New Bajaj Avenger Ownership Review

[point_city96]

Re: Looking for a Trouble Free No-Nonsense Bike: Now bought Royal Enfield!

A Hearty Congratulations on your new "Cruiser"!
Nice pictures!!!
I always wondered the driving position of avenger.How did you find the d driving position(read its very comfortable,but Again),what is the difference between a normal bike.
Edit:The title of the thread reads"bought royal enfield".:

 

[jayadev]

Re: Looking for a Trouble Free No-Nonsense Bike: Now bought Royal Enfield!

A Hearty Congratulations on your new "Cruiser"!
Nice pictures!!!
I always wondered the driving position of avenger.How did you find the d driving position(read its very comfortable,but Again),what is the difference between a normal bike.

This is literally my first bike ,all i know is Honda activa and transition is heavenly. though I have ridden H splendor but there is a lot of difference.

In HH splendor and H Activa you ride on to Get off from it ASAP but in avenger you look for reason to keep cruising.

In both activa and Splendor by 50 you are almost finished off with power remain throttle feels like over straining the motor.
in Avenger at 50kmph have lot more to go so more you turn the throttle it takes you further with pleasure.


I am liking the road,scenery,ongoing traffic more in this bike than in my scooter or in my car.

Yes you have liberty to stop anywhere and enjoy whatever you like.

you have liberty to go through narrowest road with or without tarmac . (So I could take some difficult to get shots)

You have plenty of option when in horrible traffic Jam of Kannur (without compromising too much on comfort-(Today it was from Caltex junction to Thazhe Chovva railway gate 5kms)

Edit:The title of the thread reads"bought royal enfield".:

LOL even I am shocked as if thread is hijacked..!!!

 

[Icecold]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

Congrats Jayadev on your new bikeI think avenger shares the same engine with Pulsar 220. Correct me if i am wrong.Is it FI version or Carb ?

 

[smooth rider]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

just stumbled on this thread jaydev. congrats on your bike. i too was bitten by the avenger when it was launched. i did a test drive then the later backed off as wifey was dead aginst me riding a bike again after so many years. you have just stoked the embers once again in me.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Re: Looking for a Trouble Free No-Nonsense Bike: Now bought Royal Enfield!

Sam,Thanks a million .
Waiting for more inputs.

Oh yes she is getting smoother. now 350 on odo.

Will get perceptibly more smooth after the first oil change.

I am bit disappointed with the ride quality from rear wheels. any tweaks/mods to get it better .

Try reducing tire pressure by 1-2 psi from the recommended psi. Would make some difference.

Ofcourse those Handle bar I started to find it bit boring like that of ladies bicycle....will upgrade after some running ..

Waiting for this. The present handlebar is a real eyesore on an otherwise nice looking cruiser motorcycle.

What is the general rule of thumb for schedule to check battery- 3 months 6 months??

Check battery water EVERY WEEK !

some more Pros.

headlamps have very good visibility.

Yup. Avenger has the best headlamp after Bullets/P220F.

Horn loud enough (but not so inspiring.)

Nice to have a good looking wife who doesn't shout much, no?

No rattles and plasticity feel

never got tired (though i am experiencing bit of back ache maybe I am too new on a bike)

It has no "THUMPS" nor noisy. people are pretty much comfortable especially female members . me too like less noisy machines!Good when you are at critical areas like office premises,schools and residential area.yet my 1 year old child feel it is noisy and she is bit scared.

presently 50-60kmph is a sweet to ride without much vibrations.

gears engage like butter

Very torqey and powerful.

Cons.

"Neutral" is difficult to find(I realized it is common problem with Avenger) but often it comes to its own in dense traffic while engaging 1st.

Relax. This is your first bike. You will get the hang of it. Be gentle with the gearbox. The angle of the gearlever and the consequent contortion of the left foot required to operate it makes you feel that it's more difficult to change gears than it actually is. Believe you me, you will get the hang of it after some practice. Don't let the idiots at Probiking workshops fiddle unnecessarily with any mechanical part of your motorcycle unless you feel something is really amiss.

Rear wheel ride quality is not up to the mark, not alarming but livable.

It lacks 6th gear.

More is always less !

 

[jayadev]

Re: Looking for a Trouble Free No-Nonsense Bike: Now bought Royal Enfield!

Congrats Jayadev on your new bikeI think avenger shares the same engine with Pulsar 220. Correct me if i am wrong.Is it FI version or Carb ?

Yes same engine but I have no Idea what is FI and carb..!!

just stumbled on this thread jaydev. congrats on your bike. i too was bitten by the avenger when it was launched. i did a test drive then the later backed off as wifey was dead aginst me riding a bike again after so many years. you have just stoked the embers once again in me.

I pity on me depriving myself from pleasure of biking , but I wont curse as there were no bike in India something like Avenger 220 so far .easier to hendle,powerfull, comfortable.!!
Well in short myself too took a step backwards from biking all these years .especially due to family members anxiety. especially my Dad. But after owning it I just proved him how safe and sensible a bike with safe manners is (safer than his scooter), they feel relaxed now.( they believed that moment you sit on bike is inviting danger)
Of course I bought it against every bodies wish, even my younger brother was against it.


My wife is much Happier now after initial nervousness . travel plans have started to work out quickly. else it was nightmare to go for shopping in car (traffic and parking) .

I do not feel bothered to go anywhere anytime ,"turn the key start,GO..!! last Saturday I went to beach at 1 am, just to see how different beaches are at night and nobody can believe how much it was worth.
If it was not the bike I would be just left wishing ,to go there ,to see that.. truly cars do not adhere to all your Ideas as much as you think it can.

More is always less !

From my vague calculations I am getting 39+kmpl...
12 litre petrol 474 km on odo. and still Fuel left in Tank

BTW when can I start ripping it? after 500km or 1000km...

what are the first service formalities could be..can I do it myself .
an elderly wise man advised me when it is Bike then DIY.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Re: Looking for a Trouble Free No-Nonsense Bike: Now bought Royal Enfield!

Yes same engine but I have no Idea what is FI and carb..!!

Both are systems to deliver air-fel mixtures in the cylinder which then gets ignites by a spark plug (in a petrol engine) to develop motive power. Carb obviously is carburettor which is a mechanical device that does this and FI = Fuel Injection which is an electronic device to do the same. Carburettor is fast becoming an obsolete technology (no car sold in India as on date is fitted with a carburettor) for bikes but it's simple and much cheaper (though not as efficient) as FI. PM me if you want to know more about how these two systems work as I do not want to eat up space here. Avenger 220 is carburetted.

BTW when can I start ripping it? after 500km or 1000km...

what are the first service formalities could be..can I do it myself .
an elderly wise man advised me when it is Bike then DIY.

Complete 1000 kms first. Don't rip it till then. I will guide you how to do progressive running in thereafter. That would ensure a long and healthy life of your Avenger's engine. First servicing is a very simple affair. Sure you can DIY but you will void the warranty. You need to get all the services as mentioned in the service book bang on schedule and ONLY at the authorized service centre so as to keep the warranty intact. Follow it to the T.

 

[avengerrider]

Re: Looking for a Trouble Free No-Nonsense Bike: Now bought Royal Enfield!

There is no Kick start mechanism in this avenger.

Btw my dad who use honda activa does follow it relieously every morning as I suggested him it is better that way so the drain on battery wont be too much.

just a heads up. there is no kicker in the avy 200 n 220 but can be installed.

some minor changes will have to be done. you just have to change the clutch cover to that of an avy 180 or eli, a kicker ratchet, idler gear and a kick shaft. am currently working on this and planning to get the kicker installed pretty soon..

will keep u guys posted...

 

[jayadev]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

first servicing done.
at 850km -Rs.462 bill.

the sound of engine and lot of other noise like whirling of chain etc got reduced.

avengy feels smoother ,at certain speed it feels like thee is no engine at all :-) but at other speed the it gives too much of vibration.
say in 5th gear at 50kmph it is very smooth but at 55kmph it reminds of hammering single piston

 

[cooldhaya]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

Wow congratulations Jayadev , i missed this thread completely!

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

first servicing done.
at 850km -Rs.462 bill.

the sound of engine and lot of other noise like whirling of chain etc got reduced.

avengy feels smoother ,at certain speed it feels like thee is no engine at all :-) but at other speed the it gives too much of vibration.
say in 5th gear at 50kmph it is very smooth but at 55kmph it reminds of hammering single piston

The noise would reduce further and the smoothness would also improve after each servicing till around 3000 km at which point all components would become nicely bedded in. Please be with your bike when it is being serviced to ensure that all jobs mentioned in the service schedule are indeed being performed. Insist on warming up the engine for at least 10-15 minutes immediately before the old oil is drained out. Tell the mechanic to wait for a couple of hours till the entire old oil trickles out of the oil chamber (drip drip drip) and before he fills it up with fresh engine oil.

Hammering single piston? Do you mean engine knocking? This should not happen at all. Could you elaborate upon this or better still, could you record the sound and post it here for correct diagnosis?

 

[jayadev]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

Please be with your bike when it is being serviced to ensure that all jobs mentioned in the service schedule are indeed being performed. Insist on warming up the engine for at least 10-15 minutes immediately before the old oil is drained out. Tell the mechanic to wait for a couple of hours till the entire old oil trickles out of the oil chamber (drip drip drip) and before he fills it up with fresh engine oil.

This is Impossible hope you know about "Athorised service centres" they are not allowing.

Hammering single piston? Do you mean engine knocking? This should not happen at all. Could you elaborate upon this or better still, could you record the sound and post it here for correct diagnosis?

No..nothing wrong.. I did not mean knocking but the feel of piston thumps. being transmitted to the body.gud..gud..gud..gud..DuuuRRRRRRRRRRRR.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

This is Impossible hope you know about "Athorised service centres" they are not allowing.



No..nothing wrong.. I did not mean knocking but the feel of piston thumps. being transmitted to the body.gud..gud..gud..gud..DuuuRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Next time you go there, tell them that you are going to report to Bajaj that you were not allowed to watch your bike getting serviced. This should make them fall in line.

Let the running in period be over and then shift up to the 5th gear after 55 kmph, the sound will vanish.

 

[jayadev]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

Next time you go there, tell them that you are going to report to Bajaj that you were not allowed to watch your bike getting serviced. This should make them fall in line.

Let the running in period be over and then shift up to the 5th gear after 55 kmph, the sound will vanish.

I gave the bike at 9am and called me by 12.30.

They did not even wash my bike..I think Bike have different criteria , my cars are washed for every service visits.

they put too much of greasy liquid on chain ,god knows what is it the rear wheel is all dirty with black oil kind of thing and the hub too I am worried if oil has seeped into the drum brake but no issues with the braking so far.

other than chain the gearbox has greasy fingerprints all over especiaally near the oil cap area..I think they should have cleaned it with Rags at least but no...our desi technician KIDS..!!

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Re: Looking for a No-Nonsense Bike - Got Bajaj Avenger!

I gave the bike at 9am and called me by 12.30.

They did not even wash my bike..I think Bike have different criteria , my cars are washed for every service visits.

they put too much of greasy liquid on chain ,god knows what is it the rear wheel is all dirty with black oil kind of thing and the hub too I am worried if oil has seeped into the drum brake but no issues with the braking so far.

other than chain the gearbox has greasy fingerprints all over especiaally near the oil cap area..I think they should have cleaned it with Rags at least but no...our desi technician KIDS..!!

Do not tolerate all this rubbish. You should have summoned the service head then and there and asked him to clean up all that mess. Do it the next time, lest you want these morons to screw up your Avenger royally. This is a typical problem with Bajaj service centres but I hoped that the Probiking outlets would fare slightly better due to lower volumes.

Don't worry, the oil wont seep inside the brake drum. Clean up all the extra oil with a clean rag but be careful not to wipe off all the oil from the chain.