Test riding Bajaj Auto's new V15

Stirring things up just when they seem to have settled down is something Bajaj Auto excels at Take the case of the Pulsars Just when the Indian market had settled down to the Hero Honda CBZ phenomenon over a decade and a half ago the Pulsars came and raced away with everyonersquos attention Then came the Eliminator later the Avenger which suddenly offered an affordable cruiser option Over the years there have been many examples The latest chapter in their saga comes in the form of the V15 mdash a premium commuter constructed with bits of the legendary INS Vikrant in it Hence the tagline lsquoPart Motorbike Part War HerorsquoThere is no doubt that this brand new motorcycle which Bajaj says has been developed from scratch is an attention grabber Some may question the design of the headlight and the bikini fairing that adorns it but none will argue over its ability to turn heads Itrsquos also a difficult motorcycle to categorise While the wide handlebar and upright riding posture scream commuter the combination of the 18inch front wheel and 16inch rear wheel lends a cruiserlike stance At the same time therersquos no doubt that the rear seat cowl howls cafe racer In essence the V15 is completely in a class of its ownThe chunky sculpted fuel tank is the visual focal point on this machine and seamlessly holds the varied design elements together Rather than raid the parts bin Bajaj has made good use of the last three years developing this bike from the ground up the chassis engine 5speed transmission and even the switchgear are all new although we would have liked if they had included an engine kill switchThe lack of a rev counter betrays the V15rsquos commuter heart Thumb the starter and the 1495 cc DTSi engine instantly growls to life with an impressively meaty note from that wide round exhaust Bajaj has strayed away from its custom of building revhappy engines with classleading power figures in lieu of commuterstyle low rpm rideability Hence this bike is endowed with a 2valve head rather than the 4valve unit used in her 150cc cousins that is more tuned towards making torque at low revs than outright power and helps keeps costs down The result is a maximum of only 12 PS at 7500 RPM but a healthy 13 Nm of torque at 5500 rpm 80 per cent of which is developed at as low as 3500 RPM In the real world this translates to a strong pull right off idle and fewer downshifts when negotiating city traffic as the bike can easily pull from as low as 25 kmh in top gear thanks to her low gearing However vibrations start to creep in over 60 kmhV15 carries the memory of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant On the road the V15 feels sturdy and the build quality and finish are deserving of applause The telescopic fork up front and twin gascharged shock absorbers at the rear although basic seem to have been well thought out and do a great job of ironing out road imperfections and imparting a solid feel to the bike The motorcycle stays planted over notsogreat roads We would have appreciated a little more flickability which would have aided filtering through traffic A special mention must be made of the excellent brakes that have the most progressive bite and feel of any Bajaj product till dateThe V15 will compliment the Discover 150F in Bajajrsquos premium commuter lineup and the INS Vikrant connection will surely make her a novelty among patriotic Indian customers as well as those serving in our armed forces In one way or another the legendary warship lives on