The Bajaj XCD 135 is here. Does the competition need to dust off its battle armour? Though Bajaj is gunning squarely for the volume generating Hero Honda, the XCD’s premium and sporty appeal should allow it to slot one notch higher alongside the likes of Yamaha Gladiator (our reigning 125) and the Honda CBF Stunner. OverDrive (March ’09) presents a comparison between the XCD 135, the Yamaha Gladiator and the Honda CBF Stunner…

Style & Ergonomics

 The XCD 135 carries forward Bajaj’s design legacy, bearing strong cues of the Pulsar family – the intriguingly swoopy tank extension seems like a conscious effort to add a Pulsar-like bulk to the small XCD tank. And like Bajaj intended, the bike has turned out sophisticated and sporty, leaving primary rivals like Hero Honda Passion Pro and Glamour as well as the Honda Shine clearly suffering in its shiny rooster tail.

What strikes one immediately is the radical fairing. A large trapezoidal clear lens headlamp anchors the swept back design with an interesting bat-shaped small dark visor on top. The petite fuel tank is accentuated by shrouds that are far more pronounced, extending all the way to the top of the tank. A flush type fuel filler cap too adds to the upmarket feel. The centre panel shape blends well with the sharp Pulsaresque tail and features a large triangular faux air intake. The well integrated twin strip tail lamp endows the rear with a clean look. Also there is no dearth of premium features, what with LCD clock console with a digital tacho, alloy wheels and fat 100-section rubber at the rear – the XCD has it all. On the ergonomics front the motorcycle adheres to its commuter intent with a conventiona upright seating without any obvious sporty notions.

The CBF Stunner meanwhile is aimed at the young brigade. The bikini fairing, high fuel tank, split seats and the neat tail gel perfectly to conjure up a mini sports bike aura that fulfils college-goers’ fantasies rather well. It sports conventional clocks, has neither tacho nor LEDs but the legendary Honda fit and finish makes up for that. The Stunner strikes a superb balance between sportiness and comfort on the ergonomics front. The short handlebars and not-so-rearset footpegs offer a forward biased seating that is easy on the wrist and spine. Also there is enough room to move back and forward to ensure circulation and no cramps on long rides.

The gladiator is the oldie in the pack but with its makeover last year – it is now a sportier looking bike with belly pan fairing, trimmed seat and a restyled muffler tip. It also sports a tacho now along with analog clocks as standard. The seating is comfortable and the low seat and handlebar facilitates a sporty stance in spite of the conventionally placed footpegs.

Engine & Performance

Powering the XCD 135 is a 134.6cc DTS-Si engine which produces 10.2PS of power at 7500rpm and a relatively higher higher 11.58Nm of torque at 5000rpm. The most significant mechanical change is the new five-speed gearbox to better harness the power, especially near top revs. The XCD carb is equipped with an auto choke function to eradicate cold starting issues. Like the 125, this engine sports offset valves to introduce the charge with a turbulent swift motion in to the combustion chamber for complete combustion. The XCD is the quickest in this OverDrive (March ’09) test, taking 5.9 seconds to hit 60kmph from standstill. But the real strength of the engine lies in its strong midrange translating into the fastest roll-on times of 6.7 seconds and 7.26 seconds in third and fourth gear respectively.

The Stunner similarly is high on low-end torque but feels a lot more refined. Its 124.7cc engine produces 11.1PS of power at 8000rpm and 11Nm of torque at 6500rpm. The strength of the Stunner engine is its tractability in city traffic. Scything through traffic in top gear, it feels like an automatic almost. Although it is the slowest to 60kmph at 6.63 seconds, the Gladiator’s 123.7cc engine, thanks to its rev happy nature is not only the most refined unit of the lot but also somehow the rortiest. The slick gearbox with well sorted ratios is a breeze to use and ensures good rideability. Its top speed of 105kmph stands out in this company and speaks volumes about the engine’s performance.

Ride & Handling

All three bikes are city slickers and complete commuting chores admirably well. The Gladiator is the undisputed champion in this respect. The front-end is so responsive that the slightest whisper between tarmac and rubber is audible to the rider in stereo sound. Its ride is the most composed of the lot, the perfectly damped shocks up front and rear soaking up undulations effectively, making it OverDrive’s (March ’09), most preferred ride over bad roads of this trio.

The Stunner runs close in the handling department, the only letdown being the slightly soft front-end. Mid corner, the bike needs constant steering inputs to keep it on its line. The ride quality is stiff especially at the rear.

The XCD also utilizes a diamond frame chassis, the only distinction being its rectangular cross section. The set-up is on the stiff side and this reflects in its bumpy ride, the stiff seat only making matters worse. The set-up though has a positive effect on handling, the XCD proving to be a handy corner carver, holding its line perfectly around corners.

Fuel Efficiency

However jazzed up the 125s get in terms of looks or performance their fuel efficiency will forever be the force driving sales. The XCD 135 is not only the quickest in this pack but also the most frugal, delivering 71.7kmpl in the city and 78.7kmpl on highway at a constant 60kmph. The Gladiator is close, delivering close to 68kmpl and 74kmpl in cit and highway respectively. The Honda, with city and highay figures of 63.9kmpl and 67.2kmpl, brings up the rear, no surprise considering its short gearing.

Verdict

The Stunner is great looker, a posers delight, but at Rs. 57,255, OTR, Pune, it is the most expensive of the lot. Its engine feels restricted past 60kmph, while ride quality and low fuel efficiency earn it no brownies either.

It’s a close bout between he Gladiaor nd XCD then. The XCD is attractive and comes up as the new benchmark in both performance as well as fuel efficiency. Its Rs. 52,865, OTR, Pune, tag is close to the Gladiator’s Rs. 53,093. But it offers contemporary goodies like digital clock console and LED tail lamps in a design package capable of turning heads galore.

The Gladiator may be slower to 60 clicks and marginally less fuel efficient but it feels far more refined and balanced. The engine performs strongly at every point of the rev range. It’s a boon in the city and also more than game for weekend highway blasts. It is one of the best handlers, easy on the rider’s back.

However it must be said, that it’s the XCD that has all the numbers going for it. Yes, that will, shortly, mean sales numbers as well concludes OverDrive (March ’09).