A little more than a week ago we told you that Bajaj has readied a replacement for the Avenger 180, and it’s called the Avenger 160 ABS. Now, we have discovered that the ex-showroom price will be Rs 81,036 (Pune) and that the bike is expected to arrive at Bajaj dealerships in a matter of a week to ten day’s time.
According to the prices given to us by dealer sources, Bajaj will price the upcoming Avenger 160 ABS at just Rs 81,036 (ex-showroom Pune). If this figure is to be believed, it'll make the Avenger 160 ABS around Rs 7,000 cheaper than the Avenger 180 which never offered the safety feature. The entry-level cruiser is also expected to hit Bajaj showrooms in the first week of May 2019.
But more competitive pricing isn't all the Avenger 160 has in its bag, and the bike is also expected to have a higher torque figure. This is because it uses the 160.3cc motor from the NS160, which produces 15.5hp at 8,500rpm and 14.6Nm of torque at 6,500rpm on the NS. In comparison, the Avenger 180 made 15.5hp at 8,500rpm and 13.7Nm of torque at 6,500rpm. However, this is assuming Bajaj don't significantly retune the engine for use in the new Avenger model.
Everything else, however, is expected to remain the same. To keep it going as the most-affordable Avenger variant, it will continue missing out on the digital instrument cluster seen on the Avenger 220s, and use an analogue gauge instead. Like the 180, the 160 will use a telescopic fork and twin rear shock absorbers.
As we revealed earlier, one of the reasons the Indian brand has chosen to go this route is because the 180 and 220 sat too close to each other in the company’s line-up. The debut of the Avenger 160 will now allow Bajaj to substantially differentiate between the two models. Another benefit, we believe, is that it’ll garner more attention as it could be perceived as more fuel-efficient than the Avenger 180. Whether that turns out to be the case will only be revealed after it’s been tested.
If launched at such a competitive price tag, the Bajaj Avenger 160 ABS will undercut it's only rival the Suzuki Intruder (starts at Rs 1.03 lakh) by an even bigger margin than before. This also means that the Avenger 160 ABS will uphold the Avenger 180’s title of being the most affordable cruiser-styled motorcycle in the country.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
