Hey everyone!
I’ve got something exciting this time and it’s a new ride. It’s neither fancy nor expensive, on the contrary it is as utilitarian as a motorcycle can be, save for the TVS XL series.
My love for motorcycles is no secret, but little do you know that I’m a purist when it comes to all things women and motorcycles. Not that I’d ignore a Ducati or a big boy KTM parked right next to mem but I’d any day opt for an air/oil cooled single cylinder SOHC 2 valve motor for the long hauls because though I’d spend some time admiring the build quality in one and the electronics in the other, I’d still end up with a utilitarian offering simply because it better connects with me.
Bring in the 2017 Bajaj CT100B BS3 (No, I did not receive any discount!). At the time of writing this post, the motorcycle is 2 weeks old and has covered 1500 KM’s including two Interstate runs. I have absolutely no idea about the fuel efficiency as I don’t bother myself with such concerns and I believe Bajaj seconds me as the motorcycle does not come equipped with a fuel gauge, which eventually did bite me in the ass as I had to unexpectedly push the motorcycle from one state to the other to refuel!! Jokes apart, this is a wonderful option and I’ll be putting forth my case for you to understand why.
The Price.
The CT100B cost me 45,200/- on road, where as the CT100 was offered for 52,200/- on road.
This motorcycle used to be sold for 37k a couple of years back and it is still sold for around that price in my neighbouring state as confirmed by a trusted friend and biker. This made me wonder if my dealer was trying to con me! I did try reaching out to Bajaj officially, but that did not bring me any good as unlike Hero and Yamaha from past experiences, Bajaj is not too keen on resolving customer concerns and queries as they’re more focused on selling their products, and boy do they sell like hot cakes!
The Alternative.
•Hero Splendor Classic:
With a promised price cut of 6k and 10k for 2016 and 2015 variants respectively, owning an iteration of the legendary Honda Cub motor was a pretty good deal, and I didn’t mind the Café Racer ergonomics because a swap of the handle is all that’s required to regain the Splendor’s glory. I’m forever alone so the lack of a rear seat was the least of my concerns, plus it’s a valid excuse to not give lifts while doing interstate runs. But! Irrespective of the price cut, the classic was still above my meagre budget and I had to let that irresistible deal pass.
That’s all as far as my consideration for alternatives go, because the Kawasaki derived motor of the CT100 and Honda derived motor of the Splendor have withstood the test of time and I wouldn’t even consider an alternative in the class unless these two are unavailable in the market.
The Variant.
The CT100 comes in two variants, the CT100 and the CT100B (Beta, Basic, Bare-Bone!). As you might’ve guessed, I opted for the CT100B variant - what differentiates the CT100B from the CT100 are the following;
Specifics - CT100 v/s CT100B
- Headlight Type - Bikini Rectangle v/s Naked Round
- Headlight Bulb - H4 v/s BA20D
- Mirrors - Standard Rectangle v/s Round
- Rear Panels - Fibre Panels and Standard Grab rail v/s Single Metal Rail with integrated Grab rail and Rack
So it was a no brainer for me as paying around 7k more for better HL wiring, RVM’s and aesthetically appealing fiber components did not seem logical.
The Engine.
Well, the motor used in the CT100 has been around for a really long time now, as it was first seen in the Kawasaki 4S Champion that came out in the early 90’s. Back then, it came with a ‘R.A.C.E’ badge on the clutch side crankcase which supposedly stood for ‘Radical Aluminium Combustion Engine’. The badge has been replaced with a ‘Bajaj’ badge, but very little has changed overall. The motor is built ground up giving utmost importance to reliability and fuel efficiency. Compared to the Splendor’s motor, the CT100’s lacks the feel of a true blue motorcycle because its fairly hard to upshift judging by the engine note, and the rider would have to keep an eye on the speedo for a hassle free upshift. Not entirely the engines fault and I’ll go into it in detail in the transmission section.
In short, the CT100 is peaky and good as far as pickup and acceleration goes, but the Splendor wins when it comes to providing balanced substantial torque throughout the power band, which is best suited for the kind of bumper to bumper traffic these category of motorcycles would have to mostly endure.
The Transmission.
Awesome feedback when it comes to engagement and disengagement...and that’s where it ends. Transmission is clunky compared to the Splendor’s transmission, but the throw is better and reassuring which is why I’ve praised its feedback while engaging and disengaging gears. The gear ratios are outright awkward as the bike tends to pop a wheelie in 1st gear which would force you to shift to 2nd ASAP but then wait, unless you’re at 15 Kmph on the speedo, you’ll feel a little uneasy and would be forced to downshift sooner than expected. This would end up scaring you once again. Then comes 3rd gear; unless you’re at 30Kmph on the speedo, don’t bother upshifting because you’d get that same uneasiness you’ve felt before. As for 4th and final, it’s a little weirder, based on load you’d have to upshift at anywhere from 45~50Kmph to be comfortable.
The motorcycle is comfortable to cruise at 55~60Kmph all day. When needed, she can effortlessly shoot up to 75Kmph which is the maximum I’ve gone on the motorcycle.
The Electricals.
The switch sets used in the motorcycle are hopelessly poor. The indicator switch does not feature push to cancel, you do not have a pass switch and all headlight controls are confined to a single slider switch, with 3 positions - one for ON and the remaining for beam selection. The only upside I was able to note is that the headlight switch can be stuck in between beam positions, as a result of which both high and low beam would be ON at the same time and that does help at times.
The headlight bulb used is a type BA20D bulb which in itself is prehistoric since the only other motorcycle I’ve ridden that came with that is my Kinetic ZX Zoom. All the rest had H4 and H7 bulbs. I’m still considering changing the holder to H4, but there are a few details I’d need to confirm before going ahead. Primary details being whether the holder connects to the harness with a standard 3 pin connector as most motorcycles do, as if that’s the case, then next immediate thing I’d need to be bothered about is sourcing the holder wiring separately, as the more premium variant i.e CT100 comes with H4 in stock form.
The Rubbers.
•Front – 2.75 * 17 Ceat Secura F85
•Rear – 3.00 * 17 Ceat Secura M86
They’re from Ceat and NOT from Eurogrip, which is all that you’ll need to know.
The Overall Feel.
Not much to say as I believe I’ve covered most of what was intended. The bike is light and nimble and is prone to sway a little when ridden in windy conditions. The lack of a fuel gauge is not usually felt as the motorcycle is fuel efficient and the need to refill only arises in the event that you’d be riding interstate, uphill or both. I’m the only person I know who ran out of fuel in one state and had no other option than to push the motorcycle across to the neighbouring state to refuel!! I was not naive enough to ignore the odometer in spite of the motorcycle not being equipped with a trip meter, but the terrain was demanding which brought down the distance range considerably. This led to me having to push the motorcycle for a couple of KM’s, the motorcycle being light did help as well.
On weekends, I do a 100 km run home via the MC route which is around 40 kms longer than the NH route. I prefer the long route as my colleague who rides a Hero Honda Splendor+ also prefers the route and it’s fun to have someone to ride along with. The Splendor+ can run circles around the CT100B; my colleague can fly by at 85Kmph effortlessly whereas I’d be chugging along at 75Kmph. The linear torque delivery also means that the Splendor+’s roll-on acceleration is commendable, whereas the CT100B only fares well when it comes to super short drag runs from one traffic light to the other.
Considering all factors, the Splendor would seem to be a better motorcycle and it is, no doubt about it. But given a situation that you’re falling short on Vitamin M and need something just as robust and reliable as the Splendor, then look no further. The CT100 is your best bet.
Not to mention Bajaj's spare availability being ages better than what Hero has to offer. I say this in spite of being from Kollam (Read home of Diya Spares). During my ZMA days, I’ve had co-enthusiasts ring me up from different parts of the country with requests for sourcing parts as Hero spares had a reputation of being hard to source in spite of their wide sales network.
Having owned two motorcycles in the same class from both manufacturers, I can testify that Bajaj spares are dirt cheap in comparison to Hero spares. Irrespective of comparisons, the CT100 would be cheap to maintain as I’ve owned a Bajaj Discover 100 4G in the past and it being a more modern in terms of features and technology in comparison to the CT100 still cost me peanuts to maintain.
Hope you guys had a good time reading, and I urge you to share your thoughts and ideas about the Bajaj CT100B.
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