A decade after the first Avenger was launched with a 150cc mill in its belly, the Bajaj Avenger always has been getting technical updates with bigger engines every time. The 150 became 180, 200 and finally 220. It got oil cooling, fatter tyres, but in all that, the looks of the Avenger never got updated. It stayed the same until now when they finally got a new upgrades where the technical remain the same, but the bike has got new looks and two new avatars this time around.
Bajaj finally realized that they do have a team of designers who can redo the looks of the Avenger and finally they managed to find out where a good chunk of money was going till now. So the Avenger now gets a Street Version and a Cruise Version and according to Bajaj even though they are powered by the same 220cc mill like on the previous Avenger, both the bikes are supposed to fulfil different purposes.
Bajaj Avenger Street
The Avenger Street has got quite the black styling with most of the bike redone in black and in matte finish. The bike does resemble a certain famous American Street bike and Bajaj claims that the bike is made for the streets and city riding. If one wants to go touring on it, they can but Bajaj says the bike is more enjoyable within the city limits itself due to its styling cues. Of course the bike also does not come with a windshield, so even that might be one reason for it. Other than that, the rest of the bike, anywhere you look is all black and the instrument cluster is also redone and given an orange backlight.
Bajaj Avenger Cruise
This bike Bajaj claims is made for the highway due to its all chromed up looks. The bike gets some really awesome styling and graphics and comes in an all glossy look. The Chrome everywhere look sometimes feels a little too much at places, but then that is what the bike boasts about. Even the radiator of the bike is chromed up along with the instrument panel on the fuel tank and the exhaust as well. The rest of the bike is absolutely same as the Street, just that it gets a windshield as well for the highway. The instrument cluster on the Cruise gets a blue backlight which is another difference.
What is more disappointing here is that, the bikes have not got an engine upgrade, are air cooled and carbureted as well even when they have the FI technology. Secondly the bike still gets the same old tyres but again they are tube type while we were at least expecting a tubeless one this time around. And now the big part; the Avenger Street also comes in a 150cc avatar which Bajaj claims is a completely new 150cc engine built from scratch and not the same from the Pulsar or Discover series; but we have our doubts in believing that.
But all in all the new Avenger series of bikes are good refreshment for the affordable cruiser category which has not seen any movement in the last so many years. Finally the player is back in the market with something new for the customers.