BREAKING: Bajaj CNG Bike To Be Launched On July 5; Bike Also Teased For The First Time

(Update: The Bajaj Freedom 125 has been launched at Rs 95,000 (ex-showroom). Check out the details here.)

Quick News Highlights:

- Bajaj CNG bike to be launched on July 5, 2024

- It was earlier set to be launched on July 17, 2024

- The bike has been teased by Bajaj for the first time

- Likely to offer performance equivalent to a 110cc bike

- Should offer lower running costs compared to petrol-powered bikes of the same segment

Bajaj Auto has confirmed that the upcoming Bajaj CNG bike will be launched on July 5, 2024 in Pune, instead of the July 17 launch date mentioned earlier. Nitin Gadkari, Honourable Minister for Road Transport and Highways, will be present at the event. Also, the bike has been teased by the manufacturer for the first time.

In the teaser image, we can see that the Bajaj CNG bike gets a long and flat single-piece seat. The seat has been designed that way to accommodate the CNG cylinder underneath it. There’s a panel on top of where the fuel tank normally is, which should open  to access the CNG tank’s valve. It is most likely to get a small auxiliary petrol tank as well, to be used whenever the bike runs out of CNG. Also, the bike gets a sloper-like engine, whose capacity will most likely be around 125cc in order to achieve performance levels of a 110cc bike. This is because CNG is not as power dense as petrol. CNG is a lot cheaper than petrol, so it should ensure lower running costs as compared to petrol-powered bikes. 

Also spotted in the teaser is that the Bajaj bike gets a raised handlebar with knuckle guards, which is similar to the two variants of the bike spotted before - a regular one and a more rugged version. The regular variant gets a retro, commuter-like design with a simple looking exhaust, flyscreen and a round LED headlight while the indicators are bulb units. The rugged variant gets knuckle guards, a raised and braced handlebar, sump guard, a tyre hugger and fork sleeves. Both variants get a single-piece alloy grab rail. 

The suspension setup consists of a telescopic fork and monoshock. Braking duties are handled by a front disc brake and a rear drum brake. Also, we think that the upcoming Bajaj CNG bike could be called the ‘Bajaj Fighter’, based on recent trademark filings from the manufacturer. It is expected to be priced around the Rs 80,000 (ex-showroom) mark. It will be the first CNG bike in India and won’t have any direct rivals. But, it will face competition in the market from the likes of the Hero Splendor Plus, TVS Radeon, Bajaj Platina 110 and Honda Shine 100.   

That said, while all of its rivals are available pan-India, we believe Bajaj will offer the upcoming CNG bike only in select cities where there’s a healthy presence of CNG pumps.