CHEAPEST RUNNING BIKE----PLATINA LPG

Two -Wheeler: To be the first bike to have dual fuel option

Bajaj Auto is going to launch cheapest running bike platina LPG version. The most popular 100cc bike platina now powered by both petrol and LPG. This platina LPG version will be available in market soon,most probably end of 2007. The normal 100cc bike platina petrol will also remain in market.The new platina LPG version contain a 5 kg LPG cylinder along standard 10 litre petrol tank. Bajaj platina LPG version will look same as the normal petrol platina, But there is problem to accommodate LPG kit which may change the design of fuel tank. Bajaj Auto will import LPG kits from Italian suppliers and these LPG kit are reliable and well at performance.

Bajaj auto is quite sense able on safety issues, thats why Bajaj auto install safety features fir LPG bikes which take care the leakage of gas or cylinder overheating. Bajaj will test platina LPG version before launch, currently 50units of the platina LPG are under test condition which will run on both LPG and petrol. Platina LPG version drops power approximately 20% which is huge hurdle and effect performance hardly. The performance loss will be reduced by adding additives which increase octane number and enhance performance of bike.

The normal petrol Bajaj Platina cost Rs 35,344 and platina LPG cost Rs5000 more,but running cost will be lower by 35-40 per cent than normal petrol Bajaj Platina and this saving will cover extra cost of bike.

The bike will have a 5 kg LPG cylinder along with a 10 litre petrol tank which has been kept considering the lack of refuelling stations in all regions. Its running cost will be lower by 35-40 per cent compared to a petrol powered bike though there will be a 20 per cent drop in power delivery



There will be an additional cost of around Rs 10,000 per unit at the production level, steps are being taken to cut down costs in the initial stages as the price will be easier to manage once the volumes start building up at a later stage


The Platina LPG may resurrect Bajaj’s position in an industry which has been at the receiving end of rising interest rates. Bajaj posted a slump in sales for the fourth consecutive month in May with the company steadily losing market share in the 100cc segment.The disappointing sales performance in the last quarter is largely due to Bajaj’s strategy to upgrade from 100cc to 125-135cc segments which boomeranged. The 100cc segment continues to be a volume spinner and the LPG variant has the ability to enable Bajaj to make up for the losses


With 35-40 per cent lower cost of running, LPG Platina would entail good savings without much compromise on power. For a consumer with an average fuel spend of Rs 1,000 a month, the bill will come down by Rs 350-400. The annual saving would be a sizeable Rs 4,200-4,800 which would mean that compared to a normal 100cc bike break even would be reached in just a year’s time. Considering that a bike has a shelf life of 10 years, the overall saving would be around Rs 43,000.