A Bajaj Boxer 150 modified into a cafe racer was showcased to the audiences at an event in Turkey and gives the Hero Splendor Classic some heavy competition.
Cafe Racers are the newest way to look retro in a modern world. Brought back to life by the Royal Enfield Continental GT, Hero MotoCorp followed suit with the Splendor Pro Classic that certainly is a job well done while Mahindra too had its concept iteration based on the Centuro showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo. Now Bajaj Auto has pulled a similar stunt and showcased the Boxer 150 Cafe Racer at the 2015 Turkey Motor Show and yes, it looks good. The Boxer is not on sale in India at present.
The low-cost 150cc bike is known for its load carrying capacity and rugged body. The Cafe Racer showcased gets a host of changes that certainly add to the appeal with the gloss blue finished paint job as well as matte black finish on the fuel tank, front forks and rear shocks. There is also custom made single seat, an underbelly exhaust with carbon fibre coating and circular turn indicators that add the retro appeal. The bike already gets a circular headlight cluster and a new taller windscreen installed that completes the look at the front. In addition, the Cafe Racer rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with slick tubeless tyres.
Certainly an attractive proposition, the Bajaj Boxer 150 Cafe Racer is powered by the same 144.8cc air-cooled, single-cylinder engine producing 12 HP of power 12 Nm of torque, paired to a 4-speed gearbox. Unfortunately though, there is not even a front disc brake on the bike. While the Boxer Cafe Racer certainly looks the part, do not get your hopes high. The model showcased was a one-off modified by a customer and only displayed by Bajaj at the venue. The company at present has no plans as such, but depending on the response could possibly look into launching a Boxer Cafe Racer to take on the Hero Splendor Classic. Meanwhile we are off making a cafe racer out of an Activa, because cafe racers seem to be all show and no go today.
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