When opposed to 125cc rivals like Raider 125, SP125, Glamour XTEC and even Xtreme 125R, Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG offers the lowest running costs
Bajaj has launched the world’s first CNG motorcycle in the form of Freedom 125. Prices for this motorcycle start at Rs 95,000 (Ex-sh) and go till Rs 1,10,000 (Ex-sh). There are 7 new colours and three variants to choose between. There is a lot to know about the new Freedom 125. Here are the top 5 things.
1 – Design
This is a rather surprising one. Aimed to please budget commuters, one would not expect style and substance from a motorcycle of this class and genre. That said, Bajaj has surprised us a lot. We did attend the launch event today and Bajaj Freedom 125 looks a lot better in person than in pictures. Bajaj has put their soul into making this a handsome machine and the results are fascinating.
For starters, there is an ADV inspiration with Freedom 125, which is not a bad thing. The bike looks substantial for a 125cc motorcycle. There is a silver-finished exposed trellis frame effect, longest seat in any bike, a colour-coded grab rail, stylish tail light, beefy-looking front fork covers, engine cowl along with tank shrouds.
2 – Variants and Pricing
Initially speculated to be 2 variants, Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG motorcycle has been launched in three variants. Called Drum, Drum LED and Disc LED, these three variants are priced at Rs 95,000, Rs 1.05 lakh and Rs 1.1 lakh (Ex-sh) respectively. As the name suggests, the base variant gets halogen headlights, top two trims offer LED headlights and only the top trim has front disc brakes.
There are 7 colours to choose from. Base Drum variant gets Pewter Grey-Yellow and Ebony Black Red options. The top two variants can be had in Caribbean Blue, Ebony Black-Grey, Pewter Grey-Black, Racing Red and Cyber White. None of the variants get knuckle guards, which was among the expected features.
3 – Bi-fuel Petrol+CNG Powertrain
The primary highlight of Bajaj Freedom 125 is the new Bi-fuel Petrol+CNG powertrain. This 125cc single-cylinder engine is horizontally mounted to liberate space for the CNG tank to go underneath the seat. This engine is capable of combusting both petrol and CNG. At the flick of a switch, rider can change fuel preference from CNG to petrol or vice versa.
Performance metrics of this engine are slightly below other 125cc offerings. 9.5 PS peak power at 8,000 RPM and 9.7 Nm peak torque at 6,000 RPM, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The fuel tank can hold 2L of petrol and CNG tank can hold 2kg worth of gas. Bike’s trellis frame cradles this CNG tank and acts as a protective cage.
On top of the fuel tank, we have a common filler cap that gives access to fill both petrol and CNG. Bajaj promises that the CNG motorcycle has been extensively tested and has passed as many as 11 safety tests based on industry standards. This should give buyers enough assurance and a sense of security.
4 – Mileage and Running Costs
This is what will excite the target demographic. The all-important mileage figure (fuel efficiency). Bajaj is promising best-in-segment fuel efficiency figures with Freedom 125 and lowest running costs of any motorcycle. So, the headline figure is 102 km/kg when run on CNG and 67 km/l when run on petrol.
Given that Freedom 125 has a fuel tank that holds 2 litres of petrol, it should eke out 130 km of range. Also, the 2 kg CNG tank promises 200 km of range. Combined, the total range from Freedom 125 on one filling is 330 km. Not bad at all, for a commuter.
5 – Features and Componentry
Bajaj has made Freedom 125 quite feature-loaded for the segment. For starters, we get a fully digital instrument cluster with a reverse LCD screen. This cluster is quite informative and shows a host of vehicular information. It even shows gear position, time and side stand warning apart from CNG levels. Bluetooth connectivity is also part of the package and so is a USB port.
Where componentry is concerned, Bajaj is offering RSU telescopic front forks behind those muscular fork covers and a linked mono-shock unit for the rear. 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends get tubeless tyres and Bajaj is only offering disc brakes at the front. While turn indicators are halogens, headlight and tail light were LEDs on top variant. The whole package with a CNG tank on Bajaj Freedom 125 weighs 147 kg.