BAJAJ Freedom

Every few years there comes a model that we, as journalists, ride, and think, “Hmmm… why didn’t they think of that before?’ The new Bajaj Freedom 125 felt much like that after my first few hours on the saddle. As the world’s first CNG–powered motorcycle, the 125 cc commuter does not have big shoes to fill or a legacy to follow. Instead, it needs to simply commute well and save a lot of fuel bills while doing so. It also arrives in time as fuel prices have soared enough for other alternatives to thrive and when the two-wheeler market is at the cusp of electrification. With so many variables at play, is there room for a CNG bike or are we good with plonking a CNG cylinder in passenger cars and commercial vehicles? We spent some time with the new Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG and a few hundred kilometres later, here’s what we think.

Bajaj Freedom 125: What Is It?

The Bajaj Freedom has been developed from the ground up as a bi-fuel CNG bike. The company says that there are no parts shared with other motorcycles in its range. It looks nothing like the existing 125 cc commuters. Bajaj calls the Ibex or a mountain goat as the inspiration and has even dropped an easter egg on the side panel paying homage to the capable animal.

Visually, the Freedom 125’s design brief appears clear - functional but not boring. The styling has hints of a supermoto with the 17-inch front and 16-inch rear wheel setup and the rally-style seat. It's small, slender and looks purpose-built. But its biggest win is how well thought-out the design is. It’s hardly boring and grabs a lot of attention, for entirely different reasons, of course.

The top variants get LED while the base variant gets a halogen lamp. The LED taillight is standard and so are the halogen indicators. The LED headlamp cluster is protected by a tubular frame that goes well with the exposed trellis frame. The tank shrouds finished in brushed aluminium further add to the rugged appeal.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Features

The top trim gets an all-digital instrument console that’s easy to read and well laid out, especially in comparison to the cluttered ones on the new Pulsar series. It gets Bluetooth connectivity with a dedicated button on the left switchgear cube to answer or decline calls. There’s USB charging as well. The lower variants get a simpler semi-digital console with several tell-tale lights.

The dedicated symbols for petrol and CNG fuel options tell you which fuel you are running while the fuel bar is only for CNG, something Bajaj says has been done to encourage riders to use CNG more often. The petrol tank is barely two litres, which leaves little room for adding sensors, not to mention the cost addition. The paint, plastic and switchgear quality is good and everything feels sturdy, albeit made to a cost.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Where’s The Cylinder?

There’s plenty to tell you about the innovations on the Freedom 125. It gets a trellis frame, largely unheard of in the mass market commuters but it plays a crucial role. The light frame helps keep the overall kerb weight low while acting as a protective cage for the CNG cylinder. The 16 kg cylinder itself has been cocooned under the seat where the fuel tank conventionally is. The small petrol tank is placed to the right side, while the airbox is moved to the left, making room for the CNG kit to fit in. Bajaj has also used a horizontally-mounted engine for the first time on a bike, which goes on to show the extent to which everything had to be thought out again or re-engineered. You can’t see the cylinder unless you get the seat off and that’s been a big surprise for everyone.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Ergonomics

The narrow frame allows it to be more tightly packaged to save weight. That helps negate the tall seat height at 825 mm but you tend to sit “on” the bike giving it a taller feel. At 785 mm, it gets the longest seat in the segment but it’s not the most comfortable over long distances due to the lack of cushioning and under-thigh support. The slender frame takes a bit of getting used to, especially for a larger rider like me but it is easy to adapt.

The riding position is on point with the tall handlebar and centre-set foot pegs. The bike tips the scales at 147.8 kg, which is substantially more than other 125 cc commuters like the TVS Raider and Hero Xtreme 125R.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Bi-Fuel Engine

The new 125 cc bi-fuel motor is newly developed from the ground up. Both CNG and petrol operate at different temperatures and the bike runs two different engine maps and even gets different injectors. Given the high temperatures for CNG, the new engine gets several enhancements including a big bore and inlet valve with a high-velocity port intake for better low-end torque.

The pistons have been optimised for higher wear and tear, while the engine gets larger jets for cooling the pistons from a 200 cc engine. There are larger fins on the engine to improve cooling efficiency. The Freedom can start directly in the CNG mode and can run for extended periods. You can switch between either fuel on the fly using the switch on the left cube. Bajaj recommends running it on petrol at regular intervals for better engine life.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Performance

The 125 cc motor develops 9.5 bhp and 9.7 Nm of peak torque, paired with a 5-speed gearbox. Power delivery is identical in CNG and petrol modes, although the former will feel slightly slower. The difference is negligible and does little to hamper your riding experience. The engine has been tuned to give you a strong low- and mid-range while the top-end is negligible.

The engine is peppy enough to get you through traffic snarls and even on flyovers or inclines, there's enough grunt in the CNG mode to not lose momentum. Add a pillion and you will have to downshift to a lower gear to keep the pace going. The exhaust has a sporty ring to it, going well with the bike's visuals.

The bike gets smoother when running on petrol and even has a higher top speed. We hit about 80-85 kmph in CNG mode, while the petrol mode pushed up to 90 kmph. What's most impressive is the lack of vibrations from the motor. There's slight buzzing around the footpegs at the top end of the power band but none of it feels uncomfortable.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Handling & Braking

The suspension gets a long-travel setup with telescopic front forks and a mono-link unit at the rear to absorb undulations and keep the cylinder protected. That’s why a 16-inch rear wheel has been used for more wheel travel.

Handling is neutral and the Freedom’s top-heavy nature does not make it a corner carver but the bike is nimble to ride. Lane changes are seamless and it tackles tight turns easily. High-speed stability is impressive with the wider 120-section rear tyre while braking performance from the disc (front) and drum (rear) brake setup is progressive and does a decent job.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Safety

Bajaj says the Freedom passed 11 safety tests including frontal and side-impact, a 600 mm vertical drop test as well as the truck run-over test to check for cylinder damage and leaks. There’s also a nozzle underneath the fuel tank for better access as an emergency cut-off in case of a leakage. Much like cars, the CNG cylinder on the Freedom will need to be re-certified every two years and that’s an additional cost to factor in as part of the ownership cycle.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Fuel Efficiency

With that 2 kg cylinder in place, Bajaj claims 102 km per kg making for over 200 km from the CNG mode. Meanwhile, the fuel efficiency of petrol stands at 65 kmpl (claimed). We rode the bike for about 400 km and the CNG mode returned an average of 160-170 km across multiple runs. This was across different terrains, riding conditions, and city and highway use. The lowest we got was about 120 km, which was purely highway riding from Pune to Mumbai and at high speeds.

The combined range in our test cycle was just about 280 km (combined), slightly lower than the company's claim of 330 km. However, the fuel savings are hard to ignore considering a full CNG cylinder costs us barely ₹142 in Mumbai. If you are riding about 1,000 km in a month, expect fuel bills to slide under ₹1,000 while relying on CNG alone.

It's also noteworthy to mention that CNG takes about a minute to fill making it a quick process. The novelty factor meant we did receive preference in the CNG lines with most users more than happy to let us pass over other cars and three-wheelers. Bajaj has optimised the CNG tank to take as low as 160 bar at temperatures of 30 degrees, which will realistically fill up to 1.85 kg of gas. A 200 bar will allow a full tank.

Bajaj Freedom 125: Verdict

The Freedom 125 rides well and the savings are hard to ignore. But the big challenge for the bike is ensuring it fits into the larger ecosystem. We need more CNG stations across the country and only then can it be a viable option, especially if you are looking at clocking more kilometres in a short span. There could always be improvements like better cushioning but there's no denying that the Freedom 125 may have unlocked a new market entirely, not just in India but several emerging markets the world over.