2018 Bajaj Avenger 180: top five facts

For 2018 Bajaj Auto has replaced its successful Avenger 150 with the Avenger 180, which is the new entry-level Avenger now. With collective monthly sales of over 11,000 units (Avenger 150 Street, Avenger 220 Street and Avenger 220 Cruise together) Bajaj says the Avengers are doing really well for the brand and it hopes the new, more powerful and refreshed Avenger 180 will only help it move more units out of showrooms. Here's the top five facts about the new Avenger in town.

The 2018 Bajaj 180 is now the most affordable Avenger as it replaces the Avenger 150 and retails at Rs 85,498 ex-showroom

Engine

Like it did back in 2005, the Avenger 180 borrows the Pulsar 180's tried and tested 178.6cc, air-cooled single cylinder engine. That said there's a world of difference between the 2005 engine and the engine powering the 2018 Avenger 180. Bajaj has worked incrementally over the years to make the engine smoother, refined and more powerful which means there's more differences between the two engines than similarities. The engine is also in a different state of tune this time and the outputs for the Avenger 180 at 15.5PS and 13.7Nm as compared to 17PS and 14.2Nm on the Pulsar 180.

The 2018 Bajaj Avenger 180 gets the same design changes over the Avenger 150 as the Avenger 220 Street

Styling

The Avenger 180 looks identical to the updated, 2018 Bajaj Avenger 220 Street. Effectively it boasts all the design changes made for 2018 including the oblong shaped headlamp unit which integrates the same round headlight as before along with a strip of LEDs underneath that function as daytime running lamps. A tiny flyscreen sits atop the headlamp unit, purely for aesthetic purposes. The 2018 Avenger 180 also gets revised decals and the new Avenger logo on the fuel tank, along with the matte black finish for the mirrors, forks, engine, alloy wheels and exhaust. A redesigned, clear lens tail light with a shroud adorns the rear, but the Avenger 180 does not get an LED tail light. The pillion grab rail is new as well and is taller and padded now, unlike the Avenger 150's smaller unit.

The tail light on the 2018 Bajaj Avenger 180 is the same as the updated Avenger 220, and so is the new, taller and padded pillion grab rail

The 2018 Bajaj Avenger 180 misses out on the Avenger 220's all-digital instrument cluster

Chassis and suspension

The Avenger 180's chassis and cycle parts are identical to the Avenger 150 it replaces, as also the Avenger 220. The frame is thus the same double downtube chassis while telescopic forks perform duty at the front along with twin shock absorbers at the rear, though the Avenger 180 (or the Avenger 220 for that matter) does not get gas charged shock absorbers like the Pulsars yet. That said, rear suspension travel on the Avenger 180 and the 2018 Avenger 220 has been increased by 10mm and stands at 108mm now to offer a better ride. The overall setup in that sense is the same which means the Avenger 180 handles well while not compromising on a good ride quality.

The 2018 Bajaj Avenger 180 gets twin hydraulic shock absorbers at the rear that now boast 108mm of travel as opposed to 98mm on the Avenger 150 and last year's Avenger 220s

Equipment and features

On the braking front, a 260mm disc performs duty at the front, while a 130mm drum brake provides stopping power at the rear on the Avenger 180. There is no rear disc brake on offer, even as an option. ABS isn't on offer either, not yet at least. The Avenger 180 misses out on the Avenger 220's new digital instrument cluster and gets the same analogue speedometer as the Avenger 150 housed in a single pod instead, which also integrates a tiny digital display for the trip/odometer. Effectively, the Avenger 180 also gets the analogue-style fuel gauge mounted onto the fuel tank as the older Avengers instead of the digital one that's integrated into the Avenger 220's instrument cluster. The Avenger 180 comes shod with a 90/90 R17 Eurogrip tyre at the front and a 130/90 R15 tyre at the rear.

A 260mm disc performs duty upfront on the 2018 Avenger 180's front wheel that is shod with a 90/90 R17 Eurogrip tyre

Competition

Bajaj Auto says the Avenger 180 does not have a direct rival, though comparisons with the Suzuki Intruder 150 are obvious, given that the Suzuki is the only sub-200cc cruiser on offer currently. That said, the Avenger 180 retails at Rs 85,498 ex-showroom, New Delhi, which is Rs 15,000 less than the Intruder 150's ex-showroom price of Rs 99,995. In comparison to the Avenger 180's 15.5PS and 13.7Nm, the Intruder 150 offers 14.8PS and 14Nm of torque and weighs 148kg (kerb) as compared to the Avenger 180's kerb weight of 150kg which means the two motorcycles are really close to each other on paper.

You can read our first ride review of the 2018 Bajaj Avenger 180 here.