Bajaj Avenger 150 Street review, test ride

Bajaj has long been present in the cruiser segment in India, with the Avenger 220 as their only offering. However, now the company has moved into a new sub-segment, aimed at a slightly different buyer group – the urban cruiser.

For this very reason, not only has Bajaj introduced a new cruiser styled to make a statement in the urban setting, it has also introduced one with a smaller 150cc engine to appeal to the same class of riders.

We are now talking about the Bajaj Avenger 150 Street. This motorcycle, as Bajaj pointed out, is aimed at the customer who wants the comfort of a cruiser, but delivering a more economical performance and practicality which the 150cc engine segment has to offer.

With the addition of the this engine, the Avenger now offers three variants – the Avenger 220 Cruise, the Avenger 220 Street and the Avenger 150 Street. As the name suggests, the Avenger 220 Cruise has a more classic, chrome-covered cruiser look with an optional large windshield on the front besides wire-spoke wheels and a pillion backrest.

Both the Avenger Streets don’t have as much chrome, but gets matte black instead. They don’t even get the front windscreen or the pillion backrest. The wire-spoke wheels make way for 12-spoke, black alloy wheels.

The Avenger 220 Street and Cruise both get a 219.9cc DTS-i oil and air-cooled engine which is capable of 18.7bhp at 8,400rpm and 1.8kgm of maximum torque at 7,000rpm. These have been carried over from the previous years’ models.

The smaller Avenger 150 gets a 149cc, DTS-i, air-cooled, carburettor-fed engine, capable of generating 14.3bhp at 9,000rpm, with 1.2kgm of torque available at 6,500rpm. Bajaj says that this engine has been picked from one of their existing designs, and has been tuned for a higher torque output which kicks in as low as 3,500rpm, and remains almost constant all the way until 6,500rpm. This has resulted in a healthy  power-to-weight ratio, enough to not let the city and highway ride get dull.

Clutch feel is quite light, and feels progressive. All three new Avengers use five-speed gearboxes, which are smooth, and slot in easily.

While the new Avengers remain largely unchanged from the previous iterations, there are subtle chassis changes, such as altered engine mount points, and a rangier wheelbase. There are also some ergonomic differences between the two versions, such as flatter handlebars on the Streets.

Handling as a result ...

At the front, on all three Avengers, are telescopic shock absorbers, and a dual-spring suspension mounted on a box section swingarm. The rear suspension has been tweaked from the previous version, and works quite well to keep the rider insulated from rough patches on the road. The seats have also been reworked and are now more comfortable than before.

The Avenger 220s, and the new 150 come shod with 90/90 x 17 tyres for the front, and 130/90 x 15 tyres at the rear. Both have identical capacity fuel tanks of 14 litres.

The Avenger 220 Street and Avenger 220 Cruise are both priced at Rs 84,000. The smaller Avenger 150 will retail for Rs 75,000 (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi). All bikes are on sale now.