Bajaj Avenger Vs. Yamaha R15

Today we will compare two very powerful bikes available in India today. The Bajaj Avenger is a 220cc monster that is technically much powerful than the 150cc R15. However, in terms of power, the variation is not as much as you would expect. The Avenger delivers a power of 19.03 PS whereas the R15 can deliver up to 17 PS of power. Again, the Avenger is not for the mileage conscious, but the R15 is even more of that. The Bajaj Avenger 220 comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 76,835 at Delhi whereas the corresponding price for the Yamaha YZF R15 is a whopping Rs. 1,07,500.

Let us first compare the major tech specs of both these bikes side-by-side.

If you are someone who is contemplating purchasing either an Avenger or an R15, the mileage should be the last of your concerns. Both these are power bikes that are built keeping the requirements of the power and style conscious customers. When a motorbike is built with power as the priority, fuel economy is something that has to be compromised and it shows. Remember the comparison of 150cc bikes we made earlier this year? The R15 is at the bottom of the fuel claims chart that is topped by Bajaj Discover that claims to offer close to 72.3 kmpl.

Also, the 46.93 kmpl that we are talking here is the fuel consumption reported under standard test conditions. In the real world, where you have city traffic and pot-hole laden roads, this number is expected to come down much more drastically. Let us compare how the Avenger and the R15 compare against each other in the real world as reviewed by various sources including real world customers.

Bajaj Avenger 220 Review

The Avenger is a cruiser mode motorcycle that is not known for its mileage by any chance. PriceDekho in their official review report having seen around 32-35 kmpl on city roads. On the other hand, BikeDekho as well as ZigWheels, the Times group auto-review magazine in their reports claim a much better city mileage – they both report a consumption 1 liter for every 40 kilometers of city commute on the Avenger. While customers who had put up their Avenger for sale on Olx reported an average of 38 kmpl from their bikes, a few unhappy people on the customer complaints forum noted their mileage to be around 35 kmpl.

Yamaha YZF R15 Review

We reviewed the R15 from four different sources. According to a comment posted by a customer on MotorBeam, the R15 could deliver 40 kmpl with proper care. In a similar vein, an Ibibo user reports around 40-42 under city conditions. There are not too many reviews of the R15 from the point of view of fuel economy. According to one small blog called KannanKing, the R15 can extract around 32-35 kmpl on city roads.

Bottomline

It’s evident that the R15 can return slightly better economy compared to the Avenger – maybe an additional 3-4 kilometers for every liter. However, the decision to purchase one over the other should not be based on these numbers. Avenger is for cruisers while the R15 is a powerful machine for a 150cc bike. Test ride both the bikes and see where you fit better and go for that one.