Upcoming Bajaj Avenger 160 to become India’s most affordable cruiser motorcycle

Bajaj Avenger is one of the most popular cruiser bikes in its segment in India. The main reason behind this popularity is the level of comfort it offers and the low price tag. The news is now coming that Bajaj is planning to launch the Avenger cruiser bike in 160cc Avatar.

According to a report from Zigwheels, Bajaj is planning to discontinue Avenger 180 and come up with Avenger 160. It is likely to use the 160cc engine that we have already seen on Pulsar NS160. The NS160  uses a 4-valve set up which is cleaner than the 2-valve set-up on the current Avenger 180. This will help Bajaj comply with Avenger’s engine to the upcoming BS VI emission norms.

As mentioned above the Pulsar NS160 uses a 160.3 cc, single-cylinder, oil cooled engine that produces around 15.5 PS of power and 14.6 Nm of peak torque. Surprisingly the Bajaj Avenger 180 also produces similar power outputs. This means in spite of equipping the Avenger with a smaller engine; the power figures will remain more or less the same.

Avenger 160 will be a new bike and Bajaj will be introducing ABS as standard because of the upcoming safety norms. Bajaj has already added ABS to its 220-cc version and will be launching it soon. It is priced at Rs 1.02 lakh which is around Rs 6,700 more than the non-ABS variant.

The Bajaj Avenger has been in the market for a very long time now. It was earlier available in 150cc, 180cc and 220cc versions. Bajaj discontinued the 150cc version last year, and currently, it is available only with the 180cc and 220cc engine. The 180cc version is only available in the Street version.

The Street version of the Avenger gets alloy wheels and a smaller front fairing while the Cruise version is aimed at the long-distance tourers. The Cruise version of the Avenger gets spoked rims and a bigger visor. However, the downside of spoked rims is that the tyres do not act as tubeless ones.

Just like Avenger 180, the 160cc of Avenger will also be a street model. The current Avenger 180 is priced at Rs 87,827 ex-showroom, and if Bajaj launches Avenger 160, then the price of the bike is likely to remain more or less the same.