It's not only pathetic politicians who bow down to feel the common man's pulse these days. Old hands at playing up to the masses, Bajaj Auto too has the foresight to lavish attention below the glitz and glamour of performance bikes to the entry-level segment. This year, the Boxer has received yet another revamp. So, is it a thoroughly re-thought commuter or simply an ugly irrelevance? :

The CT sports a familiar and unchanged commuter profile, though a multitude of subtle changes now make for a neater, mildly upmarket image. Paint, fit and finish as well as attention to detail are good, with well thought-out decals. A dual-tone front mudguard replaces the old-fashioned chrome unit. The bikini fairing from the older machine has been dropped and in its place is a clear lens and in-vogue round headlight. Meters present the bare basics in a clear and readable format. A prominent fuel gauge now glares up at the rider. The tank, adorned with the new Bajaj logo, sports similar lines and a new, rounded filler-cap. The flanks of the new bike are attractive, with smartly moulded lines and the tail fairing replacing that sorry-looking wraparound grab-bar. All Bajaj motorcycles seem to share the malady of a slightly hard compound for their palm grips, and the CT is no exception. Conversely, the dogleg levers fit the fingers to perfection and the mirrors, though oddly-shaped, offer good and vibration-free vision. The switchgear that has been taken off the Pulsar family is as good as it gets.

This near-vertical Bajaj mill looks as it always did, looks can deceive though, for internally it's another story. A larger volume air-filter now employs modified intakes. The carburettor sports a narrowed venturi and feeds a cast-iron block. The piston has been modified. Port geometry and cam-profile have also been tinkered, along with the combustion area. The Boxer CT joins other machines in embracing friction-slaying needle-rollers for its rocker arms. The heart of the engine, the crankshaft and connecting rod, are new as well. The engine is now a short-stroke unit with a 53x45mm bore into stroke measure; all the changes compute a rise in power from 7.02bhp to 8.2bhp at 7500rpm, as well as added torque. At first the engine sounds a bit gruff, though one swiftly realises this rorty new exhaust note is caused by increase in power. The gear ratios have been completely altered: the gap between second to a tall third feels so prominent as to make the rider feel as if Jughead, fresh from a spree at McDonalds, has hopped onto the rear seat. This would surely be the reason for a slight drop in acceleration time from 0-60kph, despite a higher power output. The fastest time we got was 8.67seconds, a fraction slower than 8.37sec on the previous model. Whatever the reason, this is in fact a smart move by Bajaj R&D, which has helped achieve high mileage numbers, more important to such bikes than acceleration. Thrown on is a little switch called 'ride-control.' When activated, this makes the throttle resist being twisted beyond a point, to ensure that a rider wanting to enjoy the best economy from his vehicle does not spoil it with too much throttle. Riding without crossing this resistance will ensure good mileage, yet searching for acceleration you may overcome the resistance even with the switch on. Bajaj's new Boxer offers the upright and commuter-oriented riding posture on top of a perfect density seat. The high and broad handlebars reach into the rider, making for good low-speed maneuverability. We found stability to be adequate, though cornering ability leaves a little to be desired. It's not the best handling vehicle in its segment, though that's not saying the Boxer is an atrocious handful. Let’s just say it meets its brief. The single down-tube frame would do well if it were mated with a box-section swingarm, this being the one sorely missed item on this bike. The suspension has been tweaked at both ends, and the bike indeed rides far plusher. It's easier to haul this bike onto its main stand. Plunking out both 110mm-drum anchors on the CT gets good results. We recently lauded the TVS Centra for achieving class-leading fuel economy figures, by virtue of its all-new and innovative VT-i engine. As it proved, the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. Hi-tech must actually compute to better economy. The new Boxer too lives up to rising frugality expectations. Despite subjecting the CT to cut-throat city traffic and paying no heed to repeated warnings from its novel ride control switch, the bike has done very well. It delivered no less than 60.2kpl on our city run and a whopping 66.4kpl out on open intercity roads.

In just the same manner as the politicos continue to churn out speech after speech, Bajaj Auto too seems never to relent upon spewing out new and improved motorcycles. All the changes implemented on the Boxer CT, though not visually apparent, go very deep and transform the bike from a basic mid-grid runner to a worthy challenger. One wonder’s why the CT has not been given a new name, for it truly feels like a whole new bike. Bajaj has retained much of the styling of the older motorcycle, upped power, and succeeded on the all-important economy numbers, too. Adding all this value to a rolling ball with naught added to the tag can only have one outcome for this manufacturer: success at the showroom.