Bajaj Avenger Cruise 220

1)I have been riding this bike for a long and till now I didn't face any issues. I keep my bike up to date from time to time servicing and running. I went from Surat to Lucknow on this 220 cc bike and I can say that in almost every condition this bike is phenomenal. It is very comfortable and refined.
2)Now let's talk about some downsides.
One can feel engine vibrations at high speeds, and the turning radius may be a problem for someone.
Lastly, gear shifting and ground clearance could have been better.
Other than that everything is cool. I have 3 years of amazing experience with this bike.

About the Reviewer

This bike is essentially 100-125cc disguised as a 200cc. Above 60kmph it starts vibrating and that is painful if you're riding for a long time. The vibrations travel to the tailbone and result in highly sharp pain. Even after the suspension is set to the highest level the oscillations damp down but the overall result stays the same. Engine heats up like anything in traffic or even on a hot day highway ride. Servicing spares are somewhat cheap compared to re but still unexpected unresolved issues crop up. The fuel indicator shows it's on reserve but there are still 7 liters of petrol in the tank. I rode the Platina and it felt smoother in gear shifts and better performance-wise than this. Yes, you can overtake someone even when at 80kmph but the fact is due to vibrations you won't actually ride at 80kmph for longer than a few minutes.

About the Reviewer

I purchased my bike in 2017 when the avenger cruise was first launched. It was the perfect design for the avenger although I feel they downgraded the classic look by trying to make it "stylish" after that year. Still, a very beautiful bike and a very unique design compared to the same ghisa-pita designs of res, jawas, h'ness etc. Avenger brings novelty to the bike design in that aspect.
Coming to the riding experience. This is the single most comfortable bike I've ever sat on and the first thing I've noticed that always pops out of the pillion rider's mouth when they sit is, "wow. The backseat is so comfortable", as the backrest for the pillion enhances the experience. There is a point to be noted here. The pillion seat is only comfortable for short commutes. For long rides, it's extremely uncomfortable. The seat for them is very narrow and can cause uncomfortable pains as the ride goes on. The rider seat on the other hand is perfection. I've done a roughly 450 km ride in one sitting with no fatigue or strain by the end of it. The ride was super comfortable.
Coming to the performance side of the bike. It's a killer bike with very good performance. Can go up to 120 kmph safely. Anything more and you will most likely be causing harm to your bike. However, an important point to keep in mind. It's a cruiser end of the day and not a sports bike. So at cruising speeds of 70-80 kmph, it's buttery smooth but once you cross maybe 90-95 kmph, you'll start noticing vibrations. The bike will still remain stable even at high speeds but maybe a pair of biker gloves will definitely be needed to reduce the impact of vibrations while riding. It's got very good acceleration and the performance is killer for the price band. Mileage is another great thing on this bike. Gives around 35-40 kmph easily. Official mileage is 45 kmph though.
One of the star features of this bike is the cost of maintenance. I've seen a few people say maintenance costs them 2500-3500 each visit which surprises me. I only get the bike services at bajaj service centers and it usually costs around 1500. In fact, it has never crossed 2000. Prices of spare parts are dirt cheap. I had a terrible accident once which left heavy damage on one side of the bike but I managed to come out of the service center with a bill only amounting to around 4k by the end of it. The only problem is the quality of service. A lot of bajaj service centres keep ruining the experiences for customers with sub-par services. So what I do now is I check the ratings of service centres in my city and pick the highest-rated ones only. That's one benefit of bajaj service centres. You'll be spoilt for choice. There are usually multiple service centers in a single city. I've had a great experience at such high-rated service centres.
Some people say this bike is difficult to ride in cities. I say that's nonsense. I've been using it in cities and in fact, I regularly go crisscrossing in traffic and I have never faced an issue with this bike. It all comes down to practice and your riding abilities. The turning radius is higher and the bike is longer than most other standard bikes. So trying to make tight corners will be a challenge but I easily maneuver through city traffic with no problem. It's just an over-exaggerated problem in my opinion.
An underrated feature on this bike is its windshield. It's a killer windshield that pushes the wind up in such a great way that I've seen many random things that flew toward the bike usually get redirected immediately due to the flow of the wind over the screen. Plus it gives a very classic look to the bike.

About the Reviewer