Bajaj Auto has seen a decline in sales in their Avenger range of motorcycles. Compared to the initial months, when the range recorded huge demand, and registering a record 1 lakh sales in just 4 months, these days sales of Avenger range are in the range of 2-2.5k units. That’s a 10 times decline in sales.
Bajaj is trying to revive the sales. Last year, Bajaj Auto removed the Avenger 150 from market, as sales started to decline. To replace the Avenger 150, they brought in the Avenger 180. But, now Avenger 180 sales have also declined.
This time round, the company is set to replace Avenger Street 180 with the Avenger 160. Price of Avenger 160 is Rs 81,036, for the single channel ABS variant. Compared to the discontinued Avenger 180 non-ABS, it is about Rs 8k cheaper, and compared to Avenger 220 ABS, it is Rs 21k cheaper. All prices are ex-showroom.
Bajaj Avenger 160 is powered by a 160.3cc, single cylinder, air cooled engine. It is borrowed from the Pulsar NS 160. It offers 15.5 PS power at 8,500 rpm and 14.6 Nm torque at 6,500 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5 speed transmission. This is still a BS4 compliant engine, and not a BS6 unit. BS6 compliant engine will be launched later this year, or early next year.
The engine powering Avenger 160, delivers more torque than the engine which was on board Avenger 180. But it delivers less power. Avenger 180 engine delivered 15.5 bhp power and 13.7 Nm torque. This means it delivered about 1 hp more and 1 Nm less. More torque is better, for a cruiser styled motorcycle. This should help in better riding dynamics as compared to Avenger 180.
In addition to more torque, the engine will also offer better fuel efficiency. Tank capacity is of 13 liters. The addition of single channel ABS could result in weight gain. Bajaj Avenger 160 gets the same styling, as was seen on Avenger 180. These include black alloy wheels, rounded headlamp design and an analog instrument cluster. ‘Street Control’ handlebar and a flyscreen in front could also be a part of its features. New body graphics and color options could also be added to the new Avenger 160 to distinguish it from its outgoing counterpart.
