Bajaj Freedom 125 To Be Exported To Markets Abroad

Quick News Highlights:

- Bajaj Auto looking to export the Freedom 125 to other countries

- The Indian market will be the manufacturer’s initial priority

- The bike will be available in Gujarat and Maharashtra first, followed by other states in a phased manner

Bajaj Auto has just launched the Bajaj Freedom 125, the world’s first CNG bike. In the launch event, the manufacturer said that it is looking to export to markets abroad as well. 

Bajaj said that its initial focus will be the Indian market and eventually will look into exporting the bike to markets abroad like Egypt, Tanzania, Peru, Colombia, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. In India, the Bajaj Freedom 125 will be available in Gujarat and Maharashtra first, with the top-end NG04 Disc LED variant to be made available currently followed by the NG04 Drum LED and NG04 Drum variants in a month’s time. In a phased manner, the bike will be made available across the country in the next 3-4 months. 

The Bajaj CNG bike’s prices start at Rs 95,000 (ex-showroom). It has a retro-commuter-ish design with a flat, single-piece seat (longest in the segment), single-piece grab rail, upswept exhaust with a heat shield, mid-set footpegs, sump guard and a braced handlebar. The CNG tank is placed horizontally under the seat and it also gets an auxiliary petrol tank, to be used when the bike runs out of CNG. The CNG tank has a capacity of 2kg and a claimed mileage of 102km and the petrol tank has a capacity of 2 litres with a claimed mileage of 65kmpl. The combined (CNG+petrol) mileage of the bike is 330km. 

The world’s first CNG bike is powered by a 125cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine producing 9.5PS and 9.7Nm and comes paired to a 5-speed gearbox. The suspension setup consists of a telescopic fork and a linked monoshock. Braking duties are taken care of by 130mm drum brakes at both ends in the NG04 Drum and NG04 Drum LED variants while the NG04 Disc LED variant gets a 240mm front disc. It doesn’t have any direct rivals in India but faces competition from the Honda Shine 125, Hero Glamour, Bajaj Pulsar 125, Hero Xtreme 125R and the TVS Raider 125.