Comparison: New Bajaj CT 100, Hero HF-Dawn, TVS Sport, Yamaha Crux, Mahindra Pantero T4

Bajaj Auto has recently updated its official website with its latest offering in the market- CT 100. However, the bike is already on sale across India with both spoke and alloy wheel option, priced at Rs. 35,034 and 38,034 respectively. The spoke wheel trim of the bike is the most affordable commuter available in the market today, while the alloy wheel trim has been priced near to the other offerings in the entry-level-commuter segment. There are just 4 other options in the market, which have been priced below Rs. 40,000 namely; Hero HF-Dawn, TVS Sport (Kick Start), Yamaha Crux and Mahindra Pantero T4. So, let’s do a quick comparison of all these motorcycles with the latest offering from Bajaj.

Appearance: Most of the offerings in entry-level-commuter segment comes with a practical design, which are developed just to commute, not for style. However, there are some brands, which introduced this feature to the segment.

The new Bajaj CT 100 comes with a sleek design having a decent bodywork along with an angular headlight. All the body panels of the bike have been painted in same color along with sporty graphics. Aluminium rear grab rail (also available with steel bar grab rail and luggage carrier), alloy wheels and painted rear suspensions also add a style statement to it. The bike is available in 2 color options- Ebony Black and Electron Blue.

As we mentioned earlier that most of the bike in the respective segment comes with a very practical design, and here is the example in the form of Hero MotoCorp HF-Dawn. The bike looks decent with its classic round headlamp, twin-pod console and other body work. The fuel tank and side panels have been painted in one color scheme, while the rear panel is Matt Black. A steel bar type grab rail has been provided at the rear with luggage carrier. The bike is currently available in five different color options as Candy Blazing Red, Black With Purple, Black With Red, Boon Silver Metallic and Classy Maroon Metallic.

The most stylish motorcycle in the segment is TVS Sport with lots of sporty design elements like angular headlamp, bikini fairing, adequate body panels and countered seat. Console of the bike is also more attractive than that of the other in competition. All the cowls and fuel tank have been painted in single tone and received stylish graphics. Parts like engine, frame, suspension set-up, exhaust muffler, wheels (in alloy wheel trim) and rear grab rail are painted in Black, which provides a premium look to the bike. It has been made available in 6 attractive color options including Flaming Red, Blaze Red, Electric Green, Mercury Grey, Dazzling White and Indigo Streak.

The Yamaha Crux looks like a utility motorcycle which comes with a very basic design having a straight type seat, round headlight, twin-pod console, metallic front fender, spoke wheels and other elements like a commuter of 80s or 90s. The bike has been made available in two color options- Maroon and Black.

Mahindra Pantero T4 is another stylish commuter in the entry-level segment, which comes in 4 different trims. But here we will talk about the T4 variant, which comes with analog display, spoke wheels and kick start. The bike has been styled with a very angular design to make it sportier. It also features twin pilot lamps along with its edgy headlamp and LED tail lamp. All the panels and fuel tank of the bike are painted in single tone with attractive graphics and it also receives all black theme. Currently, it is available in 4 sporty colors viz. Fiery, Sterling, Blazing and Cool.

Chassis/Engineering: All the 5 motorcycles have almost similar type of chassis with features like telescopic front suspension and spring loaded hydraulic dampers at the rear. However, there are some significant changes in the engineering of these models.

The new Bajaj CT 100 has been assembled on a tubular single down tube with lower cradle frame with the unique coaxial Spring in Suspension (SNS). The bike runs on 17”, 5-spoke alloys (also available with spoke wheels), which comes with 2.75” wide front and 3.00” wide rear tyre. To control the 100cc motorcycle, a 110mm drum type braking unit has been provided on both the front and rear wheel.

Bolted on a tubular double cradle frame, Hero MotoCorp HF-Dawn rolls on 18” spoke wheels, which comes covered by 2.75” wide tyres of different ply ratings for the front and rear. Braking system of the bike combines 130mm and 110mm drum brake unit at the front and the rear respectively.

The structure of TVS Sport has been crafted on a single downtube frame, which gets 5-step adjustable rear suspension and 17” Spoke wheels (also available with alloy wheels). It comes with 130mm drum brake at the front and 110mm drum brake at the rear.

The Yamaha Crux has been built on a tubular double cradle frame and runs on 18” spoke wheels, which come with 2.50” and 2.75” tyre on the front and the rear respectively. Both the wheels have been equipped with drum type braking units.

Engineering of the Mahindra Pantero T4 is almost similar to the Hero HF-Dawn.

Engine and Performance: Engines of the entry-level-commuters are generally designed to make only necessary power for daily commuting and to deliver a healthy mileage. All the 5 models are powered by a 4-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine, displacing around 100cc and have a top speed of around 90kmph. However, they all have different performance figures.

The new Bajaj CT 100 houses a new 99.27cc engine, which comes mated to a 4-speed, all down-shift gearbox via a wet multi-plate clutch assembly. The motor makes 8.1bhp of maximum power at 7,500rpm and a peak torque of 8.05Nm at 5,000rpm using a carburetor type fuel system. The bike claims to return mileage upto 89.5kmpl, which is tested by ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India).

Powered by the legendary 97.2cc horizontal engine, the Hero HF-Dawn delivers 8.25bhp of peak power at 8,000rpm and torque upto 8.05Nm at 5,000rpm. The motor comes mates to a 4-speed, all up-shift gearbox, which performs quite smooth with a wet multi-plate clutch set-up. According to ARAI, the bike has a fuel economy upto 83kmpl during standard conditions.

Propelling the TVS Sport is a 99.7cc engine, which comes mated to a 4-speed, all up-shift gearbox via wet multi-plate clutch arrangement. Powered by a carburetor type fuel system, the motor makes upto 7.37bhp of power at 7,500rpm and 7.5Nm of torque at 5,000rpm. The bike claims to return upto 87.7kmpl of mileage.

The Yamaha Crux is powered by a 106cc engine, which develops 7.5bhp of maximum power at 7,500rpm and a peak torque of 7.5bhp at 6,000rpm. It comes mated to a 4-speed constant mesh gearbox using a wet type multi-plate clutch system. The company claims that the bike has a fuel economy upto 78kmpl.

The Mahindra Pantero sports a 106.7cc MCI-5 (Micro Chip Ignited 5) engine, which comes mated to a smooth 4-speed constant mesh gearbox. It makes power upto 8.4bhp at 7,500rpm and delivers torque upto 8.5Nm at 5,500rpm. The bike claims to return a mileage upto 79.4kmpl.

Price: Prices of all the 5 motorcycles start below Rs. 40,000 and increases according to the features.

Verdict: If you want a stylish commuter with healthy mileage below Rs. 40,000, TVS Sport will be your choice. Mahindra Pantero leads in the field of engine and performance, while the Hero HF-Dawn is preferred as the most reliable product in the segment. However, convenience, price and mileage are the most preferred feature of the segment, which are leaded by the new Bajaj Platina.

Specifications Comparison: