The 2011 Bajaj Boxer will arrive by October 2011, most likely with a 150cc heart!

Bajaj Boxer AR

While the Pulsars and Discovers of the world are what Bajaj is currently known for in the Indian motorcycle market, it was the erstwhile Bajaj Boxer that resurrected Bajaj from a washed out scooter maker to a motorcycle maker that deserved to be taken seriously.

In fact, the Bajaj Boxer sold like hot cakes and put bread on Bajaj’s table even as Bajaj engineers worked hard to develop the Pulsar and the Discover. As an entry level motorcycle, the Bajaj Boxer inherited the 99.3cc Kawasaki four stroke engine which was hardy yet fuel efficient.

It was a combination of ruggedness, fuel efficiency and a low purchase price that made the Bajaj Boxer abest seller for Bajaj and Bajaj has big plans for the Boxer in the near future. This time around, instead of being an entry level commuter motorcycle, Bajaj Auto might instead give the Boxer a 15occ heart and re-brand it as a workhorse motorcycle.

Bajaj is looking to make the 2011 Boxer a viable alternative to the now defunct Rajdoot 175 two stroke motorcycles, some examples of which still ply on the Indian landscape as workhorse motorcycles. And Rajiv Bajaj has been pretty vocal about these very plans in his interview to Nndtv profit NDTV.

Here, I’d like to share a little incident that happened as I was on a cycle trip somewhere bang in the middle of the Naxal prone belt of Midnapore in West Bengal. Even as I was cycling around in rural India where development still is a far cry from urban India, I noticed almost all motorcycles, being of the 100cc kind and being ridden with 3 persons on it.

Now, while that it illegal in India and could result in you being stopped and fined by the traffic police, it is the de-facto means of transport in rural India. Upon enquiry, the folks on the motorcycle said that the sheer economy of commuting on a 100cc machine, far outweighed even public transport like local buses.

They said that for the cost to be effective, the motorcycle needs to deliver high mileage and also be able to accommodate three adults. Back then, I remarked to my fellow cycle tour mates that Bajaj is planning a 150cc version of the Boxer that will be rugged enough to withstand the travails of India rural mud tracks and also be able to carry heavy loads effortlessly.

A large debate ensued amongst us as to what really the rural populace need. Do they need a bigger engine or do they need fuel economy and a reliable bombproof package. Looking around, it wasn’t too difficult to judge what folks wanted. The 100cc commuter motorcycles were more than enough for transporting both people as well as their good very economically and more power really wasn’t what was required.

Like TVS has done with it’s Max-4R, perhaps a load carrier at the rear could be a better choice than a bigger engine. And a package that is more reliable than the Bread-and-Butter Hero Hondas at a killer price tag could make things very interesting for the 2011 Bajaj Boxer. And all that could happen along with the larger engine.

The biggest concern still remains whether Bajaj Auto will be able to deliver a bigger engine while retaining good fuel efficiency and a low price tag as these are the biggest selling features in the Indian rural motorcycle market currently. Meanwhile, here’s s statement emerging from S.Sridhar, President of Bajaj Auto’s Motorcycle Division.

Our bottom segment (entry-level segment) will grow after we re-introduce ‘Boxer’. It will be the bike of more than 100cc. The price range will be Rs.38,000-40,000.

So, Bajaj seems to be pretty gung-ho about a bigger engined Boxer being released shortly . Whether the novel workhorse concept of the Boxer will really work in India remains to be seen although with this move, Bajaj Auto has created an all new segment that could turn out to be the next big thing in rural markets as spending power increases steadily.

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