Hello everyone! My adrenaline pumped greetings to the family of BikeAdvice. Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Ajit Nair. I reside in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. I am pursuing my Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A). I am an active user of the site Mr. Deepak Raj & his team has developed and I should not exaggerate but it is nothing short of an instant classic.
Right from my early age, I had this inclination towards bikes, bikes, bikes and nothing but bikes. Along with this inclination and inquisitiveness, came an insatiable hunger to know the technical aspects of bikes as well as the latest know-hows relating to bikes. I learnt to ride geared vehicles when I was in 10th standard. A bit late, “but it’s better late than never.” Almost like TVS Apache’s caption used to go earlier!
I was fortunate enough to have found this site that could deliver the latest of the two-wheeler industry to bike lovers like me. I take this time out to present to you the bike review of my bike which is the Kawasaki Bajaj Boxer CT. I have been using this bike since the past 5 years now and it is only at this point of time that I feel that I am in a stage to develop a review. My bike has done 33,475 kms till date. I, have rode it for around 18,500 kms.
Let us cut to the chase with the review. My bike was bought by my dad as he wanted a commuter segment bike that could deliver reasonable fuel efficiency and also would be maintenance free. He also wanted the bike to endure the sands of time as coming from a middle class family we could not shift bikes. As mentioned earlier, I am not much into the technical aspects so please bear with me. The price of the bike was Rs. 41,000/- on road.
I am going to go through the following aspects:
- Looks
- Ride Quality and Built Quality
- Performance and Handling
- Maintenance
- Mileage
Let us see them one by one. This is purely my opinion and observation so please be liberal enough to spare me the sword. 🙂
Looks
The looks of the BOXER is not something which you crave for and neither has it been a head-turner. But again this is a commuter bike and it is only in the recent years that companies have emphasized on styling in the 100-110cc range bikes. But a close look and it gives you an assured feeling that it is meant to be durable and tough. “JUST LIKE A BOXER…!” The round headlights and the squared tail-light give it a pretty decent look.
The best part about this bike which I am sure that all of you would appreciate is the steel content used in this bike. The rear as well as the front mudguard being of steel gives it a nice, shiny look. There is a lot of steel used in this bike. The spoke wheels give a nice reflection thereby making it look more attractive.
Ride Quality and Built Quality
I believe the most important aspect for you to develop a bond with your buddy is the way how he accommodates you and takes you to places. Call me a “BOXER CHAUVINIST” but the ride quality of the bike will be cherished by me forever whenever I see the commuter segment bikes. The ride quality of this bike is something that I do not generally see in today’s bikes.
It is very comfortable to the rider and the pillion as well. The broad seats provide ample support to your as well as the pillion’s butt. It is something that you miss in these days commuter bikes. The rider seat has good offerings but that’s not the case with the pillion part of the seat. The built quality of the bike is still at par with some of the modern day machines.
Sturdy yet subtle. Majority of the spare parts are still been retained by the bike which speaks volumes about the bike’s built quality. Use of good quality and quantity of steel has helped the bike in achieving heaps of praises from people whom I and my bike got to know. To brief it up, they are excellent.
Performance and Handling
Now comes the most dreaded part for any commuter segment bike. The performance part has never been the USP for these sort of the bikes and my BOXER is not an exception. Still, the performance has never been that criticisable that you keep on weeping. It generates decent torque and has got decent acceleration and pick-up. It gets to the 60 kmph mark in anything around 7-8 seconds which is good enough for me as I generally ride in the 45-50 kmph range. “Safe Riding is Good For The Bike Too After All…!”
The handling however has been a wonderful experience. It is so good that one feels that you are in sync with the bike and my friends too love riding my bikes till date in an era dominated by the Pulsars, Hunks and others. It’s a different thing that I seldom give them a chance to lay their hands on my buddy. U-turns, J-turns whatever turns it takes them very nicely to keep you comfortable.
You may not feel like any Casey Stoner (with due respect to the best racer around!) but you still can feel the confidence within you to take awkward turns or ride differently. I do not generally take my bike for long rides but I take them on occasions like get-together meetings with school friends, early winter rides with my friends and at times during monsoon but I hate my bike getting dirty so I allow her to rest during those hideous monsoon days.
One instance that I like the most was when I had to take admission for my Masters Programme and the college was in Mehsana (110 kms far from my place). I was initially hesitant to take my bike and go there in the burning sun but then something told me that this would be a good time to strengthen the bond between you and your bike. That’s it and the next thing I saw was me reaching the destination without any hiccups in one go.
That day, I did something around 220 kms but did not experience any major problems with my back or fingers or wrists. The sun tried to take its toll but it did not succeed. My current college is just 80 kms to and fro. So I take my buddy out for frequent long drives to my college. The upright riding position is very comfortable and the bike feels very maneuverable in tight city riding and once you get hold of it, it’s even better.
Maintenance
This has been one of the features which I keep on bragging about to my friends as some of my friends have had to suffer at the hands of their bikes resulting in spending thousands of bucks. All I did during these 5 years was regular servicing, timely oil change and needed adjustments. That’s it and the bikes performing as good as it has been.
Still accelerating and producing that wonderful sound which makes me feel relaxed as soon as I twist the throttle. I recently got it serviced. It is running as smooth as butter. It is producing the same beautiful exhaust sound it used to make 5 years ago. The key to any bike running good is the amount of care you put in. It’s not a bike, it’s your best mate after all…ain’t it?
Mileage
“Woh Bike Hi Kya JO 100cc Ka Ho Kar Bhi Average Na!” This is the statement that you hear from most of the people when they start describing a commuter bike. Thanks to the excellent built quality and an equally performing engine, I have been able to extract anything above 55 kmpl.
Now I know that is not something you can die for, but it sure is something to die for after a decade. So I am happy with it. Needless to say about the increasing fuel rates day by day. Deepak takes superb care of informing the readers about these issues so people like me get my bike’s tanks filled and then happy riding for some time.
The Journey so far…! My journey with my buddy has been absolutely fantastic and overwhelming and it is still going strong. I share my thoughts with my buddy whenever I feel low and even when I am happy and excited.
I have something to say which my bike would agree with me on.
“But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.” – John Keats
Me and my buddy will go on and on no matter what. For people who don’t have time, I will spare them of this.
Pros
- Very nice built quality
- Very decent mileage even after a decade.
- Very Comfortable
- Nice exhaust sound. Seems like music to me…!
Cons
- Not advisable if you want to just zoom, vroom.
- The looks seem bit out-dated at this point of time.
- Lags technologically.
- It feels out-of-breath as soon as it crosses 65 kmph and at that point you feel the bike is being struggling for breath.
- It does not have a fuel indicator which is why you need to plan out your long outings carefully if you are driving the bike for the first time or after a long time.
Thank you all for taking your most precious time out and the team of BikeAdvice for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to share my thoughts on my buddy. Deepak please let me know if I can render my services to you at any point of time. The pleasure will be all but mine. Wear proper gears and helmets while driving and enjoy with your buddy! Peace out everyone!
Regards,
Ajit Nair
