Bajaj Auto tries car technology on Pulsar bike

Bajaj Auto is poised to become the first automobile maker in India to roll out a two-wheeler fitted with a fuel injection system in place of the carburettor.

The first to have this new technology will be a 230 cc motorcycle which will extend Bajaj's best selling brand, the Pulsar. It will be launched this year. Later, the company would like to try it out on other products too.

In recent times, Bajaj Auto has been increasing its focus on technology as it closes in on Hero Honda's leadership position in the motorcycle market.

Bajaj Auto says it has applied for a world-wide patent for the fuel injection system, although some other two-wheeler makers overseas, most notably Honda of Japan, have been making very high displacement motorcycles fitted with a fuel injection system.

Most modern cars, too, run on fuel injection systems. The carburettor went out of the Indian car market when the Euro II norms came into force in April 2000.

But Bajaj may be the first in India to try it out on a small displacement vehicle. "The fuel injection system will ensure that the emissions hit rock bottom levels and the bikes run in all climatic conditions," said S Sridhar, Bajaj Auto's vice-president, marketing and sales, two-wheelers.

He said the new fuel injection system would be incorporated with the DTSi (digital twin spark ignition), a technology for which the company already holds a patent.

The technology guides the fuel into the engine's combustion chamber at an optimum level. The quantity of fuel flowing in is decided by a host of sensors guided by air flow, throttle valve position and engine speed.

But it pushes up the cost, a deterrent for companies operating in a high competitive market that allows only wafer-thin margins.