According to the 'Controller General of Patents Design and Trade Marks' website, Bajaj Auto has registered the 'Adventurer' nameplate with the government. While it may not be unusual for companies to register nameplates, the Adventurer moniker unsurprisingly hints towards a possible adventure tourer motorcycle that could be based on the Dominar platform. At the time of Dominar's launch late last year, Bajaj Auto conveyed that it plans to bring a host of new offerings in the premium space and the 'Adventurer' just might be next.
The Adventurer moniker points at a adventurer tourer in the making
Bajaj Auto - Managing Director, Rajiv Bajaj had said at the Dominar's launch that its new flagship is a successor to the popular Pulsar series. This did mean that the Indian two wheeler giant wasn't going to stop at just one model. In the following months, Bajaj conveyed on different occasions that more models based on the Dominar platform are on the way.
Bajaj has positioned the Dominar as a sports cruiser and an adventure motorcycle makes for a lucrative alternative. More so, since the adventurer tourer segment is still novel in India with only the Royal Enfield Himalayan available in the sub Rs. 2 lakh price bracket. The 'Bajaj Adventurer' or 'Bajaj Dominar Adventurer', one of the few names it could be called, just might turn out to be a Himalayan rival. The bike is likely to sport the same 373 cc single-pot engine as the Dominar, making for around 34 bhp and 35 Nm of torque. The Dominar's perimeter frame is also said to be flexible to work for an adventure tourer. In our comparison between the Dominar and Himalayan earlier this year, the Himalayan also proved to have a slight edge when it come to touring.
Bajaj would want to capture the adventure tourer space populated by the Himalayan
Despite a variety of bikes under its stable, Bajaj Auto does not have an adventure motorcycle as an option. It did briefly introduce the 'Adventure Sport' moniker with the Pulsar AS150 and AS200, but the slow selling machines were hardly adventure friendly in that regard.
Save for the semi-fairing, the bike did not have any functional upgrade as such. It lacked a long travel suspension, higher ground clearance and even a larger fuel tank. The essentials you would expect from an adventure motorcycle. So, it's not surprising the AS200 and AS150 hardly made a difference. With Bajaj re-introducing the Pulsar NS200 with several early this year, the AS200 and AS 150 were pulled off shelves.
The Pulsar AS 200 lacked the essential bits needed for an adventure motorcycle
This paves the road for an all-new brand under the Bajaj umbrella that will cater to a niche yet growing audience. The Indian bike maker also gets an early bird advantage in this segment, and can offer a more reliable motorcycle than the Royal Enfield Himalayan has turned out to be.
That said, details on the Adventurer are still sketchy and we will have to wait for a few more months for something official to be conveyed by the company. Meanwhile, we will be keeping our eyes open for test mules or any details on Bajaj Auto's next adventure-ready offering.
