O.K. after a controversial rvu on Honda Unicorn I am back with yet another bike rvu. Switching down the gears this rvu is on an entry-level segment bike which I have seen too many on road. I guess it has become the fastest selling bike in the country. Yes I m talking about Bajaj CT-100 the new 100cc offering from Bajaj which is ready to take on HH?s CD ?Dawn, TVS Centra etc.
Introduction:
My uncle bought this bike about 2 weeks ago but I had a chance of taking ride of CT-100. Getting all the technicalities from here and there I am now writing about the on-road performance of this bike. My uncle has a CT-100 deluxe which has the headlamp similar to 115. The bike directly aims to take on CD Dawn and Centra but performance wise it beats Splendor too and mileage wise it beats all.
Lets analyze each and every segment of the bike:
Looks: Too much stickering. Looks are alrite for a bike which aims the 100cc segment. But I still feel there is too much stickering around the petrol tank. The headlamp of the deluxe version is a scaled down version of 115?s headlamp. Since the height of CT100 is less it can be differentiated from 115 while looking from the front. Coming to the petrol tank the shape is weird. The tank seems going straight and connecting itself to the seat. Just seems a rectangular tank with slight bulges at the edges. The stickering runs along the entire tank to the side-panels starting with the z-shape. Coming to the tail-the tail lamp is the same used in 115. The bike is equipped with an aluminum die cast grab at the rear which seems good. All in all the bike looks just fine.
Engine, Performance and Transmission : If ur thinking that this is just an upgraded Boxer CT then its not. Bajaj engineers have done much of technical homework in the engine. The engine is now made of cast iron unlike the conventional aluminum. So this means better heat absorption takes place which ensures less over-heating of the engine. Coming to the technicalities the engine is 4-stroke aircooled 99.27cc engine that develops about 8.2 Bhp at 7500 rpm. Now this figures are better than Dawn and Centra; also better than Victor(8.1 Bhp) and Splendor.
The max torque comes in at 8.05 Nm@5500 rpm. The bike breathes via a Keihin Carburettor same one employed in most Bajaj bikes. The bike on which I took a test-ride has already done about 900 kms so the engine has now become nearly roused. I took the bike to about 60 kmph which it did nearly in about 9-9.5 sec which is pretty good considering the competition. The bike starts in first kick although the kick is hard. Going to 60 is pretty easy and its after 68-70 the bike starts shivering so the recommended max speed is ~70 for this baby.
The transmission is via a 4 speed gear-box(all down) the same employed in Boxer?s and the Caliber?s. I was disappointed with the gear-shifting. This is becoz the bike jumps when switching into the first gear. Also the transition from first to second is hard. Switching to second gear gives away the traditional Bajaj Chunk sound. The bike really breathes when it goes in 3rd. also the gear-ratios and the low-end end torque allows easy-moving the 3rd and 4th and low speeds. Once again be careful while switching back from 2nd to 1st coz u will still feel the chunk present. The gear-system is what Bajaj has to take care of in this bike in my opinion.
Also the bike weights just about 110kg so it a really very light bike. I might be feeling becoz I drive 115 which is more in height and weight.
Suspension, Braking and Tyres: The usual stuff The front suspension is the usual telescopic fork type and the rear is double acting hydraulic type. The suspension is good not some extra-ordinary but it is normal for a long ride with slight jerks at the back which can be done with proper oiling and settings so that should not be a problem.
Brakes are 110 mm drums at front and rear. I found braking of CT100 better than both Centra and Dawn. The bike tends to skid only slightly when u try to take turns at somewhat speeds but that is common to all bikes so it not pose much of a problem.
The tyres are front 2.75 - 18, 4/6 PR and rear 2.75-18, 6 PR MRFs. The tyres are narrow but considering the main usage of the bike is to commute in the city and with 110 drums they cant go with wider tyres so these are sufficient.
Ride Quality as I had said earlier is good u can use for city-riding all day long.
Instrumentation: Good this timeAll that was missing in the Dawn?s and the Boxers rectified in this bike. The bike finally has a fuel gauge as a separate dial. The dial to right is 120 Kmph speedo and to left is the fuel gage and Neutral and the signal indicator (not separate for left and right). Ofcourse the power and economy mode as in the Centra are missing. But u find here Ride Control Switch which controls the flow of fuel in city and highway riding conditions so u can achieve maximum of each fuel drop.
The variation in pick-up of the bike is seen when u turn the ride control switch on or off. The switch-gear to the left is surprisingly borrowed from Pulsar. Yes u do find dipper, choke that switch button for turn indicators and so this was a good change too. The Horn seems to be an increased treble level horn of 115 and is very screeching.
Mileage: Doesn?t DisappointThe company claims it to 101Kmpl. Now this is bike before the first service is giving above 70 kmpl in city. Ofcourse u never tend to go above 45 in the running period. So after the first service as the engine goes old the bike should provide above 75 kmpl in city(if driven properly). Now that is not low mileage in city and is satisfactory since the hike of fuel prices. So Bajaj has really made a good bike. The tank capacity is just about 11 litres with 2 litres going in reserve.
Conclusion: All in all in my opinion it is a very good buy. The deluxe version that with the beaked headlamp is about 1500 ks more costly than the one with the round headlamp and still is cheaper than Centra. All in the bike on road can be owned to about 37-38 ks which is a good bargain going by the mileage and power it is giving. So go and get a test-ride ask some users there and then if u find it good buy it.