Bajaj Avenger 200 DTSi - Ride Experience

First day to office on my new bike. The traffic is moderate. I was under the impression that flicking the Avy between cars would be difficult. Not so. Agreed, it's longer than the Pulsar, but if you got space, it's a pretty easy bike to maneuver.

City Ride
You can count on it to respond to the throttle. Not a sports bike acceleration, but enough to get out of tight spots. And pretty well anchored to the road. I like the overall stability I feel. I did stall the engine a couple of times, which I would attribute to my relative inexperience to the bike. But like I said, it picks up on the 3rd gear pretty easily.

The brakes are responsive although the rear one is somewhat weak. Could do with a little adjustment, plus the positioning is somewhat new to me. So I am not too used to it as of now. The disc brakes are neat. Very effective.
Oh yeah, before I forget. Heads DO turn!!!

Highway Ride
This is exactly what the Avy is for. Smoooth steady slick ride at 50-55 kmph. The handlebars vibrates mildly, barely enough to notice. And I like the feel. I did notice the mirrors vibrating and blurring the image which is a mild concern.
The engine is pretty smooth. Won't say that I like the sound. Doesn't sound like a cruiser (a nice Bullet thump would be awesome). From what I hear, Bajaj had to work under some strict norms, but I wonder how the Bullet gets away with it.

Country Ride
Not much to write about here. On a bumpy dirt road, you WILL feel the bumps. Don't expect a cushion ride. That said, it's still more comfortable than a Pulsar. In fact, the ride would have been smoother if the rear shocks were gas chamber ones like the Pulsar has.

Night Ride
The headlights are so damn bright. I have a tinted visor on my helmet and rarely ever use it at night. But with the high beam on, it's pretty easy to see thru it. On a stretch where there wer no lights, the high beam illuminated half the lanes on both sides pretty well.


The indicators are pretty swell. I love the bullet-nosed rear on them. And they are adequately bright. One gripe though. The indicators are pretty useless on the tank. I hardly ever see them. In fact, I would have to take my eyes off the road completely to look at them. The brake lights are bright as well. Didn't see them directly, but the illumination on the road behind me was proof enough.

Overall, I have enjoyed the first few rides. Just waiting to get the running-in complete. Not that I want to cross the 3-digit mark. Just to have the peace of mind.