If any of you are thinking of buying a Bajaj Saffire, DON'T DO IT!
This vehicle has been a prime cause for heart ache and financial loss to me. I can't give you the entire set of problem history in detail on this blog since it will bore you, and will be a bit too long. So here are the "Cliff notes".
I bought this vehicle for Rs. 35,000 a month after it was launched. I bought it because I could not convince my dad to buy me a 125 cc bike and the other option he gave me was a 75cc bike. This bike seemed like a trade off at 90cc. Also the guys at Overdrive magazine gave this bike "Scooter of the year award" thereby pushing my decision (incidentally it makes me wonder how they actually test and review the vehicles sent to them. Does the company sending the vehicle "attractively coax" (if u know what I'm saying) the magazine journalists?
(OK all you companies out there willing to employ me as a FAIR, competent and complete, vehicle tester I'm waiting for your call... you can also reach me through this blog).
Little did I know this would be my biggest mistake. After taking the vehicle back for fixing almost every week, I would have to take it back again a week later. I had to spend close to Rs.1000 on fixing it, almost every time I took it there.
Then came a shining light, the company launched a 400 part, free of charge, replacement kit, none for the engine unfortunately, most of it was for the insides of the dash panel and switch gear. Also every time i got the bike fixed and looked at the receipt, I would always see a clutch overhaul. In three years I have had to get an entirely new clutch system 5 times. The shining light I saw was just a firefly seen thorough a magnifying glass I guess...
The front suspension from their earlier versions was redesigned in the later versions of this vehicle, which they changed for me at a price of Rs. 3500.The new version costs 40,000. I have paid more in just fixing this piece of sh**.
No, I didn't just sit back and take this crap from them. I wrote to the Vice President of marketing, Bajaj Auto Ltd. He then replied to me and told me to meet the manager at their workshop, I did. They then kept the bike for a month to fix.
It came back and worked properly for 2 months....and then it was back to square one. I met the managers at the workshop quite a few times and they took the bike in repeatedly (I think all the staff members know me there), fix it, and then a month later it needs a clutch overhaul!!!
Bajaj has tried many times to fix my bike, basically this bike cannot be fixed. Bajaj has tied up with Kawasaki Japan and they get some of their technology from Kawasaki. All their vehicles that say "Kawsaki Bajaj" on it, work just fine.
The Bajaj Saffire, from what I know, has been made through Bajaj's own independent R&D. Makes me wonder what the hell they were upto; the guy heading the project gets my prize for the "The worlds dumbest engineer" (someone one asked me why I buy products from foreign companies and not Indian companies; I hope this answers his question). Also some of their other vehicles like sunny and spirit (non-kawasaki technolgy), have a lot to be desired.
I also have two friends who have these two bikes and they also have similar complaints. One of them got rid of this bike and got a Yamaha Enticer(lucky b******), the other is unlucky like me, stuck with this crap.
Well, basically, if you are buying a Bajaj, make sure it is Kawasaki Bajaj, else definately go Buy a Honda, Hero Honda, or (the never doubtful) YAMAHA.
If only Honda launched the Activa a year earlier.....
8 comments:
You tell me ...
I had a Bajaj Sunny ... which I had to tolerate for a year and a half ( I am definitely going to heaven )
That too through my prime of youth :p
Now my brother is using it ( He will also go to heaven :) )
Bajaj should maybe change its motto from the unshake-able to the un-predict-able :)
A friend ( who also had a Sunny ) and I would rush to our bikes 10 mins earlier than everybody else after college ... just so that we could start it and make it to Mooghats on time :)
BTW ... you should post this article on mouthshut ... will get many more eyeballs out there ...
what????
u dont have any complaints against that cool "astra" of yours.
u shud really tell people abt ur astra,u dont mean the car. it turns out to be a HUUUUUGE letdown:).
hey ,
i was one of those unlucky ones who got a chance to own the saffire. i bought it around 4 years back , when i was in 12th, and the main reason i bought it coz at that time, there was a heavy rush of bookings for activa, and i wanted a vehicle ASAP. But , still when the bike came, i was happy, thinking, that this is "BAJAJ" and ought to be gud.
but , i realized my mistake within 6 months when i had to change the clutch overhaul of my bike . Luckily , it was in the warranty period , and the company did it for free. But still, after that , i faced a lot of probs. which i dont want to write now, else , my hands will start paining .
just 2 months back, i dont know how, but the kick pedal of the bike broke, actually it was some problem with the pedal and its shaft inside the engine. To repair that i had to shell out some 1300 bucks. I talked to one person who had a Saffire, and he said that ppeople dont want this bike, even if u give it to them for free !!! . But after this incident, i somehow managed to find a poor fellow, who was willling to give me 3000 bucks for this bike .
God, Bless him, And ..... Forgive me
Ha ha Check all u guys ..all WHinig about bajaj!!
i have a SCOOTY...and i must say...tvs DOESNOT have a concept of SUSPENSION!!
Hi,
I'm Abbas. I bought the bajaj saffire about 4 years ago and excepting the first few months, it hasnt worked satisfatorily at all. 2 clutch replacements and 3 regulator changes later the bike is still a piece of shit. Plus I must add the bike has an attrocious suspension.
I wrote to the VP of Bajaj auto, the officials took the bike and repaired it. The entire procedure took around 26 days. Unfortunately 10 days later the bike broke down again.
The officials at BAL actually had the audacity of forwarding me a bill for the so called free repairs.
As of now my advice would be NOT TO PURCHASE any bike made by Bajaj Auto coz they cost more to maintain than to actually buy one.
BAJAJ SAFFIRE,The LEGENDARY PAIN in THE A##.
My Sister bought this vehicle thought we asked her to go for an activa,, with Madahavan,yes wohi Vidhya Balan Wala in the advt, it was too much,,, its eight years now, its still there with me, the mechanic is a good friend,he says he will repair it still,BAJAJ doesnt reply, Doesnt Care,, Attitude of Bajaj is Pathetic,, managing to produce CRAP All the Time No reliability with BAJAJ
Geddam Ravi
Its plain simple sir. you were an idiot if you actually let the mechanic or bajaj SC change your clutch for 5 times in one year. You should've raised your concern with Bajaj auto, very helpful in after sales.
Hi Shashak,
If you posted without actually reading the whole post then you were an idiot to do so.
I have mentioned that I contacted the Vice President of Marketing at Bajaj Auto ltd.
They were attentive but nothing could be done about the pathetic product. The clutch weas changed by Bajaj company showroom's workshop!.
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