Indian Motos Blog » Bajaj

MH state govt policies push Bajaj to explore avenues in Gujarat

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 05:11:46 +0000

In addition to the two plants in Maharashtra and one in Uttarakhand, Bajaj Auto has proposed plans for their fourth and largest ever plant in the country. The new plant will be situated near the Mundra port in Gujarat. With an investment of nearly 1, 000 crore, the company plans to produce a four-wheeler which will be a next generation passenger mover. The 500 acre factory will have an installed capacity of producing 5 million units annually. However, 60% of this production will be export oriented. Apparently, Bajaj is not the only company to have plans for Gujarat. Tata has already begun production of the Nano in Sanand. In the recent past, four wheeled players like Ford and Maruti Suzuki have expressed interest in the state. The move to shift from its steady base in Maharashtra was due to a fifteen month long dispute between the company and the Maharashtra State government, which has withheld Rs 1,100 crore in sales tax refunds. Instead, the government has demanded Rs. 600 crore from the company for nonpayment of sales tax for the year 2009-10. The motorcycle giant will challenge the notice in the tribunal. In addition to the government’s erratic behavior, the acute labor problems at the Chakan plant seems to have forced the company to look at more proactive avenues.

Kawasaki Ninja 650R bookings shut till Diwali?

Shrawan Raja — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:28:08 +0000

The blogosphere is buzzing with news of Bajaj shutting down bookings for the Ninja 650R till festival time. As IndianCarsBikes says, the Ninja 650R came, saw and has conquered biker's hearts. Launched a few weeks ago, the 650cc Ninja took everyone by storm as it was priced lower than everyone expected. Keeping the 250R' prices as framework, people expected the Ninja to touch 6 lakh rupees, but at 4.57 lakh rupees (Ex-showroom) it was a steal!

There's such a demand for the locally assembled motorcycle that Bajaj has suspended bookings and will resume only during the festival season. Launched just a month ago in India, this 650cc sports stands in direct competition with another new entrant in the 650cc motorcycle category, the Hyosung GT650R. If Bajaj stops taking orders, Hyosung will benefit from walk-ins of impatient buyers. The GT650R is comparable to the Ninja 650 in many respects (except for brand value) and proves as a tempting alternative. The Ninja 650R is powered by a liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve, parallel twin 650cc engine married to a 6-speed transmission proving riders with brutal acceleration.

Bajaj dealer puts fully-faired Pulsar 220 on display

Shrawan Raja — Fri, 27 May 2011 11:50:07 +0000

The Pulsar 220 DTS-i is available in naked and half-faired forms. If you are looking for full fairing, you'll have to get it done in an after-market shop. Bajaj might not be very comfortable to see customers handing their bikes to unauthorized mechanics/shops because a poorly executed fairing might affect air flow to the radiator and the aerodynamics of the bike. Another safety hazard is if it is dislodged from the mounting brackets at high speeds - a very realistic possibility as a local machine shop does not take vibration and air flow as design considerations while moulding it.

To eliminate these problems, Bajaj could be pondering over the idea of fully fairing the Pulsar at the showroom level. Last week at an exhibition in Indonesia, one Bajaj dealer exhibited a fully faired 220cc Pulsar.

The kit is available for existing customers. It is sold in three pieces - side fairing, engine cover and mud guard. It is light weight as it is constructed using fiber glass.

The kit will be sold in limited numbers and primarily was to gauge feedback from enthusiasts and existing customers. The report on tmcblog adds that it could be an official accessory on the market later this year. What goes to Indonesia, must travel from India. Perhaps the Indian customer will get it before overseas customers. Source - TMCBlog.com

Spied – KTM200 Duke caught testing in Pune

Shrawan Raja — Fri, 13 May 2011 12:19:08 +0000

Motoroids reader Niranjan Skoda from Bangalore caught the KTM-Bajaj 200cc Duke testing and the spyshots reveal new details. The first proof that this isn't the KTM125 is the size of the liquid cooled engine. It is much larger than the 125cc Duke and will output about 20PS. Motoroids is right when they say this bike will be high on snob value and style. Though it is simply a 200cc motorcycle with features you get on a Hero Honda, Bajaj or Yamaha, the styling of this bike along with its positioning means it won't cost under one lakh rupees. In India, the KTM brand will be sandwiched between the bigger Pulsars and the Kawasaki Ninja brand bikes.

The next generation Pulsar will share common parts and possibly the entire platform with KTM bikes. While we are not sure what will funnel down into the next Pulsar, the powertrain is a good pick. Head over to Motoroids.com to see more spyshots and understand its features.

KTM arrives in India by year-end

Shrawan Raja — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:24:37 +0000

The sports segment of the Indian motorcycle market fascinates Bajaj Auto, its president admitted to Financial Express newspaper. He said the KTM brand will be introduced in India by the year-end. The engine displacement on the Indian variant is understood to be 200cc. Bajaj holds roughly 50% market share in the sports segment with the growth-driving Pulsar brand offered with 135, 150, 180 and 220cc displacement. It will not stop offering motorcycles in the sports segment. Indian Motos Blog reported in March that Bajaj is coordinating with KTM to jointly develop platforms for both companies. We expect the next generation Pulsar and a smaller KTM motorcycle to share a common platform. KTM says it is working on engines displacing up to 350cc for emerging markets, especially Asia, though no launch time-frame was divulged. These engines could be developed with Bajaj' help as low cost sports bikes have tremendous potential in Asian countries. It's not like Bajaj is performing poorly in other segments. The Discover brand has been equally, if not more successful in garnering marketshare in the more important commuter segment. After the introduction of the 100cc Discover, it is giving Hero Honda Splendor a tough fight for the best selling motorcycle in India, and perhaps the world. Bajaj expects to capture 30% of the total Indian motorcycle market by the end of this year with its Pulsar and Discover bikes. Source - MyDigitalFC.com

Next gen Bajaj Pulsar on new platform by Dec 2011

Shrawan Raja — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:31:22 +0000

On the sidelines of the Discover 125cc launch, MD of Bajaj Auto Rajiv Bajaj reiterated that the next generation Pulsars on all-new platforms will arrive by the end of 2011. Rajiv Bajaj said the response for the newly launched 250cc Honda CBR motorcycle had taken them by surprise and their new Pulsars will be ready to take it head on. Bajaj could introduce Pulsars displacing up to 400cc. What we could see first could be something around the 250cc capacity with four valves and liquid cooling, mono-shock rear suspension, dual disc brakes, etc.

We already reported that Bajaj and KTM are jointly developing platforms that will cater to both companies' needs. We might not be surprised to see KTM engines on higher displacement Pulsars next year. Note - Display image not connected with the story and purely is for representative purpose.

Bajaj Discover 125 launched today

Shrawan Raja — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:02:58 +0000

Bajaj today unveiled the Discover 125cc variant and in the process completed a full circle. The Discover began its life as a 125cc commuter bike but through the last few years, plenty of variants with varying displacements have been tried out and rolled back. Bajaj sells 1.2 lakh units of the Discover every month. With the 125cc variant, they aim to boost it to 1.5 lakh units. Bajaj's 100cc and 150cc Discover variants have propelled volumes to unseen levels prompting this intermediate version. The 125cc variant is aimed at giving the commuter a balance of economy and power. The stylish Discover is strapped with a 124cc air-cooled 2 valve, SOHC four stroke DTSi engine that produces 11bhp and 10.8Nm.

An 8 liter fuel tank with 1.5 liters in reserve, alloy wheels and electric start is standard on the 125cc Discover and customers will have to choose between a variant that has front disc brake and one with drums.

Visually, not much has changed on the Discover 125cc. A black powder coated engine block and graphics with the "125" monicker near the grab rail are the only notable additions.

The Discover 125 is priced at 45,500 rupees for the Drum brake model and 48,000 rupees for the Disc brake model (ex-showroom Delhi).

KTM and Bajaj working on common motorcycle platforms

Shrawan Raja — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:12:15 +0000

KTM and Bajaj are working on a common platform that will underpin the latter's Pulsar motorcycle, Bajaj Auto' MD Rajiv Bajaj said in a recent interview. The reason for the operation is simple - economies of scale. The cost structure will be simplified and improved while the end user also benefits from it. The joint development of both companies is a low capacity KTM Duke motorcycle scheduled for series production in April 2011 at Chakan.

Bajaj hopes to penetrate new markets dominated by Japanese companies like Australia, Brazil, Thailand and Malaysia using KTM's assistance. This could be either providing its Pulsar and Discover bikes an established dealer network or develop or tweak motorcycles with KTM's market know-how in some of these countries. Where KTM is not present, Kawasaki will do the job in those countries. For example in Philippines Bajaj motorcycles is distributed by Kawasaki. Source - Moneycontrol.com

2011 Bajaj Discover 100 launched

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 11:50:20 +0000

Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL) launched its 2011 edition of Discover 100, marking yet another occassion - the 40 lakh sales milestone for the brand that was introduced back in 2004. There is no technical upgrade on the immesely popular 100cc Disoover except for multi-colour decals in two options of gold green and red magenta. Bajaj describes the decal as 'Auto Colour change'. According to the company this sort of a sticker is the first in a motorcycle in India. The 100cc Discover scores well in fuel economy and pickup and is inching closer to the segment leader Splendor with each passing month. The Discover brand has done wonders to the company despite seeing the demise of many variants through its entire life.

The 150cc version was launched last year and met with good response. Bajaj aims to put another Discover in the market this year which is touted to carry either a 125cc or a watered-down 135cc unit from the Pulsar franchise. Bajaj Auto's President (Motor-cycles), S Sridhar -

We have recently appointed more than 130 additional dealers and I expect them to contribute towards the growth of Discover next year. So with a wider network and with the new product innovation, Discover should also keep growing.

It is unusual to see Bajaj offer a motorcycle without tweaking the mechanicals. Usually it is Hero Honda who publicizes such an activity. Source - IndianCarsBikes.in

Bajaj to launch new Discover in April

Rakesh Sridhar — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:12:52 +0000

The Discover - The iconic name from Bajaj after the Chetak and the Pulsar. Bajaj had a stronghold in the scooter market with the Chetak in the 70s and the 80s. The influx of the 100cc Indo-Japanese made its life difficult and the Chetak started losing out its market as it had a poor fuel economy. The Pulsar was the next icon from Bajaj which revolutionized the Indian 150cc segment like no other. Bajaj was again in the midst of things and we saw the Pulsar brand single handedly life the sales of Bajaj. And now, its the Discover - the high mileage long distance commuter. We saw the first avatar of the Discover in 125cc form which was basically a modified Wind 125. Though the Disco 125 didn't do very well, its second avatar - the 112cc version, won the hearts of the people with its claimed 101kmpl mileage. Later, a 135cc version was launched which had disc brakes.

The 135cc was criticized for various reasons and was eventually withdrawn. The 100cc was the real mover in terms of the numbers and had a very strong sales figure. Soon, the highly fuel efficient Discover 100 challenged the Splendor for the top spot among the commuters. In a highly surprising move, Bajaj launched the Discover 150cc which broke all the cost barriers for a 150cc motorcycle. The Disco 150 was successful and started eating into the share of the 125cc segment! And now, we have a brand new Discover making its way into the market this April. Considering the fact that Rajiv Bajaj hopes to increase the total sales figures per month from 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh units, we can assume that the new Discover will be a volume player. Similar to the 150 which is an economic alternative to the Pulsar 150, the new Discover can be a substitute for the Pulsar 135. Also, the new Discover will draw the engines design cues from the Pulsar 135 which has 4 valve technology. So we can expect the new Discover to come loaded with a whole lot of technologies at a very attractive price. So if you are in the market for a motorcycle in the 110cc-150cc segment, its better you wait till April when the new Discover rolls out! Source - MoneyControl.com