Bajaj Freedom 125 Review: New King Of Commuter Segment?

It is a well-known fact that India is one of the largest two-wheeler markets in the world and it is an extremely competitive space, especially in the commuter segment. Motorcycles are regarded as the most preferred mode of affordable personal transport and mileage is a key decider for any motorcycle in this segment. With the rising fuel costs and commodities, it has become more challenging for buyers in this segment to manage fuel and running costs.

To address this growing concern, Bajaj Auto might have found the answer with its world’s first CNG-powered production motorcycle, the Freedom 125. Built from the ground up, the Freedom is the first of the new league of commuter motorcycles. It has been ingeniously designed and engineered keeping in mind the key requirements of the buyer while also ensuring the fundamentals of the good motorcycle are also maintained.

We’re sure you have a lot of questions about the new Bajaj Freedom regarding its ride experience, features and comfort, but more importantly the CNG system, its functioning, running costs and safety.

Has Bajaj got itself a winner to take on the highly competitive commuter segment, is what we’ll let you know in this detailed review of the all-new Freedom 125.

Design & Features

The Freedom doesn’t look like anything from Bajaj’s current motorcycle lineup. In fact, it has quite a likeable design that looks cohesive and complements the overall design. You get an all-LED headlamp and taillamp, compact petrol fuel tank with contrast tank shrouds, covered fork, a long one-piece seat, cast grab rail, belly pan, tyre hugger and a stubby exhaust. The dual-tone colour scheme with graphics and silver accents on some body panels and the exposed rear subframe, all contribute to making the Freedom come across as a premium and appealing motorcycle for its segment and for those who aren’t aware, it will easily pass as a conventional petrol-powered motorcycle.

The petrol and CNG refilling is conveniently provided under a flap on top of the 2-litre petrol fuel tank, which also has been designed well. The switchgear quality is good, the mirrors look nice, the two mounting loops on either side of the seat are a thoughtful move to mount and secure luggage, deeply grooved footpegs, a compact yet well-designed engine crash guard and split-type five-spoke alloy wheels with a 17-16 inch setup, all have been designed and engineered with a lot of thought put into it. Overall, the built quality, fit-finish and feel of materials are seriously good for a motorcycle of this segment.

For instrumentation, you get an all-digital inverted display that is well-designed and easy to read. It packs all the necessary information including an odometer with two trip metres, a speedometer, a gear position indicator and a clock. The unit is also Bluetooth-enabled allowing the user to receive calls and message alerts. While petrol mode doesn’t feature a gauge for the quantity of fuel but only a low fuel indicator, CNG mode comes with a dedicated gauge and also an instant fuel economy indicator.

Ergonomics

Astride the Bajaj Freedom, you are welcomed by a very comfortable and neutral riding stance. You get a one-piece handlebar, centre-set footpegs, and a saddle height that is set at 825 mm and yet is surprisingly accessible even for someone like me with a height of 5 feet 7 inches in height. At 725 mm the Freedom has the longest seat in the segment offering lots of room for the rider as well as pillion, while accommodating some luggage too. The seat has been designed well with good contouring for the rider’s legs to reach for the ground easily and at the same time good cushioning that is firm yet soft for long saddle time. The riding triangle is ergonomic and comfortable for anyone who commutes a lot on a motorcycle daily.

Chassis, CNG Fitment and Safety

The Bajaj Freedom is built around a street trellis frame and subframe, with the engine as a stressed member. With a kerb weight of 149 kg, the 2 kg CNG tank is located within the trellis frame safeguarding it from any external impacts. Held by brackets, it can be removed for maintenance by undoing the two bolts at the back of the grab rail to open the tail section and the cylinder can be slid out. The tank also features an analogue gauge for the pressure inside the tank and a safety valve to stop the flow of CNG if required.

In addition to all the precautions taken for the CNG tank’s construction, mounting and safety, Bajaj has also conducted a total of 11 safety and crash tests that include a head-on collision with a test vehicle and driving a truck over the motorcycle. That said, we can say that Bajaj has put in a lot of effort and carried out the necessary and crucial tests to ensure that the Freedom is a safe bike to operate and that the chances of a leak or damage to the CNG tank are few.

Engine & Performance

Being a CNG-powered motorcycle, Bajaj designed a completely new engine from the ground up with a sloper-style construction that not only addresses the space constraints due to the CNG tank but also helps in achieving a more efficient motor. With a displacement of 125 cc, the single-cylinder air-cooled engine is designed to deliver a max power of 9.4 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 9.7 Nm of peak torque at 5,000 rpm on both, CNG and petrol. The motor comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox with a heel and toe shifter, that is mostly slick but is a bit dodgy while shifting from fourth to fifth.

Since the main idea is to have a motorcycle that needs to run on CNG predominantly, the engine has been designed accordingly. Capable of starting and running in CNG all the time, the fins on the cylinder block and head are larger than the usual size for better heat dissipation due to the higher operating temperatures with CNG. The oil jets on the bottom side of the piston are also larger to ensure ample lubrication is available to all moving parts all the time. You can switch between fuels on the fly and only need to blip the throttle for the shift to happen from petrol to CNG or vice-versa. While the motor is designed to be cranked up and run in CNG mode all the time, it does switch to petrol on stipulated short intervals to keep the motor’s health in optimum condition.

In terms of performance, the motor packs enough grunt to keep pace with traffic in the city as well as on the highway. There is obviously a slight dip in power in CNG mode due to its lower calorific value compared to petrol, and while it is noticeable mostly while accelerating or on upward gradients, it isn’t concerning at all. On inclines with constant throttle input, the speed drops by 5-10 kmph depending on the load, which is expected, and can be overcome by downshifting to a lower gear or giving more gas.

In CNG mode, the Freedom managed a speedo indicated top speed of 95 kmph, while in petrol, it managed to do triple digits at 105 kmph, which is not bad at all. Furthermore, notably during these tests, there were hardly any vibrations that crept in at the handlebar, pegs or seat, which is fantastic for a frugal motorcycle of this segment.

Ride & Handling

For the ride experience, Bajaj has done a commendable job with how the chassis and suspension setup has been done. You get a telescopic fork setup up front with 125 mm of travel and a link-type monoshock, a first from Bajaj, with 120 mm of travel which also opens up space for the CNG tank. The setup, from bad roads to undulations to varying road surfaces, manages to iron them all out providing a pliant and enjoyable ride. The motorcycle feels confident around corners and is easy to make its way through traffic and tight spots.

As for the brakes, the one in these images is the top variant featuring a disc-drum setup, a 240 mm disc at the front and a 130 mm drum at the rear, which does a good job of shedding speed. In addition to that, the Freedom comes shod with Eurogrip tyres of sizes 90/80-R17 (front) and 120/70-R16 (rear) which do an excellent job of offering ample grip and confidence even in wet weather conditions.

Fuel Economy

Coming to the main aspect is the fuel economy, as it is also the very reason why this motorcycle exists. During our fuel runs, we tested the Freedom mainly in city conditions, riding it on main roads, lanes and inter-city expressways, riding during moderate and peak traffic hours. Maintaining speed in the range of 30-50 kmph which is the ideal speed for a commuter motorcycle, the Freedom managed to deliver a CNG mileage of 98 km/kg, meanwhile in petrol, it returned a fuel efficiency figure of 62 kmpl. These figures when combined and multiplied with the individual fuel-carrying capacities, sum up to a total range of 321 km. Factoring in the cost of CNG per kg, depending on the city, there’s indeed a significant benefit in the running costs.

Fuel Run Figures

Unlike electric vehicles, which are solely dependent on charging for recharging the battery, with the Freedom, even if you run out of CNG or don’t have access to a CNG filling station, you can always continue with your journey on petrol, which is a massive plus point in the Freedom’s favour.

Pricing

The Bajaj Freedom is available in three variants with prices starting from Rs 95,000 for the base model which goes up to Rs 1.10 lakh for the top-spec model featured here. At this price, for the tech and everything else that is offered, it is undoubtedly fantastic pricing from India’s largest exporter of motorcycles.

All prices are ex-showroom

Verdict

After spending four days and clocking more than 300 kilometres testing the all-new Bajaj Freedom 125, I can surely say that Bajaj has hit the spot with this motorcycle. For a 125 cc offering that runs on CNG and well as petrol, packs a likeable design that is unique and appealing, offers good riding dynamics to call it a good motorcycle in the fundamental front and also ergonomics which are crucial in this segment, all at a price point that is just above the other 125cc offerings in the market which is nothing but a huge achievement from Bajaj Auto in my opinion. And it does give us a strong feeling that Bajaj has indeed got the formula right with this one with a formidable challenger that could very much take the crown in the two-wheeler commuter soon.