Before I begin with the review, I want to thank all those ppl who have put up a review on this bike which has helped me immensely to go ahead with this one.
Well, I order my Black Bajaj Avenger way back in the month of April. After multiple delays and nasty escalation to Bajaj Customer Care, I was able to get one in the last week of June.
Well, since I rode pulsar and karizma before, handling this baby was a little bit difficult initially. But I got hang of it pretty soon. For the first one month, I couldn’t ride much. But after the first servicing, I have been using it regularly and covered a good 900kms at the time of posting review.
I have split up this review into different sections. Hope it helps.
Engine: It is no different from the one that you see in Pulsar, the sound is smooth and silky. Only thing you need to ensure that before you use it for the first time int he day, turn it on for a minute nd then ride it. The oil needs to be worked upon it.
Gears: It is a problem with Bajaj. After the first servicing, finding the neutral was not easy, however when the engine stops, I am able to get the neutral perfectly. At low speed(I believe < 10kmph) I have faced False Neutral problem. But I can live with it. Be gentle with it and use it at different speeds as mentioned in the manual.
Looks: The BLACK color does add to the beauty of this bike. It looks sexy when it is polished, definitely a Head Turner. The RED and BLUE looks kool too. The chrome on the fuel tank and the head light add to the beauty of the bike. One thing you need to make sure. take good care of this babe. Clean it regularly and if you are using it in the monsoon, apply a transparent anti rust, else parts will start rusting soon. Mine did and the Pro Biking guys cleaned up the rust and applied Anti-rust on it.
Brake: I have read in many places that it is prone to skidding. Here’s wot I got to say on this, my bike skid once. It was because I used the front disc brake first. Luckily no one was badly hurt but I learnt that if you use the rear brake and then use the front brake, the bike hardly skids. It stops gracefully. Never shake when you apply the brakes. The brakes are solid and never ditch you. There is a nut near the rear tyre which will help loose or tighten the rear brake. Ask the pro-biking guys, they will help you on this.
Handling: It is easy to handle in high speed. The max speed that I have gone in this bike is 60kmph, but it was not at all difficult to handle this bike. I would love to try out higher speeds but I cannot till the bike touches 2000 mark. The stability on this bike is commendable. The twisties are easy to ride on. It is easy to maneuver in the traffic, but the U-turns are not easy. I guess, I dont take frequent U-turns. so I can live with that too.
Comfort: Riding this one is a comfortable experience. The pillion riders are the only ones who are not happy with this bike. The rear seat is narrow and will give the pillion riders a pain in their rear. A Frequent’rear’ break is very important.
Head Light: It is strong. definitely strong. Well my sister-in-law identifies my bike thru the light on the road even before I take a turn to ma in-laws place.
Horns: The horns are powerful and enjoy it when some rickshawwala blocks traffic. Sometime it get really irritating for people around. But I guess, I am happy till it serves the purpose of clearing some easy traffic.
Mileage: Before the first servicing, it gave me a mileage of close to 25kmpl. BUt now it is giving me close to 35-40kmpl. Most of my ride was on the highways though. The fuel that I use is Extra-Mile. After using ExtraMile, the firing is much smoother and refined.
Till it gets past 2000kms, I have chosen not to make rough use of this bike. So the mximum speed that I have hit is 60kmph. It was smooth and easy ride. The only problem happens when there are 2 heavyweight sitting on the bike. I have to give hard axxi to increase the speed.
I really hope you found this review useful. Do feel free to comment on it.
Happy and Safe riding.