World giant, Indian brand enters Brazil with five new motorcycles

Bajaj recently confirmed its entry into the Brazilian market. Despite being little known in the country, the Indian brand is the third largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world, with nearly 4 million bikes produced between 2021 and 2022, and is present in over 80 countries.

Here in Brazil, Bajaj will have its own subsidiary and assemble its motorcycles at the Dafra factory in Manaus (Amazonas state), as BMW has already done and as Ducati and the Indian Royal Enfield are currently doing.

However, the brand still had some suspense about the bikes that would be sold in Brazil. It did because the brand’s first dealership, which will open its doors in October in the city of Santo André, in the ABC Paulista region, has already disclosed in its profile on social networks the models that will be initially marketed in the country.

Besides the Pulsar and Dominar lines, which were already listed for Brazil, the confirmation of the Avenger Street 160 should surprise fans of custom motorcycles. The official launch of the brand and the dealerships should open their doors in October.

AVENGER STREET 160

The Avenger Street 160 has a more modern custom style. It brings a small fairing over the headlight and cane protectors. It has 17″ alloy wheels in the front and 15″ in the rear. The brakes are disc in the front and drum in the rear. The highlight is the one-channel ABS system, i.e., acting only on the front.

Its 160 cc engine, powered by electronic injection, produces 15 hp maximum power at 8,500 rpm. The gearbox has five gears. The tank has a capacity of 13 liters.

The model should appeal to road-styling fans, with few low-cylinder options. Its main competitors are the 150 cc Haojue Chopper and Master Ride.

PULSAR NS 160

The Pulsar is Bajaj’s line of urban motorcycles, but with a more “sporty” than utilitarian style. Due to its optical assembly, the Pulsar NS 160 resembles the naked Honda CB 600F Hornet with a triangular headlight.

But the disc brakes on both wheels – with ABS only at the front – and the mono-shock rear suspension make the model different from the Honda CG 160 and Yamaha Fazer 150.

In India, the Pulsar NS 160 competes directly with the Yamaha FZ-FI, from which the recently launched FZ 15 is derived. It means that, despite having 160 cc, the Bajaj model will not fight directly with the CG 160.

Therefore, the price will not be low as many Brazilian consumers imagine. It is an urban naked, with an engine of 17.2 hp of maximum power (2 hp more than the CG) and superior cycling to competitors that have a more utilitarian proposal.

PULSAR NS 200

Besides a larger engine (199.5 cm³) and more powerful, with an optimistic 24.5 hp at 9,750 rpm, the Pulsar NS 200 has a larger brake disc but keeps the ABS only on the front wheel. The tires are also wider, giving more size to the NS 200, which has the same look as the 160 cc model.

In the rest, the specifications are also very similar. A tank of 12 liters, conventional telescopic fork in front and rear mono-shock, but with separate gas tank.

If it arrives in Brazil with this performance declared by Bajaj, the Pulsar NS 200 can even be a more accessible option to Twister and Fazer, both of 250 cc.

The Indian brand also has a 250 cc version of the Pulsar, which was practically confirmed for Brazil. However, the NS 250 was recently renovated in India and should take some time to arrive here.

DOMINATE 250

With a modern and bold look, the Dominar 250 brings some differentials to face the established Honda CB 250F Twister and Yamaha Fazer FZ 25.

The engine, liquid-cooled, with four valves per cylinder, DOHC produces 27 hp at 8,500 rpm – superior performance to the competitors. Its gearbox has six speeds, which reduces the speed on the road and helps save fuel.

The cycling set also draws attention. Besides the double-perimeter beam frame, the suspension uses an inverted fork in the front and a single shock absorber in the rear. The light-alloy wheels are 17-inch with disc brakes and an ABS system on both. Its weight in running order, however, is high: 180 kg.

DOMINATE 400

For the capacity and power of the engine, the Dominar 400 is one of the most awaited Bajaj motorcycles by Brazilian motorcyclists. After all, it would be one of the few options in this displacement range and has specifications worthy of larger bikes, such as inverted suspension in the front and full-LED lighting.

The single-cylinder, 373.3 cm³ engine has liquid cooling and derives from the KTM 390 Duke, which Bajaj also produces at the Chakan plant in India. Capable of producing 40 bhp of power at 8,800 rpm, it is an engine that performs well even for traveling.

For this reason, Bajaj classifies the Dominar 400 as a kind of naked with a touring vocation. The Indian brand even sells the model with several touring accessories, such as windshields, luggage racks, and hand guards in India.

However, the Brazilian subsidiary of Bajaj has not yet confirmed whether the version that will be sold in Brazil will have the same standard equipment.

Neither is its price. In India, the Dominar 400 is sold for about R$15,000 (US$2,900), which does not mean it will have the same price here. But, if it has a price of around R$30,000 can “shake” the medium motorcycle market.

With information from UOL