Bajaj Avenger 160 Street will soon be a reality, leaving fans with a product that is not just more eco-friendly but also brings more output with its smaller displacement. The 4-valve engine on the Pulsar NS160 will serve as the engine while gearbox will stay 5-speed on the model. The upside points for NS160’s engine outweighs the process of taking the old 180cc through a strict overhaul for being BS6 compliant. The change in engine preference will also clear that how other products like Pulsar 180 and semi-faired 180F will survive the tough times. The 150cc and 220cc engines are also built on the same architecture.
The use of fuel injection can further allow advanced engines to limit the amount of fuel wastage and therefore, reduction in overall emissions in real-world conditions. Bajaj Pulsar range employs 150cc, 180cc, 220cc, 160cc and 200cc engine options for the buyers, with last two being advanced enough to shift easily into the strict emission outputs. On the other hand, the majority of the sales is achieved through the basic 150cc engine used on the Pulsar series. Bajaj Avenger 160 Street would mean higher production of the oil-cooled motor and thus, pricing may not be increased with a huge difference like the basic engines.
The entry-level cruiser has undergone a similar change earlier as the 150cc engine was not that capable under the heavy chassis. The use of 180cc engine helped Bajaj gain more buyers and fewer complaints than the 150cc version. However, the 160cc engine will bring 1 Nm of additional torque over the similar power output and thus, a win-win situation for the buyers if the engine is not detuned for the cruiser-friendly riding. The Avenger 160 Street is expected to be priced around INR 1 lakh with 1-channel ABS. The BS6 emission norms are coming into action from April 1, 2020. The brands have 1-year to finalize their future strategies and once they are done, reshuffling of products will be the first effect for the buyers.
