Bajaj, it would appear, has been plugging the displacement holes in its line-up. It now offers 100, 125, 135, ISO, 180, 200 and 220cc machines. My point is that the only significant gap in that line is a Pulsar 165. But that's another story. We're riding the newest stallion in the Bajaj stable, the Discover 135 DTSi. The Disco 135's black look is stark and the Disco looks very attractive. The engine grows to 134.2cc and makes more power (13.1 bhp) and torque (1.21 kgm) biggest change is an upgrade to P150-size rimS/tyres. However, the tyres were not MRFs, our test bike came shod with (TVS Srichakra, tubed) Eurogrips that mimic the MRF Nylogrip pattern. The 125 also sports very similar look and perhaps the greatest visual difference is the all-enclosed chain on the 125 and the lack of the disc on the front alloy wheel.

Yes it is. Compared to a 125, the perfor¬mance advantage is fairly obvious. However, this is a fairly calm sort of machine, and despite the power gain, I won't describe it as bursting with power or any such. Progress is brisk though - the urgency is understated and I can quite imagine a I-just-want-a-commuter-type feeling quite happy aboard it.

It is light goes where you point it and generally feels great. The fatter tyres only bring a sense of greater grip to the package and don't otherwise add or subtract anything. The brakes too are fairly similar in feel and power terms (to the P150), except that instead of the familiar KBX on the master cylinder, I spotted an unfamiliar ITS. The 135 also gets gas shocks like the Pulsars and ride quality, as a result is slightly more damped than the already pretty good double-spring thingies.

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Bajaj have created a premium 125cc motorcycle by raising displacement rather than loading the bike with graphics (a la Glamour). In the process, the motorcycle gains a tacho, a disc and larger size wheels. On the face of it this is a nice set of upgrades for a mere three grand. The Discover was always a very likeable 125, and this is even more so, because of the larger motor. However, in character terms, the 135 is a very calm, chilled out sort of machine, so the extra power simply makes for an even more effec¬tive commuter, rather than a new enthusiast's dream.

All told, the 135 isn't really my kind of machine, but I have a feeling that older commuters looking for a more upscale 125 or a more powerful weapon will flock to the 135 -which, I imagine, is exactly what Bajaj are hoping for. The XCD 125, on the other hand, takes the battle straight into thick of the 125cc segment and has all the right weapons in needs for the fight. It bests all the other 125s on most aspects, although the Yamaha Gladiator sneaked to a win in our comparo last year.