Bajaj V Unveiled in India

Bajaj V, Made of INS Vikrant's Scrap Metal, Unveiled in India; Launch in FY 2015-16

The new V15 motorcycle from Bajaj will be launched towards the end of March; to be priced somewhere between Rs 60,000 and Rs 70,000. 

Bajaj V, the Indian two-wheeler giant's the all-new 150cc motorcycle, was unveiled today in India. The bikemaker added that Bajaj V launch in India, however, will happen "within a month". Bajaj Auto had earlier teased the bike that also provided insight into is its build with the metal sourced from the decommissioned INS Vikrant aircraft carrier. Eric Vas, President, Bajaj Motorcycles, said, "After the news to dismantle INS Vikrant came in 2014, we decided to do something about it. INS Vikrant is a symbol of India's military power projection and Bajaj wanted to remind the nation, and also remember, INS Vikrant's story."

While Bajaj V's production will begin on February 5, 2016, deliveries will only start in March. It will be priced between 60,000 - 70,000, and is likely to be closer to 60K than 70.

Talking about the company's strategy Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto, said that while Bajaj is already a leader in half the Indian bike market, the other half has been elusive. Considering the fact that commuters buy 125cc bikes, things were kept things simple. while approaching this market albeit with a good product and a good story.

Initially, Bajaj V's production capacity will be 20,000 units per month, which will then be ramped-up, depending on the demand. The company says it will focus all capacity in maximising returns on this market segment and will not export the Bajaj V for now since the focus is to consolidate the new bike in India first.

Tagged "Part motorbike, part war hero", Bajaj V uses scrap metal from INS Vikrant. It comes powered by a new 150cc DTS-i engine that develops 11.76 bhp and 13Nm. The company claims the Bajaj V offers 25% more torque as compared to leading names in the 125cc segment. In terms of features, it gets a removable cowl for pillion seat, while up front it's a single piece unit. The Bajaj V comes with an18 inch Eurogrip tyre in the front and 16 inch at the rear. Furthermore, the bike will also carry INS Vikrant insignia on the fuel tank.

As far as colour options are concerned, Bajaj V is being offered with 2 choices: Ebony Black and Pearl White.

Bajaj V Rivals: Yamaha SZ-RR, Honda CB Unicorn 160, and Hero Achiever

Bajaj V Specifications:
Engine	150cc
Power	11.76bhp
Torque	13Nm

Even before they were revealed, Bajaj’s new 'V' family of motorcycles gained instant appreciation and fame for having been made from the metal of the scrapped warship, INS Vikrant. The video that teased the 'V' family gave us only a glimpse of the new motorcycle, or motorcycles, that were to come. Now Bajaj has taken the wraps off the new V range and here’s when we come to know just how exciting the motorcycles are. Cruiser? Or, Café racer The new V is more café-racer albeit with a hint of cruiser. This is down to the stance because of the 18-inch front and 16-inch rear tyres. 

Its contemporary design mixes sporty and muscular bringing a new flavour to the commuter space. Bajaj has taken many cracks at the commuter space and this family of motorcycles looks set to live alongside their successful and more simple-looking Discover range. From the wind deflector on the headlamp to the boat-tail rear, and the swoopy design in between, there’s a lot to like on the V. The chrome dual shock absorbers at the rear, the white contrast stitching on the seat, the removable cowl for the rear seat and the smart instrument cluster, all make it very appealing. The instrument cluster features a fuel gauge that switches from green to red as the fuel level dips really low. Chunky tyres give it a stronger stance and the smart, slim ten-spoke alloy wheels are hung off telescopic forks with blacked-out siders. Underneath it all… When it comes to the chassis the V has a fairly conventional setup that is aimed to provide durability and reliability. 

The chassis is a dual-cradle setup and uses stouter than usual 33mm diameter telescopic forks at the front and twin shock absorbers at the rear. The engine is an air-cooled DTS-i 150cc two-valve, four-stroke motor. In keeping with its target audience a kick-start has been offered as standard with an electric start variant on offer. This engine makes 11.8bhp of power. That puts the V about 2bhp down on power compared to its 150cc siblings in the Discover family. The V also boasts of 1.3kgm of torque. Due to its two-valve head, it offers a solid 1.2kgm of torque from 3,000rpm, while peak torque is available at 5,500rpm. Fuel efficiency though hasn’t been disclosed yet, but you can expect that the V will surpass the Discover 150’s company claimed fuel efficiency of 75kpl by a big margin. 

 The V15 isnt a motorcycle for high speed cruising but will be easy to ride. The V15 will offer a real word fuel economy figure of about 60kpl with pillion on board, according to company sources. Production will commence on February 5, 2016, with the launch scheduled to take place towards the end of March. Prices will be revealed closer to delivery date, and are expected to be somewhere between Rs 60,000 and 70,000.