Over the course of time, we have developed a soft spot for the Bajaj Boxer. While the Pune-based Indian motorcycle brand keeps churning out a multitude of variants of Discovers and Pulsars, not to forget the high-end motorcycles sporting KTM and Kawasaki badges, the Boxer is deemed a misfit and often in a state of neglect. Or, that's how it appears to us.
One of the best-selling 100cc motorcycles in India at a time when Hero-Honda's Splendor was at its peak, the Boxer, badged a Kawasaki-Bajaj back then, carved a niche for itself. Subsequently, when the CT100 and Platina took over as Bajaj's 100cc challengers, the Boxer ceased to exist only to come back in 2011 with a bigger 150cc engine powering it. Badged BM150, the Boxer retained its core values of rugged build, efficiency and practicality, aimed at the demanding rural market. A handful of spotting on road apart, nothing more was heard or seen about the model.
One of the best-selling 100cc motorcycles in India at a time when Hero-Honda's Splendor was at its peak, the Boxer, badged a Kawasaki-Bajaj back then, carved a niche for itself. Subsequently, when the CT100 and Platina took over as Bajaj's 100cc challengers, the Boxer ceased to exist only to come back in 2011 with a bigger 150cc engine powering it. Badged BM150, the Boxer retained its core values of rugged build, efficiency and practicality, aimed at the demanding rural market. A handful of spotting on road apart, nothing more was heard or seen about the model.
Just when we thought that the Boxer is done and dusted, these blurred pictures sent in by one of our readers in Pune hints that Bajaj isn't done with the model yet. Spotted testing in the outskirts of Pune a few weeks back, all we can infer from these pictures are that the design and styling isn't changing at all. The familiar taillight and the neatly-drawn indicators are carried over from the existing Boxer as are the spring-in-spring rear shocks and exhaust pipe. Nothing else is visible, which means that we know zilch about the engine and frontal design in the test bike.
Curious to know more, we browsed Bajaj's official websites only to find no mention of the Boxer in their Indian lineup. The global site however had the Boxer listed in two configurations, the 100 and the 150. So, what could Bajaj be testing in this Boxer? Is the rugged and utilitarian bike making a comeback in the 100cc segment in India? Is the Boxer finally getting the patented and heavily-marketed DTS-i twin-spark technology? Is it just a subtle facelift for the Indian model? Or, is it a durability test for an update to the international model? At this point of time, we don't have an answer. May be, Bajaj could help us find out.
Whatever it is, three people atop a motorcycle without helmets at midnight isn't a sight that we would ever embrace.
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