Riding Bajaj Avenger Street 220 and Cruise 220

Tanmay Pangam took the two Avengers for a spin and is mighty impressed

The Bajaj Avenger has been the quintessential cruiser with a wide audience appeal. People who sought an alternative to Royal Enfield's lifestyle offerings either out of choice or lack of funding often veered towards the Avenger.

The Bajaj brand's assurance behind the motorcycle, it's classic small-capacity cruiser styling and easy-riding position were among the key reasons behind its success. Having said that, the looks of the Avenger hadn't changed much over the years. Seeing that they had to look rather jaded, Bajaj decided to give not one but two variants on the same engine platform. Christened the Cruise 220 & the Street 220, each of the variants is targeted at a specific segment of buyers.

We had the opportunity to spend some time with the two Avenger models & here are our first impressions:

Styling

The 220 Cruise is the old Avenger that'll carry on the quintessential cruiser torch proudly. Everywhere you look there's a healthy lashing of chrome. The paint on the tank is new, as are the emblems and the sticker job. The oil-cooler is encased in shiny chrome too, as is the horn -- toot toot! View it in profile and you see that things haven't changed much here and you still have all the strengths of the Avenger platform that have endeared it to buyers over the years.

The 220 Street on the other hand is Bajaj's take on an easy rider that is the ideal tool for the urban prowl. Gone are the heavy doses of chrome, the tall handlebar and its ilk. The entire motorcycle goes matte and there's very little in terms of shiny reflective surfaces here. Viewing it from the front, the only chrome bits remaining are the surrounds for the meter and the headlight, together with the top of the front suspension pipes. The rest is all finished in matte paint, with the under-body in flat black.

There's a flatter handlebar that transforms the riding position and feels just perfect for the cut and thrust conditions of the urban prowl. The wire wheels are traded for snazzy 12-spoke alloy wheels. The tank follows the matte paint language and looks rather fetching in black, with its contrast graphics. The exhaust is all new and sports a rounded look, appearing almost bulbous instead of the chopped-looking one earlier. This is again finished in flat black with satin silver accents, but the latter end up detracting somewhat from the premium look of the motorcycle.

We spent a brief time in the saddle of both Avenger variants. Mechanically speaking, there's not much change. The 220cc DTS-i motor continues as before, though the visual makeup has transformed the way it looks nested within the chassis. The only functional changes are the RE T-Bird inspired foot-pegs and the handle-bars in the two variants. Pull in the clutch on the 220 Cruise, thumb the starter, and the motor smartly comes to life, accompanied by a tell-tale needle sweep across the speedo.

Let out the light clutch and the 220 Cruise darts off the line. If you've ridden the previous-gen Avenger, then you'll feel right at home. It is the same, familiar riding position, the comfort from the well-cushioned street and the fact that your feet can touch the ground. The gearbox feels butter-smooth, with shifts, both up and down the ratios feeling quicker than ever. There's chrome everywhere you look and touch around you, which ought to bring a smile to the faces of the purists. The exhaust note does sound like it has changed, getting slightly gruffy as we briefly took her up the rev range.

Switching to the 220 Street and the difference is immediately apparent. The flatter handle-bar is the first trick. Also, the bike feels better planted riding out of the parking lot. As we headed out on the open road, the 220 Street feels sure-footed and the bike appears to be at ease in the urban cut and thrust routine. The switch to those 12 spoke alloy wheels didn't just up the oomph factor but they also seem to have improved the road behaviour. Braking behaviour too felt a mite better on the Street than the Cruise.

Weighing in

On the road, it was the 220 Street with its matte paint job and minimalist appearance that grabbed the eyeballs. The mini-Harley Street 750 styling creating the stir that Bajaj is expecting. In terms of the initial riding feel too, the 220 Street felt better than its Cruise sibling (the latter should keep the purists happy).

For now, Bajaj Auto must be commended for this move of theirs. They may have taken their own sweet time with the updates to their Cruiser line-up, and even this has no real mechanical changes. But coming out with two, visually distinct variants on the same platform, yet appealing to two markedly different sets of customer needs indeed deserves an applause. The buyers however are expected to offer the last hurrah and it shall be interesting to watch which of the siblings surges ahead.

DISCLAIMER: This isn't a complete review, just a few initial impressions of the Avenger range of bikes.