Bajaj Avenger 180 Ownership Review by Raviprakash (40,000 KMs)

I got my Bajaj Avenger 180 around Sep 2005 and have clocked over 40,000km on the bike since then. Bike is very reliable, with no breakdown to date. Very comfortable for city rides with heavy traffic if you aren’t in a hurry, just sit back and relax. Dancing around with this bike in traffic is a little tricky because of long wheelbase and low seat height. Handlebars feel a little heavy in dense traffic.

Bajaj Avenger 180

Engine is very reliable and smooth (I always run on Shell Premium and never change the fuel brand) give it for service at Bajaj Showroon where I bought. Service it every three to four thousand km.

I have touched a top speed to 120 with a pillion (pillion weighing over 80kg & I close to 60kg) on a straight road (Bangalore to Mysore). In city riding conditions I record fuel efficiency of 43 to 44 km/L and on highways with consistent 80-90km / hr I have recorded 48km/L as best figures.

Repairs replacements are very minimal and all that I recall are as below.

  • Sprocket replaced at about 16,000km and at about 39,000km.
  • Clutch cable replaced at about 15,000km when it’s clip came off. Replaced it again at 39,000 just as precaution.
  • Right side mirror went loose & had to be replaced at around 20,000km.
  • The oil-seal went off and was dripping at around 35,000km.
  • Headlight bulb had to be replaced at around 32,000km, (i now have an HID installed which i’m not very happy with because the low beam is off-straight line and cant be adjusted. I cant run high beam Xenon in city. It was complete waste of money and headlights of Avenger (55/65W) are more than enough in city and highways at night.
  • The silencer back heat cover (clip on design which came with initial few bikes – now changed to screw on cover) fell of after a about a year of riding and had to be replaced three times, it fell off again now and i’m not going to put it back.
  • Choke cable got jammed I guess about 2 years back and had to be replaced. I never used choke even for morning start and didnt kick start in the mornings, but followed 30 sec warm up almost 50% of the times.
  • Battery had to be replaced after 4 years (Original Exide 9Ah), I guess it served its due.
  • Both front & rear tires replaced (with IRC tyres – soft compound) at 35,000km. New tires are awesome and definitely recommend to everyone who ever had skid on their bike.
  • Disk break pads, I would have replaced it about 4 times to date. Rear break pads replaced only once.
  • Speedometer pod had to be replaced – it broke when a coconut fell on it. I was thinking its made of metal shell but it was actually plastic so it broke. Make sure you don’t park your bike under coconut tree.

What’s Good in Bajaj Avenger 180

Bajaj Avenger 180

  • Reliable, low maintenance, design that’s never out of fashion. Looks like new after a wax polish, not even single spot of rust on any of the chrome parts despite me parking the bike always outside in rain & sun.
  • Decent top speed, comfortable to cruise at 80 to 90km/hr.
  • Very comfortable seats for both pillion & rider.
  • Cant do wheelie with this bike so safe for you.
  • Good service of Bajaj Probiking guys, very prompt, deliver it same day at promised time. They call up & ask even if disk break pad needs replaced, they treat you well.

What’s Not So Good…

  • Turning with a pillion in a tight road is a horrible task and I broke my ligaments once trying to balance 90kg pillion during a sharp but slow turn. Needs turning space as much as for a small car.
  • The stock MRFs are not very grippy especially on wet roads and when there is sand, need to be extremely careful and bikes front wheel will go sideways if you try to brake hard or turn. No issues after changing to IRC tyres. Now even hard breaking wont let you down.
  • The tire pressure to be maintained for rear & front tires is different from other bikes (lower than others at ~25 for rear & ~21-24 for front) so your fuel pump guy will put in higher pressure than required and will increase chances of skidding.
  • Feels under-powered for a cruiser, should have been at-least 25PS with cruising speeds to 120-130. More power at higher RPM – good for highway cruising/overtaking but bad in the city where you need to zip through.

Ah, anything else that I missed to write doesn’t seem so. My Bajaj Avenger 180 has been a good companion, only small complaints, happy about the bike. Good thing is Bajaj will give you all accessories that are required with the bike, both mirrors, saree guard, I just paid additionally for a seat cover, teflon coating and engine guard plate.

Thanks for reading through, would be happy to answer any questions.

Regards,
Raviprakash

Bajaj Avenger 180