The Hindu Business Line : Fuel-injected rivalry to spill on to the roads soon

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Fuel-injected rivalry to spill on to the roads soon

S. Muralidhar

The two bikes to be launched by Bajaj Auto and Hero Honda are to come with fuel-injection technology, first of their kind in India. They could be the precursors of many more bikes with this technology, which is the standard in advanced markets.

PULSAR DTS-FI... fuel injected, big engine appeal

Rivalry among automobile manufacturers is eventually good for the customer.

Healthy competition leads to new technologies and pushes companies to challenge themselves and others to offer better products at lower prices.

Over the years, the story has been played out in both the two-wheeler and the passenger car segments. In the former, the rivalry between the big two — Bajaj Auto and Hero Honda — has been building up for years now.

After all, Bajaj, traditionally a scooter manufacturer, had successfully managed to build up its portfolio of bikes from scratch and was nipping at Hero Honda's heels for market share.

Competition between them took a new turn earlier this year with Hero Honda, the most prominent bike maker, making a foray into the scooter segment (traditionally a Bajaj stronghold) with the launch of the Pleasure. Later this year, the rivals will enter into another bout with new bikes and scooterettes that will clearly be next generation in terms of technology,, build quality and focus.

The single most important aspect of the bikes to be launched will be the use of fuel injection technology. Bajaj Auto and Hero Honda will launch the Pulsar DTS-Fi and the Glamour, respectively, with fuel injection.

Currently, all Indian bikes come with carburetted engines and the transition to the difficult-to-master and expensive fuel-injection technology (currently in use only in cars with multi-point fuel injection) will be path-breaking. These two bikes may well redefine the bikes segment and be the harbingers of many more bikes with this technology, which is the standard in the advanced bike markets.

Technology of the future

Fuel injection is the technology of the future, as it offers superior and consistent engine performance with improved drivability, lower emissions, enhanced fuel economy and extended engine life. While there is supposed to be a quiet tussle between the two rivals to beat the other on to the street with the first indigenously produced fuel-injected bike, it looks like Hero Honda would roll out its Glamour FI before Bajaj's new Pulsar version.

But fuel injected engines will be the only common feature between the two. They could well be as different as chalk and cheese in other departments.

The Glamour FI is likely to bea more practical, technologically targeted product aimed at buyers looking for an executive segment bike and who will not mind the higher price for the new technology. It will also feature innovative new touches to styling and electricals but, overall, it is likely to be less lifestyle oriented. The new Hero Honda bike, featuring one of Honda's smaller fuel-injected engines, will give the Glamour's not-so-glamorous brand image a boost and will hope to carry forward the company's legendary reliability image. Compared to the Glamour's more practical focus, the Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi will, obvious from its very looks, be more focused on addressing the needs of the young, lifestyle-conscious bikers. This sporty bike is also likely to come loaded with goodies to be attractive to this audience and to offer a more convincing value-for-money proposition compared to the much lesser-priced, non-fuel injected Pulsar version. Compared to the Glamour FI, there is considerable information on the DTS-Fi.

The Pulsar DTS-Fi Sports will have a large capacity (rumoured to be 225cc) fuel-injected engine with Bajaj's ExhausTEC technology to give it a mix of performance and good fuel efficiency.

Besides the highly efficient engine, the Pulsar DTS-Fi will have many other firsts to its credit, such as a halogen projector headlamp which complements its sporty looks. The twin-stacked headlamps, one a parabolic, and the other a projector, should ensure clear, bright illumination at both hi-beam and low-beam settings. The oil cooling system for the engine is expected to be another first in the country.

The new Pulsar DTS-Fi is also expected to come fitted with widest tyres in its segment, class-leading large diameter front suspension forks, disc brakes in both front and rear wheels and an elliptical section swing arm for better handling and performance under sporty riding conditions.

Further, the LED tail lamp will enhance the sportier looks of the bike. In keeping with its image, the new Bajaj bike will also incorporate digital instrumentation for the speedometer and fuel gauge to complete the macho `NextGen' package.