Any layman’s answer when asked about a few bike manufacturers will certainly have the inclusions of names such as Bajaj and Royal Enfield. The reason for this is fairly simple. With millions upon millions of riders flooding the streets everyday, it is quite obvious for anybody to remember these names.
The bike manufacturers have already created a mighty spark in the market and in order to retain their credibility, they are taking efforts to push design, aesthetics and features to unchartered boundaries.
Bajaj is a home bred player with a very strong presence pan India. The bikes manufactured by Bajaj are built for riders ranging from pretty much all walks of life. The company had recently announced the launch of the new Bajaj Avenger Street, a cruising segment bike that has gone through various structural and engine changes. This bike is likely to be launched anytime in the market, with the bike already reaching some dealerships.
Royal Enfield on the other end is built for those who like to consume a mighty chunk of adventure. The bikes from RE are a tad on the higher side in comparison with Bajaj. However, the biking enthusiasts look beyond the pricing barriers to own the Enfield. You’d know an Enfield just by the sound of it and what better way to rumble on Indian roads than cruising on the Enfield Classic 350.
For those who think that budget is no constraint but confusion sets your decisions ablaze, here is a comparison between the Bajaj Avenger Street and the Royal Enfield Classic 350.
P.s you are welcome 🙂
Design:
The Bajaj Avenger Street seems to have adapted plenty of design cues from its cousin; the Avenger cruiser. The Street comes with an all-black treatment and contains very less chrome. The looks are appreciation worthy for sure.
Combining the design aesthetics with Bajaj’s frugal way of going easy on your pocket is a great way of promoting the brand name. Further more, you can be assured of a great sales network and reputation. However pragmatic the arguments between Bajaj’s Avenger Street and the Enfield Classic, it is surely a tough decision to choose one bike over the other. The Avenger has a telescopic front suspension, Hydraulic Shock Absorber as the rear suspension. The bike has Tube type Unidirectional – 90 / 90 x 17″ front tires and Tube type Unidirectional – 130 / 90 x 15″ rear tires. The braking on this bike consists of Disc, Dia. 260 mm front and Drum, Dia. 130 mm rear brakes.
The Royal Enfield Classic 350 comes with a timeless design that looks recognizable in a crowd. The bike, since its inception has gone through minor changes but managed to retain the same design.
A Royal Enfield biker, supposedly a macho guy who knows no limits and boundaries seems oblivious to other bikes and seems to have focus towards what’s between his legs 😛
The classic 350 has Telescopic, 35mm forks, 130 mm travel front suspension accompanied by Twin gas charged shock absorbers with 5-step adjustable preload, 80mm travel rear suspension. The bike has 90/90 – 19 front tire and 110/90 – 18 rear tire. Braking is handled by 280mm Disc, 2-Piston caliper front and 153mm Drum, Single Lead Internal Expanding rear brakes.
Technical prowess set aside, the RE brand is gaining immense popularity with each passing day. The sales are proof of the brand’s popularity and the Classic 350 doesn’t seem to have even a dent in terms of sales in comparison with the Avenger.
Engine & Mileage:
The Bajaj Avenger Street comes with a 219.8 cc, 4-stroke, single cylinder, DTS-i, air-cooled engine. The engine produces 19.03 Bhp of power @ 8400 Rpm. With a top speed of 120 kmph, the bike produces 17.5 Nm of torque @ 7000 Rpm. This bike accelerates from 0 to 60 kmph in just 5.2 seconds. In terms of mileage, the Avenger Street delivers an average of 35-40 kmpl mileage.
The Royal Enfield Classic 350 on the other hand is powered by a 346 cc, Single Cylinder, 4 stroke, Twin spark engine. The engine produces19.8 bhp @ 5250 rpm. In terms of torque, the RE Classic 350 produces 28 Nm of torque @ 4000 rpm. With a top speed of 130 kmph, the bikes goes from 0 to 60 in 8 seconds. In terms of mileage, this bike averages a mileage from 40 to 45 kmpl.
The Bajaj Avenger seems to have an advantage over the initial speed with its comparatively light body. The RE Classic on the other hand delivers better mileage and gains better speed eventually on the roads.
Price:
In terms of Ex-showroom pricing, the Bajaj Avenger Street out performs the Classic 350. The Avenger is priced at Rs. 80,800/- (Ex-showroom) that beats the likes of Rs. 1,25,000/- (Ex-showroom) for the Classic 350. That said, if price isn’t a constraint, the classic 350 has arguably better performance and power over its competing counterpart.
Maintenance:
Price is just the first hurdle of the journey. The Maintenance of a bike is the main vacuum lightening your pocket. The Avenger Street comes with excellent build quality. In terms of sales and service network, this brand maintains its frugality and provides maintenance free rides that is certainly a delight.
Royal Enfield on the other hand have had their notorious attitude for quite sometime. Sadly, the service standard is pretty dodgy. With the launch of new and improved Twin spark units, the niggles cannot be overruled. Royal Enfields have been quite maintenance hungry machines and this certainly leaves behind a remark on the brand’s reputation.
They look muscular and suitable for machos, but these supposed robust bikes have been notorious for their build quality. No matter how devoted a RE enthusiast is, for the price they pay, there is always an expectation of a better build quality that is missing.
Verdict
It shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve limited your options to these two bikes and there is wee-bit of confusion. If you’re on the lookout for performance, reliability that go in sync with low maintenance and overall a less price, Bajaj Avenger is the right ride for you.
But, of you are an RE motor head and feel that the other bikes have a superfluous influence on the RE, this leisure befriending bike should offer you a steady cruise over your jaunty journey.