INDIAN motorcycle manufacturer Bajaj has just filed for the trademark Neuron hinting at a possible new direction for the company.
While the name Neuron conjures up images of a fancy new electric motorcycle, the whispers from the Indian motorcycle press paint a much different picture.
The word is that the nameplate is likely to be linked to a new brand selling retro middle-weight bikes in the region, something that will be able to go toe-to-toe with Royal Enfield and the recently announced Honda H’Ness CB350.
Bajaj currently only sells one range of what you’d call classically styled bikes. And even then, they aren’t really very on-trend. The range is question is the Avenger machines, coming in Cruiser 220 and Street 160 variants. They aren’t exactly what is selling well at the moment, and look like re-boots of the Yamaha Virago with a single cylinder engine slotted into the frame.
Bajaj Neuron trademark application
The Indian market is following the global trend of looking for more authentically retro machines, something that Honda and the CB350 and Royal Enfield have quickly cottoned onto. As Bajaj already has the infrastructure and powertrain technology in place, a slightly more premium bike that can slot into the 250 to 500cc market seems like a sensible plan.
That’s not to say that the above theory is 100% nailed on. Far from it. India and the entire Asian continent is moving on with the times, and punters are looking for more tech and gadgets from their two-wheeled steeds. One other train of thought is that Neuron represents a new type of rider interface the firm can push out across its existing model ranges. Neurons are nerve cells within the human brain, after all.
