People who value a daily commuting in India now have another option to choose from in the form of the new Bajaj Platina 100 ES, boasting a 102cc DTSi engine with ExhausTEC Technology putting out 8.2 horsepower mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox.
This test ride was rather short and spontaneous – I just happened to see a Bajaj showroom on our way back from launch on Wednesday, so I had to snap the photos with my digital camera. Also, this write-up is based on a rather short ride for just a few kilometers as it was a typical showroom test ride.
Read my impressions of my short but fun experience with the Platina ES after the jump.
The Platina ES gets improved handling and ride quality is excellent too.
In under ten minutes with the bike, a few snap judgements had to be made. As I was occasionally using my friends 2007 Platina 100cc to commute to college for a long time, I can confidently note the changes in this short test ride. At first glance, I immediately felt the tremendous improvement in the ride quality and handling.
Ride the bike and the biggest change will be staring straight at you in the face – the change in ride quality. When you start the engine up, you do hear some typical DTSi clatter from the engine as your idle. This disappears as you get moving as the other sounds begin to overwhelm it and it disappears. With the addition of a DTSi engine, you get the feel of a bigger displacement bike while riding, adding value to the same is the wide size front cowl which further enhances the ride feel.
With the DTSi engine, you get the feel of a bigger displacement bike while riding.
The Platina ES uses the same tried and tested 102cc engine which does duty on the Discover 100M, however, tuned for the better mileage. Don’t get me wrong, this engine is just not a lift from the Discover 100M but has been detuned. It is capable of producing 8.2 PS of power at 7500 RPM and 12.75 Nm of torque at a lower 5000 RPM, mated to 4-speed gearbox. The bike has the top speed is rated at 90 kmph (internally tested).
The company is promoting the new Platina ES as ‘World’s Mileage Champion’ as it returns a whooping 96.9 kmpl of fuel efficiency which has never been heard before on any Indian motorcycle ever! And this is not Bajaj Auto’s internal test results but official ARAI tested figures, however, we expect it to return 80 kmpl in normal conditions.
The Platina ES comes with a 29.1 inch seat which is by far longest seat in the category.
In terms of styling the bike is very Japanese-styled, they really know what they’re doing. Bajaj has put in so many nice touches to its body panels – every surface looks and feels new. The Platina ES comes with a 29.1 inch seat which is by far longest seat in the category. It has 20% longer seat than standard 100 cc bikes which provides sufficient space and comfort for both rider and pillion.
New Platina ES comes with SNS (spring-in-spring suspension) which gives outstanding ability to handle bad roads with comfort. It uses two springs; an inner and an outer one of the same axis but of different dimensions. These springs differentiate between large and small shocks. While the inner spring absorbs the impact of small bumps the outer spring absorbs the impact of bigger ones.
The wide-sized front cowl give the bigger bike feel while riding.
The new Platina ES will only be available in a single trim level here, this being the range-topping with the alloy wheels and self-start. We speculate Bajaj might discontinue the top-end of current Platina, while the other two variants with alloy wheel kick-start and spoke wheel kick-start will be sold alongside.
The new Platina ES is priced Rs 4,500 upwards than the current top-end model with alloy wheel and self start which is priced at Rs 49,500 while the new Platina ES is priced Rs. 54,000 (both prices on-road, Mangalore). Although there is currently no fix on when exactly the launch will happen, expect the launch as early as next-week.
Gets itself long-lasting SNS (spring-in-spring suspension) which I call Stiff-N-Strong suspension 😉 .As an overall, the new Platina ES with DTSi feels like much more complete package compared to the current Platina. I didn’t have a favourable impression of the Platina when I drove it years back, but this one proved far more pleasant. As you can make out now, the bike has been taken to its peak during testing and hence this is the outcome.
Look after the jump for more pix of the New Bajaj Platina ES.
Bike Courtesy: SUPREME MOTORS, JEPPU, MANGALORE
Gangadhar: +91 – 7204052060/9243302060
To read more on Bajaj Platina, Click here
Also see – All-new 2015 Bajaj Platina 100 ES snapped at a dealership in Mangalore
See more pictures of new Bajaj Platina ES:
