Bajaj Avenger 180 Street- First Ride Review

Overview

Bajaj has introduced the Avenger 180 Street in India to offer riders an experience of the pleasure of highway-cruising to the Indian masses. This motorcycle is a difference between Bajaj Avenger 220 and Avenger 150 Street. With the launch of these bikes, the company made the cruiser segment too closer to the budgeted customers. Bajaj launched the 180 Street because they want a more powerful bike than 150 Street and a bit affordable than the Avenger 220. That's why the company introduced 180 Street for Indian customers. Bajaj says that Avenger 180 will replace 150 Street in the company's portfolio. As we have tested the bike so, here's our review about the all-new 180cc Bajaj Cruiser.

This motorcycle is a difference between Bajaj Avenger 220 and Avenger 150 Street. 

Design and features

Bajaj Avenger 180 looks very much identical to the other Avenger models. Being a 'Street' model, the bike gets sleek headlight along with black-tinted flyscreen. The bike offers LED DRLs placed under the headlight. The LED DRLs provided by Bajaj is always on that's why the company has provided an on/off button for the headlight. This setup also saves the battery. The bike gets a 55/60 W, H4 (with a blue tinge) headlight energy which provides enough light to ride in the low light conditions. The bike gets a sleek wide tank along with a single-piece seat which is comfortable enough for the long distance rides. Moreover, the seat is positioned low and, it is easily reachable. The bike employs forward positioned footpegs. The Avenger 180 Street employs a shorter street controlled handlebar which offers a laid-back but an aggressive riding posture. As compared to Suzuki Intruder, the Avenger 180 Street is 730 mm high and 10 mm less than its competitor.

The Avenger 180 Street employs a shorter street controlled handlebar which offers a laid-back but an aggressive riding posture.

The instrument cluster on the bike remains the same as it gets a big analogue speedometer along with a small digital display which features odometer and a single trip meter. The switchgear is the same which is equipped on the 2018 Discover 110. The switchgear could be a bit premium if the Avenger 180 Street borrows it from the Pulsar.

The instrument cluster on the bike remains the same as it gets a big analogue speedometer along with a small digital display which features odometer and a single trip meter. 

Moreover, on the fuel tank, the bike features an analogue fuel gauge and tell-tail lights for the indicator, battery-light, high beam and neutral. A rider can face problem while riding via low light conditions because a rider has to manual switch on the headlight to see the instrument cluster clearly. The tank-mounted cluster looks smart, but it is a bit below the rider sight while riding. The pillion seat is being offered with the aggressively positioned backrest which also works as a grab rail. Like in the earlier models, the Bajaj Avenger features ignition switch on right near the powertrain and, the handlebar lock is employed on the steering stem.

Performance

The company has retuned the engine of Bajaj Pulsar 180 and made it capable enough to clock down long distances smoothly and pleasantly. The engine has its sweet spot at 70 kmph, afterwards, the vibrations initiate from the footpegs. These vibration starts grabbing more attention as soon as it crosses the 90 kmph mark. The motor is powerful enough to effortlessly clock the three-digit speeds but the buzz puts off the motorist from riding the motorcycle. The bike is powered by 180cc, air-cooled, twin spark motor which develops 15.5 Ps of power at 8,500 rpm and 13.7 Nm at 6,500 rpm. The 5-speed transmission feels smooth but not that precise as I've personally experienced the false neutral problem. The first gear stretches the bike to a small extent, but the fifth-gear effortlessly pulls the bike from 35 kmph to all the way to the bikes top-speed. While riding the bike I was able to touch a top-speed of 125 kmph. The fuel tank is sufficient enough to store 13-litres of fuel at once including the 3.8-litres of reserve tank capacity. The motorcycle returns a mileage of 32.6 kmpl in petal to the metal highway and bumper to bumper city traffic. If a rider knows to ride the bike with a sensitive wrist, then he can easily achieve an efficiency of 40 kmpl.

The first gear stretches the bike to a small extent, but the fifth-gear effortlessly pulls the bike from 35 kmph to all the way to the bikes top-speed.

Handling

The Bajaj Avenger 180 Street sits on the diamond type frame. Moreover, the suspension duties are done by telescopic forks with gaiters at the front and twin rear shock absorbers at the rear. The suspension system is very much capable of countering the bad road conditions. It is specifically designed for the Indian road conditions and, the bike feels rooted while riding at high speeds. The motorcycle offers a plentiful 1,480 mm of wheelbase. The wheelbase of Bajaj Avenger 180 Street is more than the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350, which is quite surprising. The bike caters a hassle-free riding experience on highways, but it's difficult to cut bike through the everyday city traffic. The short handlebar is helpful for a rider to a limit.

The wheelbase of Bajaj Avenger 180 Street is more than the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350, which is quite surprising.

At emergency pull the front disc brake and you can feel the front two-piston callipers exerting pressure on the wheel to make it stop. It's quite brilliant to see how the front and rear brake work together and stop the bike. Up front, the motorcycle gets a 17-inch alloy and 15-inch alloy at the rear which is wrapped by 90/90 - 49P section tyre at front and 130/90 - 66P section tyre at the rear. The bike equips MRF Nylogrip Zapper tubeless tyres. The MRF tyres provide a commendable amount of road grip. Bajaj does not offer the Bajaj Avenger 180 Street with ABS, not even as an option.

Up front, the motorcycle gets a 17-inch alloy and 15-inch alloy at the rear which is wrapped by 90/90 - 49P section tyre at front and 130/90 - 66P section tyre at the rear.

Verdict

The Bajaj Avenger 180 Street is only available in the street version. The main aim of the company behind launching this bike is to offer the Avenger 150 Street owners a better and much powerful riding experience. Sometimes the vibration can make a rider a bit irritated, but the bike offers smooth engine performance, comfy suspension system and powerful braking system. The Bajaj Avenger 180 Street is priced at Rs 85,498, which means the bike is Rs 3,000 more expensive than the Avenger 150. This bike will attract those who are looking out for an affordable cruiser style motorcycle.

The main aim of the company behind launching this bike is to offer the Avenger 150 Street owners a better and much powerful riding experience.