Most notable attribute about the Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG motorcycle is its incredible mileage (fuel efficiency) claiming up to 102 km/kg
Bajaj is rewriting the books of automotive history by launching the Freedom 125 in India. With huge export ambitions, Freedom 125 CNG will be remembered in history as the one that started it all. The first, the pratham, la primera, o primeiro, la premiere. Bajaj had provided Rushlane with a review sample for a short time. This is what we think about the world’s first CNG motorcycle.
Bajaj Freedom 125 First Ride Review
For a motorcycle like this, everything depends on pricing. So, let’s start with that. Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG starts from Rs 95,000 for base variant and goes till Rs 1.10 lakh (Ex-sh). It is to be noted that Bajaj is matching the base price with other premium sporty 125cc motorcycles. This is commendable move, considering CNG bike has added costs and complexities to account for. The base variant would appeal a lot to fleet operators, while top variant would appeal to individual buyers.
Bajaj decided not to offer a drab-looking motorcycle as their first CNG offering. Even if you take away the CNG wow factor, Freedom 125 is still a handsome looking motorcycle and a standalone quality. We get an exposed trellis frame, beefy tank shrouds, muscular front fork covers, stylish alloy wheels, attractive lighting elements, swanky colours, and a really long seat. Knuckle guards would have made the bike even more attractive.
Features-wise, Bajaj has offered a fully digital negative LCD instrument cluster that is equipped with Bluetooth connectivity. LED headlights, LED tail lights, side-stand engine cut-off, USB charging socket and sturdy hooks for practicality are some of the notable features. All these features make Freedom 125 feature loaded, practical and versatile, apart from being fuel efficient.
Engine, Specs and Mileage
Main highlight of Bajaj Freedom 125 is its brand new CNG+Petrol bi-fuel capable engine. This is a brand new 124.58cc single-cylinder Bi-fuel unit from Bajaj capable of running on both petrol and CNG with up to 102 km/kg mileage from CNG and 67 km/l from Petrol. Bajaj could fit this CNG tank under the seat because of this engine’s sloper design of this engine. This whole CNG setup, however, weighs a lot and contributes significantly to the bike’s 147.8 kg kerb weight.
CNG tank alone weighs 16 kg and holds 2 kg worth of CNG gas. This CNG tank is protected by the bike’s trellis frame. Because of this whole setup, Bajaj repositioned air box into the fuel tank area, hence pushing a small 2L fuel tank towards the right. According to Bajaj, total range from this system is 330 km, which is not bad for a commuter. Rider can toggle between CNG and petrol modes easily with the flick of a switch on left switchgear.
There is a noticeable performance gap between CNG and Petrol. In crude words, Petrol is like a “Sport” mode, while CNG is “Eco”. When compared to other 125cc motorcycles, Bajaj Freedom 125’s performance is a cut below. The 147.8 kg kerb weight slows it down further. Performance metrics are 9.37 bhp and 9.7 Nm. Acceleration is fairly brisk, but overtakes need planning. For a motorcycle geared towards fuel efficiency, performance is perfectly acceptable. We experienced a few false neutrals with the bike’s 5-speed gearbox. Clocking more kilometres may smoothen things out.
We did a thorough mileage run on this motorcycle. But the pressure at CNG filling station was not enough refill consistently. So, our mileage test yielded 85 km/kg when run on CNG, which varies with Bajaj’s 102 km/kg number. We might do a proper 100% to 0% mileage run for a more accurate reading in the future. Even at 85 km/kg, Bajaj Freedom 125 easily has the least running costs of any motorcycle in India, owing to the lower price for CNG fuel.
Ride, Handling and Comfort
Bajaj Auto Has taken special care when it comes to comfort on Freedom 125. The seat is probably the longest in the world and has acres of space. Seat height is 825 mm and was perfectly fine for me (182 cm tall individual) and I could even flat foot without any issues. Rider ergonomics was alright. The bike commanded a slight lean towards the handlebar, but not stress inducing for city commutes in any way. Which is the primary intended use for this bike.
The bike felt sure-footed while riding in the city or brisker runs on the highway. Freedom 125 doesn’t lose composure when tackling bad patches of road and does a good job of handling road irregularities. There were a few thunks here and there from front suspension. During our short period with this motorcycle, we didn’t feel the suspension setup to be unnerving or worrisome. Braking power was adequate for the segment and intended speeds of Freedom 125.
Conclusion
Bajaj has put a lot of effort into Freedom 125 CNG motorcycle and it shows. It looks premium and unique, but still matches the base price of its 125cc premium rivals, despite packing additional CNG equipment. In our time with Bajaj Freedom CNG, we faced a few engine related niggles. However, none of these are expected to translate to the production model that buyers will get their hands on.
We felt like Bajaj could have added an engine stop/start system to eke out even better mileage out of its first-ever CNG motorcycle. We also felt Bajaj could have added an engine kill switch and navigation feature bundled with Bluetooth connectivity. Bajaj needs to come up with more methods to propogate the safety aspects of this motorcycle to nudge buyers. Because safety was one of the concerns a lot of people had with this motorcycle.
That said, Bajaj Freedom 125 didn’t have a single deal breaker that would prove to be off-putting for target demographic. In that regard, we think Bajaj has a winner on their hands in the form of Freedom 125. The future of CNG motorcycles is here and we liked it more than we thought we would.
