Road Test Review: 2011 Bajaj Avenger 220 DTS-i

Comfort, convenience and handling

This is one department where this motorcycle absolutely baffles you. The seating posture and the handlebar geometry of a cruiser needs time getting used to, especially if you are coming from street bikes, scooters or even from bicycles for that matter. The heavy steering of the long forks and the front end braking of a cruiser are primary aspects that newbies find unnerving and the Avenger is no different in this regard. But as I said, once you get used to it, the Avenger becomes one of the most easy cruiser bikes to manoeuvre in the urban locales. The handlebar-mounted rear view mirrors are one of the best I have used on any motorcycle – large, well positioned and show relevant reflections – unlike the P220’s units which only show you your biceps no matter how much you try to adjust them. The handlebar, though straight-ish, houses the switchgear ergonomically and hence it doesn’t work up your thumbs all that much. The switchgear controls the bright 55W headlight, and now with a DC connection to the battery, it doesn’t need the engine to be running either. The DC connection also means that the 55W bulb will maintain its luminance even when the bike is trotting at low revs – thus adding to the Avenger 220’s convenience over the older bike.

What has not changed though, is the comfort level of the seat. The large seat looks inviting, but believe me, you can’t spend too much time on it. It’s decent enough for a 100 km ride but after that you can’t think of even touching your butt on it. Ditto for the pillion seat. So if you are thinking of getting one of these machines for a long trip to any of the four ends of the country, look elsewhere or give this seat some Botox injections. I would blame this discomfort to the angle of the saddle’s surface. Though the saddle looks big, its curvature offers very little support for the thighs – especially with the stretched out cruiser geometry of the foot-pegs – thus making your butt the ‘stressed member’. A longer ride will spread the pain to your waist and lower back as well.

Handling wise, this bike has a charm of its own. We coincidently had our Motoroids Motomeet at the ‘Lavasa lake city’ on the same Sunday we began testing the Avenger 220. That gave me chance to ride this cruiser alongside more fabled bikes like the Karizma, the Pulsar 220 and even the R15. Though it would be hard for you to believe, the Avenger 220 CAN actually keep up with most of these sporty bikes when it comes to riding in the twisties. I’m not saying you would look like a Rossi chasing down a Lorenzo – but in spite of being a cruiser the Avenger can keep up, and that is quite a feat. Even with its low-slung nature it doesn’t scrape its parking stand like the P220 does. The rubber offers excellent grip and thankfully Bajaj haven’t found an alternative to the grippy 130-section MRFs with an Eurogrip or IRC – two brands that have considerably hampered the handling of the Pulsars in recent times. The 260-mm diameter disc has phenomenal bite and isn’t spongy like the Karizma or the all-Indian R15, however the front tyre tends to skid off under heavy braking.

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