• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

S. Muralidhar

IN BUSINESS, it pays to keep a good thing going. It is no different in the auto world where any new technology that raises the benchmark in performance will find increasing application in future products. Bajaj Auto is doing just that by leveraging the success of its digital twin-spark ignition. And so after launching the new Pulsar with DTS-i technology a couple of years ago and extending that technology to the Discover, Bajaj has now adopted the same twin-spark ignition technology to the Wave, its reworked scooterette based on the old Saffire.

The new Wave has seen considerable work both for making the engine more reliable (the Saffire had its share of problems) and for improving the scooterette's drivability and fuel efficiency. On the other side, though the overall design of the scooterette has been pretty much carried forward from the Saffire, Bajaj has taken a couple of extra steps to fine tune and upgrade the looks of the Wave.

So, the changed exterior are more likely to be listed as refinements meant to improve this new two-wheeler's appeal among customers who have been pampered with the finish levels of the Honda twins — the Activa and the Dio. From the front, the Wave sports the same sloping nose forward, new age design of the Saffire, with the semi-circular headlamp and alien-eyes style winkers set on dual-tone body panels.

The instrument cluster layout and design has been changed to give the Wave a modern feel compared to the Saffire. The instrument gauge's housing and design seems to obviously emphasise style, quite unlike its contemporary, the Honda Activa's no-nonsense, easy-to-read layout. The trapezoidal meter-gauge in the Wave houses the speedo, the fuel gauge, the high-beam indicator and the turn indicators. Large rear-view mirrors and soft feel handle bar holds are a plus.

At the rear, the tail-lamp cluster along with the integrated turn indicator lamps gels well with the design and flowing lines of the side panels. Both the tail-lamp and head-lamp now get crystal-lens style plastic lens and polished silver reflectors. The most dominating feature at the rear is, of course, the large, round barrelled looks of the silencer, which also incorporates a matt-finished heat shield.

The dual tone and dual feel rear grab rail is also another unique touch that Bajaj engineers have given to the Wave. While the chunky aluminium alloy bottom half adds to the design, the rubberised top half improves grip while mounting the scooterette on its stand.

Like we said, the overall design of the Saffire has been retained. The rider's sitting posture and legroom also remain the same. Unlike the more upright posture in the Honda Activa, the rider will get a slightly lower handle bar position with the Wave. To that extent, this may offer a more suitable posture for women who, on average, are of shorter build. The saddle height is approximately the same as the Dio's.

One other difference between the Wave, its predecessor and the Honda Twins is in the seat cushion. We found the seat cushion in the Wave too soft and at times the rider tends to get a feeling that the bike is swimming under him. The Wave's dimensions include a 1,225mm wheelbase, an adequate 158mm of ground clearance and weighs in at 110 kg. The fuel tank capacity is a meagre five litres.

Just like the other scooterettes in the class, the Wave's frame is the same tubular, high rigidity, dual cradle type and offers the two-wheeler considerable stability and cornering ability. Except for the odd-occurrence when the centre stand mounts were grounded on a speed breaker, the Wave is able to take on fairly tight turns. But this two-wheeler is not meant to be big on performance, so overstretching it is definitely not advisable.

The Wave's performance edge really comes in the form of its 110cc four-stroke, DTS-i engine. Compared to the smaller engines of the competition (except the Kinetic Nova 135), Bajaj has managed to come up with considerable refinements to the Wave's engine, even while sustaining a fairly fuel efficient performance to match the mileage numbers offered by the competing smaller-engined scooterettes such as the Honda Activa.

The Wave's engine is also the more powerful with a peak power rating of 8 bhp at 7,000 rpm, compared to the Honda twins' 102cc engine, that peaks out at 7 bhp. The Bajaj scooterette also manages to develop a relatively higher peak torque of 0.9 KgM at 5,000 rpm, thanks largely to the employment of another of Bajaj's in-house technologies — Exhaust TEC. One other fuel-efficiency improving feature that Bajaj had built into its entry-level bike — the CT 100 — is also included in the Wave, though unlike in the bike, the option to switch it off has not been provided in the scooterette.

The power availability and the torque delivery are quite linear in the Wave. As a result, the scooterette's acceleration from standstill seems to be better than the competitions'. However, though the acceleration and the pleasant exhaust note rise together confidently on a quick twist of the throttle, the Exhaust TEC and active ride control seem to give the scooterette a slightly hesitant note during lower throttle openings.

The variomatic transmission in this Bajaj scooterette also seems to be partly the reason for that fluttering feeling at low speeds. Higher torque in the Wave engine is available at a lower rpm level compared to the competition.

The Wave's 130mm mechanically expanding drum-brakes offer adequate braking power and the suspension set-up includes coaxial shock-absorber with a leading link and spring. At the rear a single shock absorber and coaxial spring offers the Wave ride quality that is on a par with its contemporaries in the market.

Bajaj seems to have launched the Wave with a clear mandate — leverage its, now, time tested technologies to offer a more powerful, yet fuel-efficient scooterette in this still growing two-wheeler segment. It has boosted the Wave's prospects by also loading a lot more value on to it than what the competition is offering. So, the buyer gets a front storage box, a bag hook, pillion footrest and side-foot pegs all as standard fitment. Most of these features are not available as standard fitment on other competing models. Two features missing in the Wave are tuff-up tubes and the option of adding a stepney tyre, both of which Bajaj feels was not necessary based on customer feedback.

The Wave is being offered with more value and a lower price. At about Rs 32,500 (ex-showroom), this Bajaj scooterette is priced almost Rs 4,000 lower than the competition. Capable of offering a mileage of about 40 kmpl in the long run, the Wave could be an attractive proposition for buyers in this segment.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Ambuja Cement Eastern: Reject

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line