow and probably not so comfortable for a big bum, over a long ride. But for short distance (50-60 kms) I think it should not be a problem. The smoothness of the drive, the top quality suspension will surprise you every now and then. And the drive position…Masha allah !
In traffic, the front disc brakes will do the job with sophistication. The rear drum brakes are less efficient compared to other two wheelers. They are too spongy. Though, if you use both the brakes judiciously, then it’s more than enough for a city ride. I have not gone for a long trip outside of the City so cannot comment on braking performance on highways.
In these two days I had already hit the lower portion of the bike on the speed breaker, for more than 4 times. Seems it pretty low for some of the Indian roads; however the good side is the stability that you get because of its low centre of gravity.
I don’t really drive fast, not that Bangalore traffic allows me to do that. The fastest I drove was my i10 on NH7 at 125 km/hr…honey smooth while I completed Hyd-B’lore 567 kms in 7 hrs. Otherwise I prefer a steady speed of 40-60 km/hr. So for me, performance would mean how well the bike can drag in traffic and how well it can handle sudden change of gear (definitely I will demand more from the bike once I take it for weekend getaways). It’s just above average in the space. Power is something which will impress you. I cannot compare it with the avy 180s and 200s, as I haven’t driven the later. You can really feel the punch, as soon as you increase the throttle….VROOOHHHHMMMM !, however the change of gears is cumbersome. Most of the time you may confuse with Neutral. To note that this was a problem with most of the riders / reviewers on MouthShut_Official, till the time they got acquainted with the machine. I guess the same is applicable to me as well. To me, the vibration was somewhat on the higher side. This also happens when the race is set to high during first two services.
Someone did mention on MouthShut_Official.com about the shinning of the instrument panel on the fuel tank. I felt the same. It distracts at times and is irritating. At the same time it’s sexy to have it there. The odometer is amazingly boring. I wonder how would a rectangular light and rectangular odometer, both of the same size, look on Avy. I might try that as the bike grows old. The neutral & indicator light is also not quite visible in daylight, specially when the sun is bright and right on top of the fuel tank.
The pain is the dealer has set the speed limit in such a way that I cannot drive above 35 km/hr on 3rd gear. Not that I want to squeeze the juice in first 1000 kms itself, but its irritating unable to cross 45 km/hr even on 4th gear. I guess it’s good for the bike that I follow the speed limits till 2000 kms.
All these days (last 2 years) I used to drive i10 to office and I used to happily listen and sing-along through the 15 km drive (oneway). Now I miss the same in exchange of a different kind of fun. I don’t ‘Feel like God’ but I do feel to the song ‘Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya, Har Fikar Ko Dhuen Mein Udata Chala Gaya’ at the back of mind.
I will update the review after every service and whenever I go for a vacation on my Avy.
20th Feb: Nandi hills on Avy: https://mouthshut.com/review/Nandi-Hills-murpuuttln
AFTER 771 KMS; before 1st service -
Overall I’m loving it !
Mileage of 33 kmpl in Bangalore traffic.
There is a minor sound in the rear brake.
Fuel gauge does not show correct reading. Fill gas of Rs 500 (7.68 ltrs) as soon as you reach reserve and the fuel gauge shows, ’FULL TANK’, phew!
You have stopped in a traffic but not on neutral, you will have tough time getting the bike to Neutral. This is a bigger problem if you have stopped on 1st gear.
Handling the long bike through the heavy traffic of Bangalore is no more a pain.
Everyday I’m surprised at the stability of the bike. Amazing stable drive!
Driving at night is not at all a problem...thanks to the very powerful lights, however there is a gap in the coverage (the distance the light covers) from low beam to high beam.
I love to drive at night on a comparatively empty road at a consistent speed of 40-50 kmph.
I’m expecting better performance after the 1st service.
AFTER FIRST SERVICE
Gear shift from 1 to 2 and vice versa has become a pain.
Now the bike is tuned well, hence it runs smoothly (except what is mentioned above)
Living upto its expectation, khivraj motors (kasturba road, bangalore) didn’t do a good job. They did not bother to address the complaint on fuel guage. After delivery when i filled petrol of rs 400 (before this it was way below reserve), the meter shows ’full tank’. To top it, they did not have a fuel guage in stock. I need to run after them once again. No wonder why there are so many bad reviews on baja after sales service. Specially when you have experienced a marvellous service from hyundai (product not comparable though). Btw if you are in bangalore, then you do not have a choice, but to go to khivraj for any bajaj vehicle. They are the only authorised distributors.
Those losers have put some sort of polish, which instead made the color dull and dirty.
Mileage @ 35 km/l.
Leaving aside the bad experience with Khivraj Motor (Kasturba Road, Bangalore), I’m still loving the experience of riding a Bajaj Avenger 220. Just stick your bum on the wide seat and move your wrist for a decent 40 kmph acceleration and then enjoy the fun.
After 1022 kms and first service
Got the fuel gauge changed after three calls to the Khivraj Motors executives.
Complaint them on sound in rear brake. Still not rectified after two complaints. To make them work is equivalent to using a Donkey to shift goods, both don’t work.