Bajaj Street Avenger 220: chopper and classic, two in one

Distinctive features

In terms of comfort and convenience, the Indian bike will give a head start to any of its competitors:

• low landing;
• double soft seat;
• indicators indicating the gear engaged and battery charge;
• good maneuverability;
• controllability.

In terms of technical characteristics, the Avenger street 220 DTS-i also distinguished itself:

• engine capacity 220 l/s;
• air cooling system;
• 2 candles;
• front suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers;
• brake mechanisms with hydraulic drive;
• high ground clearance - 169 millimeters;
• capacious battery – 9 Ah.

The manufacturer provides a 2-year warranty on its product, which indicates the high quality of the bike.

The Avenger street model can be ordered with delivery to your address if desired. The service is available throughout Belarus, including the most remote cities. The need for delivery is discussed with the manager at the stage of discussing the order.

BAJAJ Avenger street 220 DTS-i is a great model created to enjoy driving on the roads!

The feeling of being at one with the road comes when you ride the Avenger Street 220 with an engine that produces enough torque to dominate every stretch of road.

In 2022, the updated version of the Bajaj Avenger Street was released. The changes mainly affected the appearance, namely:

• digital instrument panel
• led headlight
• redesigned rear light

as well as some minor minor design changes. DTS-I A patented technology that has made Bajaj motorcycles, particularly the Avenger, the most popular motorcycle both on the road and under the watchful eye of competitors. At the heart of every Avenger is some of the most advanced engine technology ever created. DTS-i is a technological marvel. It combines a combination of two or three spark plugs, TRICS III ignition and throttle control and CDI to provide maximum performance with minimum fuel consumption and emissions levels.

TWO SPARK PLUGS Most ignition systems have a single spark plug. The flame front created by the spark requires some time for complete combustion of the working mixture. Because of this, combustion may occur slowly and not completely.

With Twin Spark, two spark plugs are fired at the same time. This process allows the mixture to ignite in every corner of the combustion chamber, resulting in complete and rapid combustion. The entire process is controlled by the DTS-i electronic system.

Technical specifications of Bajaj Avenger Street 220

When you first look at this bike, its creation was inspired by the success of the Kawasaki Vulcan S, which became the first such experiment in combining the features of a cruiser and a road motorcycle. However, the Bajaj Avenger Street 220 2022 model year (when the last restyling was carried out) acts in a completely different weight category, and its competitors are mainly small-capacity Japanese and Chinese bikes. It should be noted that it looks organic and does not seem cobbled together from parts of other motorcycles. This flirtation with styles brings to mind the old Yamaha Virago series, designed according to the same principles - the external features of a cruiser combined with a classic landing. However, in the case of the Bajaj Avenger Street 220, reviews from owners unanimously state that sitting on this motorcycle is comfortable for everyone, except for those with a very heroic physique.

You shouldn’t expect any modern technologies from an Indian small-capacity bike, but for its price the bike is pretty well equipped. Engine - single-cylinder 4-valve (19 hp and 17.5 Nm), with 2 spark plugs, air-oil cooling, gearbox - 5-speed. Eternal classic! By the way, according to unofficial data, the service life of the Bajaj Avenger Street 220 engine is stated as 100 thousand kilometers, which seems to be true, and the maximum speed is 135 km/h. There are many small-capacity cars that have driven their first hundred thousand without engine problems, such as the Yamaha Ebrik, which, by the way, is assembled in China. The 2022 Avenger Street 220 gets some minor changes - a digital instrument panel instead of an analogue one, an LED headlight, a different taillight and a few other little things. The gas tank holds 14 liters of fuel, and the carburetor bike easily digests AI-92, consuming about 3.5 liters per 100 km. The brakes are also good - a 260mm disc at the front and a drum at the rear, but in both cases the braking system is hydraulic rather than mechanical. The information content of the brakes of the Bajaj Avenger Street 220 motorcycle can be called not exactly excellent, but quite acceptable.

Motorcycle Bajaj Avenger Cruise 220 DTS-i

Yes

Advantages:

+

Flaws:

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So my first motorcycle season is over... I must say it was... read the article on bikepost (https://bikepost.ru/blog/92454/Pervyj-motosezon-2020g-na-Bajaj-Avenger.html) I must say it was good, not as planned a year ago, but still good. What did I want? I wanted to travel around Europe, but I couldn’t go due to closed borders. What should we do, sit still? No, we will go wherever we can. And I didn’t have to think long, because... Since winter, we have also been thinking about points for a motorcycle visit in the Leningrad region. We have something to see. Approximately 50 attractions were selected from many hundreds. But there were selection criteria so as not to leave the motorcycle for a long time. There are various reasons for this, including when you’re in full gear you can’t really run around, and I’m lazy about undressing and dressing. But still, I managed to ride both solo and in the company of partners and in organized motorcycle groups. The main thing was positive emotions, I was tired from traveling, but in a good mood. Gradually, an understanding came from my own experience about the power of the motorcycle, although the understanding was there earlier and here it was confirmed almost every time. 220 cubic meters is not enough for intercity. A comfortable speed is 110-115 km/h, the maximum reached 125. But the lack was felt when trying to overtake, when driving against the wind, uphill, and simply when accelerating. The acceleration turned out to be calm)) well, that is. unhurried. Those. often lagged behind more powerful motorcycles. Therefore, in the column I shamefully rolled behind the leaders, since they were kind people, looked in the mirrors and felt sorry... And in the tail everyone is cheerful, they will catch up, they can)) Do I regret that I got just such a spendthrift? No, I don't regret it! For me, no matter how trite it may sound, it was a learning period. On a quiet motorcycle with a weak engine, well, the money issue played an important role. What I could, as they say... By the way, Roman-Mithun Raidchenell helped play a significant role in the selection, without knowing it, we didn’t know each other at that time. I scoured the Internet looking for various information on what to buy and not miss. So I thought that I was on the right track. I wasn't wrong, I know. I am a keen person, if I want to delve into something, I delve as deeply as possible, with training, and all sorts of expenses for the necessary and accompanying items. Only about the companion comes understanding a little later, but the money has already been spent. Equipment, luggage systems, and other bells and whistles. During the course of the play, I saw Seryozha Se’s travel tracks on a map of the globe of Russia, so I need the same thing! How to make them? There is a creative search going on, then I asked him: How do you make them? He said. Everything is easy and simple there. I started doing it, posting VKontakte and face book. More for my own memory, but people also saw it, some even liked it. What's next? And then you need to grow above yourself, develop, try to implement what was planned and not planned. Overcome with God's help. Another motorcycle with a more powerful engine, in the tourenduro configuration, because “everyone will ride them.” My Avenger is neither a cruiser nor a road bike, but a mixture of a bulldog... There is no desire for a sporty one, and I managed to appreciate the wind protection and realize the need for a suspension adapted to uneven roads. So I have Suzuka V-Strom in my sights, can I... I put the bike in winter storage, there the designer asks about the mileage, I say 7800 and complain that it didn’t work out well, like the rains got in the way and all that... He was very surprised, because... For some reason I expected to hear no more than 3t.km. But I really could have driven twice as far if I had had more energy. I did not visit some of the planned points to visit due to the distance of 300-350 km in one direction. I understood that it would be tiring. I'll return to them on a new moto. You could say that almost all of my trips this season are shown in the picture. I drove along some roads back and forth more than once, somewhere once. The motorcycle consumed 237 liters of 92 benzene with a stable consumption of 3 l/100 km. I kept all the statistics, so the data is correct. And what about Bajaj Avenger himself? Well done, he didn’t let me down, didn’t break down, rode and made me happy. But I didn’t bother him either, I’m used to treating things carefully, and the spendthrift is no exception. I will sell it and I won’t be ashamed of it. Don't judge my story harshly, I'm never a writer. Have a nice trip everyone!

My mark:

Pros and cons of Bajaj Avenger Street 220

Advantages

• Surprisingly good build quality, without untidy hanging wires, loose nuts and other shortcomings that owners of small-capacity bikes are accustomed to.
• A spacious 14-liter gas tank combined with moderate appetites and undemanding quality of fuel.
• Stylish appearance and comfortable fit.
• Moderate weight - only 150 kg, and thanks to the low center of gravity, the motorcycle subjectively seems even lighter.
• An informative dashboard that even warns of low battery levels.

Flaws

• Rear drum brake instead of disc brake.
• Reliable, but rather rigid and uninformative suspensions without any adjustments.
• Centrifugal oil filter instead of disposable paper one. Quite a strange decision considering that the engine of the Bajaj Avenger Street 220 is quite well thought out.
• Short service intervals.

Small and so good

Actually, I haven't introduced the hero yet. Meet the Bajaj Avenger 220, a mini-cruiser with a 19-horsepower, 220cc single-cylinder engine. If you have ever seen a photo of a large Indian city, the question of a modest cubic capacity will disappear by itself. Where else can they go, where can they drive in a dense stream of “their own kind”?

Avenger is a cruiser, although small. With all the typical style elements. Considering the size of the motorcycle itself, the saddle can be said to be luxurious, and its height is also low. This will definitely appeal to small novice drivers: in traffic jams you can rest securely on both legs without fear of dropping the “device.” But I’m not sure that a person taller than 180 cm will be comfortable here

The test week proved that even in a metropolis such an engine is quite sufficient: of course, if we are talking about banal movement around the city, and not a frantic pursuit of adrenaline. Yes, it actually doesn’t go more than 100 km/h – in this regard, overtaking trucks on the sidelines make you a little worried. But in the center you feel absolutely at ease. The small and light Avenger will fit into any available “hole”, even under the control of a novice. Again, it forgives such mistakes as turning the throttle too sharply or “throwing” the clutch, and teaches you to change gears on time. The Bajaj handles very well for motorcycles of this class, and the two-piston front disc brake makes you forget about the rear drum brake - it’s so good.

1 of 5

The speedometer and odometer are, in fact, all the instruments. It is strange that despite the presence of an LCD display, there is no basic clock function. Yes, and instead of the blue manufacturer’s logo, I would prefer to see turn signal indicators - I think it would easily fit

Indicators and warning lamps are located on the tank. The selected gear is not displayed at all – only neutral (letter N)

Of course, there is no point in comparing this motorcycle with “adult” cruisers, which are at least several times (sometimes an order of magnitude) more expensive. Here the plastic is simpler, the chrome is thinner, and you can find fault with the assembly. But as soon as you remember its price ($2300), you forget about the claims.

To be honest, I can’t even find an alternative – if we’re talking specifically about new motorcycles. By the way, in addition to this Street version, there is also a Cruise with spoked wheels, a windshield and a backrest for the rear passenger. You can even buy it in gold color with a brown saddle to stroke your biker ego. Just don't forget your leather jacket!

Bajaj Avenger 220 Cruise is a very comfortable “sofa” with which I learned the taste of travel. It’s boring to talk about it: it just drives and doesn’t break down at all. I will try to get to the bottom of its shortcomings, but it will be difficult to do this: this motorcycle is a dream of a handyman and a lazy person - know, do the maintenance and fill up with gasoline. :) The first part of the review is the general experience of purchase and operation, then there will be the technical part. After three seasons of problem-free and fun riding on the Bajaj Boxer BM150 in the winter of 2018/2019, I came to the understanding that that’s it – this motorcycle no longer bothers me. I just rode it and exhausted all emotions - it became just a two-wheeled vehicle. In addition, all these years the Boxer’s engine was simply not enough - a cruiser of 90 km/h was already critical for it and included the oil-burner and oil-squeezer-through-gaskets modes. Back in the summer of 2022, I was able to test the Bajaj Avenger 220 Cruise in an extended mode as part of the all-Ukrainian Bajaj test drive, for which special thanks to the brand representatives in our country. We rode with the “two” on a motorbike for two hours, in the city and outside the city. Compared to the Boxer, the Avenger (actually, correctly Avenger with an emphasis on the “e”, but oh well - it’s more familiar :) ) seemed like a bike from another world: better tactile sensations, more comfortable suspension and landing, and of course , the engine is significantly more torquey. In general, after sighing after the test drive, we put our positive emotions into the depths of our brains and rode the Boxer further...

And so, at the beginning of winter 2022, I decide to change my motorcycle. The question “what mot?” didn’t even stand - based on the amount I could afford to spend, from normal motos I could have taken either Avenger 220 or Pulsar 200 (they cost almost the same). When I say “normal motorcycle,” I mean a motorcycle with which you won’t have to do anything technically at all for several years. Of course, there are, for about the same money, no less worthy used small-capacity bikes from Japan, for example, Suzuki Grasstracker, enduro-checks, etc., but they need to be brought to life and constantly carefully monitor their technical condition with the search for consumables and spare parts . This is all not for me, and here the choice is purely individual. We went to the salon and sat on both the Avenger and the Pulsar. It is clear that the Pulsar is faster, its “maximum speed” is higher and its cruising speed, respectively, is higher. But, no matter how funny it may sound, our asses made the choice for us. :)) The Avenger is simply more convenient and comfortable, but we need a motorcycle, first of all, for long-distance driving. Then there are financial issues: the bank approves the loan, the money received goes to the motorcycle dealership, and in my parking lot next to the car and the not yet sold Boxer, the handsome Avenger, shiny with chrome, in the Cruise version, settles in: high windshield, high steering wheel, spoked tube wheels, passenger backrest , chrome all around, 5-speed gearbox, front disc and rear drum brakes, one 220 cc cylinder, 19 hp/17 Nm, air-oil cooling. Woohoo!))

I started running-in immediately after purchase, back in February, even without registration and license plates. :) March 2022 in Kiev was warm and relatively dry, so I wound up the first thousand running-in quickly, and in April I already finished running-in (2000 km). It should be noted that the break-in speeds given in the manual do not correspond to the modes in which the engine runs easily - they are too low. The engine jerks and tries to stall. You can safely add up to 5 km/h from above to each of the recommended speeds in each gear - then the engine starts to pull and does not move the motorcycle jerkily. It was precisely by this principle that I subsequently tested my next motorcycle: shift gears not according to the manual, but according to sensations - when the engine in the selected gear “catches” even traction, then I immediately shift up. At the same time, break-in speeds still remain low and close to those recommended in the bike’s operating instructions.

Immediately after the purchase, we started making plans for motorcycle trips with the “deuce”. My annual vacation can be divided into several parts and these parts can be recorded by month. The first vacation is planned for May. In preparation for the trip, I gradually began to prepare the motorcycle for a long trip. The windshield on the Avenger in the Cruise version is already chic, so this item did not require any modification. What was needed was good trunks to accommodate my and my girlfriend’s clothes. A full-fledged luggage system was a bit expensive, so I found universal folding U-shaped frames on the Internet, which I bought and screwed onto the standard mounting holes of the side decorative trims - they fit without any “piling.” To go with them, I bought cruiser-style side cases made of leatherette and hung them on the frames, passing the central jumper under the passenger part of the seat. Further operation of this design proved its functionality, with the exception of my miscalculation during the initial mounting - it was necessary to use spacers to move the frames further away from the motorcycle, because in the very first long-distance trip the panniers were rubbed by the shock absorbers and the pendulum until there were holes through them. The error was later corrected, but the panniers were already damaged.

The first trip on the Avenger, as I already said, took place in May along the Kyiv-Istanbul route through Romania and Bulgaria, mileage - 3400 km, duration - 9 days. The motorcycle was fairly loaded: I – 85 kg, the girl – 55 kg, luggage – about 10 kg. The cruising speed on the highways was kept in the region of 100-110 km/h. An unpleasant surprise was that on the Kyiv-Odessa highway, which almost entirely consists of long ascents and descents and with a strong headwind, the power of a loaded motorcycle in the last, fifth gear was sorely lacking - they started the ascent at a speed of 100 km/h, and finished almost at 70 km/h. Consumption in this mode jumped to a mind-boggling 5.1 l/100 km. At first I thought that there was something wrong with the engine, but the further journey showed that everything was in order - the engine was just squeezing all the juices out of itself, as a result, it drank gasoline in buckets, and still could not maintain speed on the climbs due to the small cubic capacity . On a flat road without wind, the speed of 100-110 was maintained simply with a small margin for overtaking, and consumption dropped to a constant 3.5 liters (by the way, this is a stable fuel consumption figure for the Avenger for highway speeds and two riders). Technically, the trip went without issue. There’s not even anything to complain about. :) Total mileage – ~6000 km.

I decided to devote all three parts of my vacation (May, July and September) to motorcycle travel. The first one took place. July was next. After brainstorming with the guys from the Bajaj Club, who expressed a desire to travel with me, it was decided to go to my beloved Romania. But now not in transit, as I used to go, but to this country with a visit to all the interesting mountainous places: Transalpina (I haven’t been there yet), Transfagaras and the Bicaz gorge. The trip took place in July, but my “double” did not go because she could not get leave for these dates. All of these beauties were visited, and several times we were caught in heavy downpours in the mountains, so that things even in our trunks got wet to the skin. The circle covered about 2,500 kilometers in 7 days. Romania is still one of my favorite countries to travel by motorcycle. Again, technically everything was perfect. There weren’t even any tire punctures during the total mileage, which by that time was approximately 10,000 km.

And the last foreign trip on Avenger in 2022 took place in September to Hungary and Slovakia. We didn’t initially plan to go to Hungary, but during the first part of the trip in Slovakia there was heavy rainfall in this country, and we decided to take a detour to Hungary and wait out the rains by riding around the homeland of the Hungarians. This trick was a success and we didn’t see any rain during the trip. The journey lasted 2300 km and 7 days on the road. The High and Low Tatras are love! No technical problems. The total mileage at the end of the trip was a little more than 16,000 km.

Due to the fact that the season was spent very actively, on long and short distances and trips, after returning from the last motorcycle trip, a feeling of satiety with the motorcycle appeared. I put it in park and hardly touched it until the end of the season - I only drove a few hundred kilometers.

Now the total mileage of the motorcycle is ~16,700 km. There are no technical issues with the motorcycle, not a single tire puncture. After a year on this boring but problem-free mechanism, I finally wanted enough power. I paid off the loan ahead of schedule, and Avenger was put up for sale. The search for a new motorcycle began, for two months I poisoned my soul with the choice and searches on motorcycle sites. As a result, after weighing all the pros and cons, I decided to stay in a friendly and reliable Indian family and took myself a new Bajaj Domianr 400 UG 2022. :) Since January of this year I have been able to run it in and drive more than 3000 km , but more on that next time.

And now a little about the technical side of the issue and the characteristics of the motorcycle.

Engine. It is not picky about the octane number of gasoline and digests both 92 and 95 equally well. On the 92 it even works more stable and calmly, regardless of refueling, since even the branded 95 sometimes gives a feeling of different quality - on some of them the engine is stable, on others it runs rougher. The engine also requires adjustment of the valve clearances at each service, which according to the instructions is 5000 km. And this is really not a whim - with each check, the valve clearances on my motorcycle had to be adjusted. Fortunately, this is done quickly on the Avenger and is quite inexpensive (about $11 at official service stations). The engine is high-torque, but does not want to spin above average speeds - it begins to roar and vibrate. All its positive aspects are located at the bottom and in the middle in terms of revolutions. The maximum speed to which I accelerated the Avenger was 127 km/h with a passenger and an installed windshield. Without glass, even alone you can hardly squeeze 120 km/h - that's aerodynamics in real life. If you drive for a long time with a passenger at a speed of 110 km/h, the oil level may gradually begin to drop - in this case, you need to monitor the dynamics of its change. There are motor vibrations. The motor is loud and operates rather roughly - throughout the entire period of operation I listened to its sounds and thought that something was wrong with its operation. But it turned out that he was just a rude person. :) The gearbox is very clear and soft. The pedal stroke (two-arm) is short, the effort required on the pedal is very small. You get used to it and sometimes you don’t press the pedal too hard – I caught the false neutral several times.

Suspension. Soft and at the same time energy-intensive. Perhaps it can be called really good. You can walk along the patched bumpy road - the main thing is not to fall into holes, since this is still not an enduro. There are no advanced suspension settings, except for the classic setting of the spring preload of the rear shock absorbers. At first, I got the motorcycle from the showroom with the softest level of preload settings, and with a passenger, the rear suspension was pierced by any slight bump or speed bump. I tightened the suspension to the penultimate position in terms of stiffness and everything became fine - breakdowns happened extremely rarely. At the hardest setting, I think they would almost disappear, but I didn’t want to stiffen the ride of the motorcycle too much. The ground clearance of 170 mm is quite decent - I have never touched the bottom.

Landing. The seat is a real sofa! And my passenger squealed with delight from this seat. There is one nuance: the shape of the pilot’s seat implies a smooth transition with a height difference between the driver and passenger parts with the tailbone resting on this step in height. And after 100 km of riding, and often less, the buttocks simply become numb and begin to ache. This is a clear downside to this saddle. There are several videos on the Internet of how guys modified the saddle by cutting out this stop and moving it back so as not to rest against it. Such alterations began among Russian Avenger owners, and recently came to Ukrainian ones. The steering wheel on the Cruise version is quite high. At first, my trapezius muscles in my back hurt wildly in long-distance driving due to the fact that the steering wheel was moved close to me. I moved it further away and the position became more relaxed, with arms outstretched, and the pain went away.

Controllability. The motorcycle is light - 159 kg of curb weight in the Cruise version, the center of gravity is very low, the front wheel is narrow, the rear wheel is of medium thickness. The mass is shifted from the front more to the rear. As a result, the motorcycle handles like a bicycle, but at near-pedestrian speeds, for example, in a traffic jam, you need to get used to compensating for the wobble of the unloaded front end. This is especially true with a passenger, as the front part is unloaded even more. On high-speed straights, the motorcycle, on the contrary, is as stable as an iron. Only with gusts of wind does it sway quite violently due to its low mass.

Headlight light. More or less. I won’t say more: the headlight shines, and if you set it up correctly, it even illuminates. :)

Disadvantages (subjective section). Since there is nothing to complain about in technical terms, I will find fault in terms of operation. :) There will be only two shortcomings. The first is low power. And it’s not that you feel inferior on the track, no. Despite its small cubic capacity, the motorcycle makes it quite easy to walk for hours at a speed of 100-110 km/h, which, in principle, is enough even for long-distance riders. The problem is that the motorcycle does not have enough traction for fast overtaking on busy single-lane roads when you need to get into a briefly opened window at the tail of slow-moving traffic. Because of this, I somehow found myself between two trucks traveling in opposite directions. In the city this is not so noticeable, but on the highway it shows up well. The second one is a small motorcycle. In my opinion, in terms of its dimensions, it is designed for people no taller than 180 cm, and even then with not very long limbs. People up to 170-175 cm tall will feel best on it. For example, my 168 cm tall “deuce” tried on a motorcycle for herself and now she looks just great on it. One could turn a blind eye to the second drawback and consider it a “feature” of the motorcycle, if not for drawback No. 1 above. Overall, I always had the feeling that I was riding a small, weak motorcycle, and this did not allow me personally to fully enjoy it.

RESULT: 16,700 km of absolutely trouble-free operation. Frost, heat, snow, rain, multi-day journeys across the mountains and plains, with or without a passenger - that was it. The motorcycle did not let me down in any situation. In truth, the Avenger is completely worth the cost and money invested in it. An honest, simple and reliable car, even beautiful, all the shortcomings of which emerge from its relatively small cubic capacity and, which is very subjective, its small size. Can I recommend Avenger for purchase? Easily! But you just need to know what you are buying and not demand the impossible from this motorcycle. Someone will say that in the outback there may be a problem with spare parts. What I will say is that the chance of you needing an Avenger repair and all those parts is pretty slim. At least, I have not yet heard of an “epic fail” happening to this motorcycle, but I hear a lot: both from the owners and from good friends at the representative office of the brand’s importer in Ukraine.

If you are a calm and stable rider, if you need a simple, beautiful and trouble-free car, feel free to take an Avenger, service it at a good service station with high-quality consumables and it will serve you faithfully for a long time.