Bajaj Avenger 150 Street review

• Published On: 9 March 2017
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Bajaj's Avenger cruiser can be had in a more practical 150cc avatar. But is it cruiser enough?

There has always been a dearth of cruisers in India. If you have a lot of money to spend, there’s a host of Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles to choose from. A good step below them sits the range of Royal Enfields, which, for as long as most can remember, have been the go-to touring bikes in the country. However, it’s only been Bajaj that has catered to the mass-market cruiser segment, first with its Eliminator, which was later rechristened as the Avenger. Last year, Bajaj updated its cruiser-bike range and introduced a new entry-level 150cc model in the Avenger 150 Street. As a result, the Avenger brand now has three motorcycles – the Avenger 220 Cruise, the Avenger 220 Street and the Avenger 150 Street.

The Avenger 150 Street is a motorcycle for riders who want the comfort of a cruiser. It also comes along with the economy and practicality of a 150cc bike.

On the outside
The Avenger 220 Cruise, as the name suggests, has a classic, chrome-covered cruiser look with an optional large windshield on the front, besides wire-spoke wheels and pillion backrest. The Street variants, on the other hand, miss out on the chrome and the backrest, but come with matte-black 12-spoke alloy wheels.

Running gear
Both the Avenger 220 Street and the Cruise get a 219.9cc DTS-i oil and air-cooled engine which makes 19.03hp and 17.5Nm of pulling power. This is the same unit that was available on the older Avenger 220.

The real game-changer here, however, is the smaller Avenger 150 that gets a 149cc, DTS-i, air-cooled carburettor-fed engine that makes 14.54hp and 12.5Nm of pulling power (that’s the same engine as the Pulsar 150). This one is the highlight here because, cruisers in India have all been 180cc and above till now.

All variants of the Avenger use five-speed gearboxes, which are smooth and easy to use.

There’s very little change to the body of the new Avengers, the ones worth mentioning are the altered engine mount points and a rangier wheelbase. The Street also sports a flatter handlebar which allows for a comfier riding position.

Like the bigger Avenger 220s, the 150 runs on 90-section 17-inch tyres up front and 130-section 15-inch tyres at the rear. It gets a 14-litre fuel tank.

From the saddle
The Avenger is suspended on telescopic shock absorbers up front and a dual-spring suspension at the rear, both of which work well at absorbing our bad roads and keeping the ride comfortable. There’s also a good amount of padding on the seats, which means long distances on the saddle aren't an issue.

The motor quite obviously isn’t a match for the 220cc, but then again, this bike is intended for a different purpose, that being city commutes, and in that respect, you won’t be left wanting for more power. In fact, the 150cc motor is tuned to dish out more pulling power at low revs, which is what you need on a cruiser.

Is it worth the money?
Overall, the Avenger 150 Street does succeed to deliver the feeling of a proper cruiser bike, along with the practicality of a small-displacement engine. Importantly, at Rs 78,998, it’s cheaper than the 220 Avengers by Rs 8,333. Those savings just add up thanks to the 150’s fuel economy advantage.