Hi
Bought my blue Avenger 180 about a year back, and after 8000+ Kms thought I should share my experience.
My previous bike was TVS Victor(110cc), rode for around 80, 000Kms and when it was time for a change I thought of going for a big bike. I was actually keen on buying a bullet, however its reliability related issues put me off and instead went for Avenger.
My experience so far has been kind of mixed feelings for this bike. There are more cons than pros in my view and following are the reasons for feeling so.
The bike has one of the worst set of suspensions, this is strictly a single seater, pillion riders will have a horrible time. With a pillion the bike bottoms out without any effort. Though the seating position is good, but the suspensions will hurt your back and will have a hard time on less than perfeact roads.
The bike has good straight line stability, but loses its composure if any sudden change in direction is required, can be quite dangerous.
The tyres are the broadest on any indian bike, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it provides the best grip. It performs very badly on slipperly surfaces, I feel because of the heavy back(the tyre being the major contributor to the weight) it is very diffcult to get the bike to straighten once the bike skids and also long telescopic front adds to the problem.
The bike is good for maintaing speeds between 70-80 beyond that the engine vibrations start and becomes unbearable at around 100Kmph, that is sad considering that it is supposed to be a cruiser.
This is definitely not a bike for city traffic, and nor is it such a good performer on the highways because of the speeds that can be maintained, makes me wonder where can this bike be slotted.
The bike has some good points though, straight line braking is one of the best, the lights are very powerful and provide good illumination. The bike has good pickup and builds up speed quite fast(or atleast gives you a feeling that you are going faster than you actually are because of the low seating). The best part of the bike is its looks, definitely stands out. I get a consistent mileage of around 37Kmpl.
Overall I feel only if you probably like its looks alone and are ready to ignore the rest of it then you can go for it otherwise its not worth it.