Everyone is obsessed with some or the other things in life; some with food, some with people of the opposite gender while some like us are obsessed with automobiles. But what happens when obsession becomes irrepressible? I know it’s not conventional but still I feel like comparing the Bajaj Discover with a South Indian dish called Dosa. Weird right? Let me clear up the air, it’s very simple and easy. When I go to a canteen and look at the menu card, I often see so many varieties of Dosas; the same is the case one can find with the variants of Discover in a Bajaj showroom. Now you understand what I am speaking about.
Bajaj Auto launched the first variant of the Discover in the subcontinent a decade ago boosting the company’s sales charts into stratosphere. The bike was powering a 125cc engine when it hit the showrooms and a year later another variant was launched with a slightly lower 112cc engine. The sub 125cc engine claimed a fuel economy of 101 km/l which helped the company roll out few more units out of its manufacturing plant. Since then Bajaj has been on a spree of vehicle launches and we have seen many variants of the Discover, well frankly speaking nothing much has changed over this decade apart from few graphics and engine capacities.
Now Bajaj fans please don’t tell me that older Bajaj bikes used 2-valves and the newer one use 4-valves, etc, etc. We know the difference but that is the present trend, right? All these valves and other things are small when compared to complete changeover of vehicles.
Currently Bajaj’s website shows Discover 100, Discover 100T, Discover 100M, Discover 125, Discover 125T and new Discover 125 (which is the 125M) in their portfolio. The 100T, 100M and 125T carrying a patented engine by Bajaj; the world’s first 4-valve Twin Spark Ignition system. Frankly speaking we have to give credit to Bajaj engineers for fitting 6 components in a small area and obviously making it fuel as well as cost efficient. Bajaj also offered a 135cc bike which was shut down as it was taken over by its elder sibling the Discover 150. However the Discover 150 was discontinued and it might now make its way back to the market, this time with a quarter-fairing.
Overall Bajaj has launched 9 models of the Discover which includes the 125ST model also. 3 variants of 100cc and 4 variants of 125cc under one roof are too much for a customer to digest. Though the Discover’s sales are important for Bajaj, we feel that instead of launching another one, it’s better for the company to look into something new as they did with the Pulsar. Bajaj should probably look into overhauling of the whole Discover series and bringing out a new avatar with a new family name. Looking at the current trend, we can say that one decade is equivalent to one century in the automotive sector and if Bajaj Auto doesn’t work on this commuter bike then surely the Discover would be discovering a new path for a swift exit from the two-wheeler market.
