Review of the Bajaj Discover 100 DTS-Si..
If one has kept a tab on the motorcycle industry of India for the last 2 years, or if one has noticed the kind of motorcycles that have appeared on our roads during the same period, it would be quite obvious that the Bajaj Discover has been a big success story.
When the Discover 100 was launched in July 2009, not many gave it much of a chance, stating that it’s probably another one of Rajiv Bajaj’s (MD Bajaj Auto) experiments. Some couldn’t digest the 135 cc Discover becoming a 100 cc. And later when a 150 cc avatar of the Discover was launched, naysayers again scoffed at the idea of a 150 cc Discover.
Positives:
+ Light weight
+ Smooth & Snatch free engine
+ Good handling
+ 5 Speed gearox, DC Lighting
Negatives
- Texture of the Plastic on speedometer
- Drum brakes
Only in hindsight can one comment on whether a strategy was right or wrong. After almost 2 years the ubiquitous sight of Discover models on our roads have proved that Mr. Bajaj has got the strategy with the Discover spot on. Not only did the success of the Discover mean the end of the sales slump that Bajaj had witnessed in 2008-2009 (which had started with the global recession), but in a very short span the Discover brand has become a formidable brand along with the world’s largest selling motorcycle brand, the Hero Honda Splendor..!!
The Discover 100 wasn’t/isn’t priced lower than the Splendor. In fact it is priced at par with the Splendor. Even then, the Discover 100 has been consistently selling like hot cakes. That only means one thing, that the Discover is selling on its merit and that it must be a good bike.
So how good and improved is the Discover 100 compared to the earlier 100 cc models (CT100, Caliber, Boxer, Platina) from Bajaj? I take a test ride to find out..