Swirl of change

Bajaj unveils new engine technology. Will it Exceed expectations?

Bajaj unveiled their latest engine platform, the DTS-Si, or Digital Twin Spark Swirl Induction on Thursday. The engine is to be the heart of their latest motorcycle, the Exceed, which is due for launch in the first week of September.

Bajaj says the engine is an evolution of the DTSi technology which powers the Pulsar and Discover motorcycles today. As Bajaj had said earlier, it planned to exit the 100cc segment. What they actually meant was they would not build more 100cc motorcycles, but offer an alternative.

The new engine is designed to provide maximum possible economy. To do this, Bajaj engineers worked on the swirl aspect of the engine. When the mixture of air and fuel enter a combustion chamber, what happens is that the mixture has to mix well to create a good burn, essential for maximum efficiency and performance.

One way to ensure that the mixture is homogeneous is to create turbulence, which is an end result of swirl. To create this effect, the engine uses two spark plugs as usual, but the valves, which are usually diametrically across from each other have been offset. So the mixture enters from one side of the chamber and proceeds to well, swirl around the chamber. As the swirl decays, or the motion dissipates, it creates a more random motion which is great for burning.

In effect, the Bajaj 125cc DTS-Si engine manages to produce 9.5 bhp, which is more than most of the 100cc motorcycles on sale today (and atleast as much as other 125s).

However, there is a torque benefit. Bajaj say low engine speed torque is up 35 per cent on the Platina, and it actually peaks at just over 1 kgm, which is quite significant. And of course, the entry-level motorcycle is all about fuel efficiency and Bajaj claim 109 kpl under standard test conditions, which is a tiny bit more than the 100cc Platina.

In addition, Bajaj have ensured that the new engine has far less friction than the motors that have come before it, and is lighter than the 100cc Platina engine as well. Playing their part in this mix is a new ECU.

In effect, a powerful CDI system, the new unit handles the choke, has a temperature sensor to vary ignition curves depending on the engine running temperature in addition to the usual throttle position sensor driven load-based ignition curves. The ECU will also fire both plugs independently for best results.

This makes an interesting proposition. The new motorcycle, the Exceed, is expected to be priced between the Platina and the Discover and will fill a major hole in the Bajaj line-up. It should also prove to be light, responsive and frugal, which was Bajaj's aim for the motorcycle.

What, in effect, Bajaj is doing, is removing the barriers for customers to move from the traditional 100cc products to higher displacements without losing out on fuel economy and value "" these are the major purchase decision factors. The Exceed may pull sales from the Platina or from the Discover, but that's a cannibalisation scenario Bajaj is comfortable with.

Bajaj plans to sell about 1,000 motorcycles in August, followed by 10,000 in September and hopes that the Exceed stabilises around the 50,000 units per month mark in a short while. This will be a significant revenue boost, since Bajaj says the Exceed costs only marginally more than the Platina to manufacture.

Given that the Platina, at roughly Rs 33,500 breaks even, the Exceed should mean a good revenue stream if it sells well. Bajaj Auto MD Rajiv Bajaj also says that when Exceed sales, well, exceed 30,000 units per month, it will also contribute to the market share growth of the company.

Bajaj also said that DTS-Si is a flexible platform that will be able to handle higher and lower displacements, although there was no specific plan for the same at the moment. Similarly, Bajaj expects their Waluj and Pant-nagar plants to be busy handling exports for the Exceed, beginning next financial year.