[ashwinprakas]

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

• Wheels - Alloy v/s Spoke

• 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.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

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 Spendor’s motor the CT100’s lacks the feel of a true blue motorcycle cause 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, which is 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.

Congratulations on you new ride!

This motorcycle (Technically, mine was named as Boxer AT) was my ride during 4 years of my college time.

The engine which is is on yours (and which came in mine too), is a Cast iron block, developed by Bajaj, after modifying the old all-aluminium unit (which Kawasaki had developed, and was way better).

For me, it started sounding rough within 2 years and completely degenerated within 4 years (30K Kms). Not to forget, multiple chain sprocket replacements withing the same period.
I promptly moved on to other Japanese brands vowing never to return back to Bajaj.

The one thing it excelled though, was on fuel efficiency.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Congratulations on you new ride!

This motorcycle (Technically, mine was named as Boxer AT) was my ride during 4 years of my college time.

The engine which is is on yours (and which came in mine too), is a Cast iron block, developed by Bajaj, after modifying the old all-aluminium unit (which Kawasaki had developed, and was way better).

For me, it started sounding rough within 2 years and completely degenerated within 4 years (30K Kms). Not to forget, multiple chain sprocket replacements withing the same period.
I promptly moved on to other Japanese brands vowing never to return back to Bajaj.

The one thing it excelled though, was on fuel efficiency.

Thanks for the information, I did not know that, and to be honest I thought all motorcycle manufacturers have shifted to Aluminium including Royal Enfield. Would you be able to clariy whether its the cylinder and piston alonne which has been changed to cast iron or is it literally the whole block, including head and case? This has got me curious.

30K seems way too early to be honest it were'nt from a fellow enthusiast I'd say you really pulled a number on the motorcycle. But then again due to manufacturing defects I've even had to go in for a cylinder kit replacement on the ZMA after just a couple of weeks of ownership, so thats that. Lets see how long my CT100B lasts, I expect to clock more KM's on her in comparisson to my other rides merely due to its fuel efficiency.
Which by the way is not much as I'm on the really heavier side

[amitpatnaik]

I owned a CT 100 2005 Model for 10 years & am a big fan of CT100. I used the CT 100 in most of the Bangalore city Roads & outskirts- Whitefield, Bidadi, Nelamangala & EC. The bike was very city friendly in the congested traffic and was having a very good pick up. The mileage was excellent. I used to service it regularly at Bajaj ASC only. After around 8 years of use after riding for around 60K kms, i missed a few service and finally one day the engine got ceased. I spent around 11K at ASC to get the engine repaired but again the same problem cropped up within 90 days. Then went to local garage at Shivajinagar and that guy became my regular servicing guy for around 2 years. The engine sound was like new only. Finally have said goodbye to my old CT 100. Now after owning RE for past two years, I can suggest from my experience, if you maintain your bike properly with periodic maintenance, changing engine oils at regular intervals, proper chain lubrication, driving the bike in the fuel efficiency range, you would definitely get a good life for your new bike. At times local garages do better jobs than the ASCs.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Thanks for the information, I did not know that, and to be honest I thought all motorcycle manufacturers have shifted to Aluminium including Royal Enfield. Would you be able to clariy whether its the cylinder and piston alonne which has been changed to cast iron or is it literally the whole block, including head and case? This has got me curious.

The Head is still aluminium, whereas the cylinder is cast iron (that is probably the reason why it is painted black).
Pistons are generally made of alloys/aluminium only. That seemed to be the case here as well.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by amitpatnaik

I owned a CT 100 2005 Model for 10 years & am a big fan of CT100. I used the CT 100 in most of the Bangalore city Roads & outskirts- Whitefield, Bidadi, Nelamangala & EC. The bike was very city friendly in the congested traffic and was having a very good pick up. The mileage was excellent. I used to service it regularly at Bajaj ASC only. After around 8 years of use after riding for around 60K kms, i missed a few service and finally one day the engine got ceased. I spent around 11K at ASC to get the engine repaired but again the same problem cropped up within 90 days. Then went to local garage at Shivajinagar and that guy became my regular servicing guy for around 2 years. The engine sound was like new only. Finally have said goodbye to my old CT 100. Now after owning RE for past two years, I can suggest from my experience, if you maintain your bike properly with periodic maintenance, changing engine oils at regular intervals, proper chain lubrication, driving the bike in the fuel efficiency range, you would definitely get a good life for your new bike. At times local garages do better jobs than the ASCs.

Spot on about maintenance, forget everything else and just change the oil at 2K intervals and your ride would last longer than the average joe's.

I make it a point to carry out all minor maintenances myself, hence why all my motorcycles are out of warranty as I do not take the bike in for scheduled servicing. For some reason I trust myself a little more, might be cause I use a torque wrench to tighten the drain bolt.

As for change intervals;

1st Change - 150 kms.
2nd Change - 750kms.
3rd Change is expected to be carried out when the motorcycle reached 2k on the ODO, post which a 2k change interval would be maintained.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

The Head is still aluminium, whereas the cylinder is cast iron (that is probably the reason why it is painted black).
Pistons are generally made of alloys/aluminium only. That seemed to be the case here as well.

If only the cylinder has been changed then I'm happy, its more cost firendly as its oversize frindly. Plus the upside regarding heat retention and tensile strength.

[amitpatnaik]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

I make it a point to carry out all minor maintenances myself, hence why all my motorcycles are out of warranty as I do not take the bike in for scheduled servicing

While owning a CT 100, I had never bothered about any maintenance till the bike started having engine issues. A highly reliable bike at all times.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

For some reason I trust myself a little more, might be cause I use a torque wrench to tighten the drain bolt.

This seems to be quite interesting and I would definitely be eager to take more tips from you.

Please do share your experiences with your new bike.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by amitpatnaik

While owning a CT 100, I had never bothered about any maintenance till the bike started having engine issues. A highly reliable bike at all times.


This seems to be quite interesting and I would definitely be eager to take more tips from you.

Please do share your experiences with your new bike.

Sure will post updates as the odo count keeps rising. I'm still in the learning curve so do provide your inputs.

[ramzsys]

Dad's 2005 CT100 is now at 1.68L km. 2nd cylinder kit changed recently; 1st at 94k km. Returns 70 kmpl.

Will last for another 5 years/50k km, i guess.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

Dad's 2005 CT100 is now at 1.68L km. 2nd cylinder kit changed recently; 1st at 94k km. Returns 70 kmpl.

Will last for another 5 years/50k km, i guess.

Wow! That's nothing but praise worthy. Please do share some pictures of the motorcycle if available.

[Urban_Nomad]

Cant say much about the bike, but lovely helmet! Is it the RS-1? If yes, then same pinch

You are a tight slap across the face of many morons who spend lakhs on a motorcycle ... and pennies on a shitty good for nothing POS "helmet"

This... ladies and gentlemen is how its done; irrespective of what you ride. Well done sir!

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Cant say much about the bike, but lovely helmet! Is it the RS-1? If yes, then same pinch

You are a tight slap across the face of many morons who spend lakhs on a motorcycle ... and pennies on a shitty good for nothing POS "helmet"

This... ladies and gentlemen is how its done; irrespective of what you ride. Well done sir!

I wish!

Mine is the Bell Qualifier, Bell's entry level full face model in the market, unfortunately it’s the only one I could afford. Currently saving up for lower body gear as jeans and work boots won’t do much good in the event of a nasty wreck.

[anand.shankar]

The moment I saw CT100B, I knew it would be you!

Congrats on the new bike, any new automobile purchase is an exciting event. Ride on brother.

[Transporter]

Your post took me back to my college days.
I owned a Bajaj Boxer CT for 11 long years, from 2001 to 2012. It served as my loyal ride to college till 2004. I clocked 70,000 plus kms and it never gave a single major problem. Regular servicing and love was all it needed

It belonged to the first lot which had Kawasaki badging. The only flaw was the tiny drum brakes which did not complement the rev happy and smooth engine.
The best part was that it did not gather a single dot of rust in the 11 years.
The chrome mudguards, wheel rims, spokes and handle bar were of extremely high quality. I sorely miss that clean shiny feel on my Yamaha SZR.

Enjoy your rides on the Boxer

[ramgkulkarni]

Congratulation on your new purchase and I was suddenly taken back atleast a decade when i owned my first geared bike - CT100 Deluxe.

Oh what joy it gave me and my brother to have this bike. When I purchased the bike(rather my father bought for us), Bajaj claimed a fuel efficiency of 108* and to my surprise it did give me 90+ on an average in city conditions. My brother and I literally tore the bike apart in the 7 years we had it. We bought the one with a rectangle headlight and soon decided to swap it with Pulsar headlights. Then soon to go was the silencer for a cheap header(I am not even sure if it was a header). The bike was an atrocity with the sound and all the non sense. In all the years we abused the bike, it never gave up.

Yes the bike did give me issues with sprockets and break lines but I guess that's it. I even serviced the bike once every 6 months and not according to the odo readings(guess I was living in stone age back then). I had decided I would never have any other Bajaj bike too. But fate had its own plans. Now own an Avenger 220

Thanks for review.