Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike launch in India as it is not only India’s first CNG bike but also the world’s first-ever CNG bike. This bike comes in three variants, with only the top variant currently available in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 will be available in other states in the coming months and the base and mid-variants will be made available in a phase manner.
Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike is available in three variants.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum price set at Rs 95,000, the Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED variant price set at Rs 1,05,000 and the Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED price set at Rs 1,10,000 (all prices ex-showroom).
The Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum variant comes in two colour options, Pewter Grey – Yellow and Ebony Black – Red, Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED and the top Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED variants comes in 5 colour schemes, Caribbean Blue, Ebony Black – Grey, Pewter Grey – Black, Racing Red and Cyber White.
Mileage of Bajaj Freedom 125
The Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike comes with two tanks, a 2kg CNG tank which is place horizontally under the seat and a 2-litre petrol tank, which can be use when the bike runs out of CNG.
Bajaj Freedom 125 also gets a CNG pressure indicator.
Bajaj claims it to be 50% cheaper to maintain as compare to the other 125cc petrol-powered bikes.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 gets a claim mileage of 102km per kg from CNG and 65kmpl from petrol.
Both CNG and petrol tanks claim to provide a combine range of about 330km.
Specifications of Bajaj Freedom 125
The Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike is equip with a 125cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine that produces 9.5PS at 8000rpm and 9.7Nm at 5000rpm.
Bajaj Freedom 125 has a 5-speed gearbox.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 features seamless switching between CNG and petrol.
Bajaj Freedom 125 has a claim top speed of 90.5kmph on CNG and 93.4kmph on petrol.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 features a full-LCD instrument cluster as standard.
Features of Bajaj Freedom 125
The top variant gets a negatively-lit LCD console with Bluetooth connectivity, call alerts and a dedicated button to receive calls.
Bajaj Freedom 125 also gets a USB charging port, located near the console.
The display includes a speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, gear position indicator, rear-time mileage, and a clock.
The left-side switchgear also gets a blue button that allows the rider to switch between CNG and petrol.
The high beam, low beam and pass switch are integrate into a trigger switch on the left side switchgear.
Base Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum variant comes with a halogen headlight and the mid Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED variant and the top NG04 Disc LED variant come with an LED headlight and DRLs (daytime running lights).
All the variants get bulb-type indicators.
Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike sits on a trellis frame and has a box-section steel swingarm.
Bajaj Freedom 125 is equip with a telescopic fork (125mm suspension travel) with fork covers and a segment-first linked monoshock (120mm suspension travel).
On the base variant, braking is manage by 130mm front and 110mm rear drum brakes.
The mid variant gets 130mm drum brakes on both ends and the top variant has a 240mm disc and 130mm drum brake.
All three variants have CBS (combined braking system) as standard.
The Freedom 125 rides on 17-inch front and 16-inch rear alloy wheels.
The base variant is fit with 80-section tyres on both ends and the mid and top variants are wrapped with 90-section front and 120-section rear TVS Eurogrip tubeless tyres.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 has a 149kg kerb weight and a ground clearance of 170mm.
Bajaj Freedom 125 gets a 785mm long seat with a seat height of 825mm, which is on the taller side, but, the seat’s narrow profile would make it a bit easier to ride.
The bike comes with a stubby upswept exhaust with a steel heat shield, a bash plate and a saree guard on the left.
Sitting Capacity of Bajaj Freedom 125
Bajaj Freedom 125 comes with long single-piece seat which extends towards the front and partially overlaps the tank.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 has the longest seat in its segment at 785mm and has a seat height of 825mm.
Bajaj Freedom 125 comes with a quilted design that seems to make it more comfortable than a plain seat.
As we don’t endorse seating more than two people on a bike or scooter, but were able to comfortably seat 3 people on the seat.
Variants of Bajaj Freedom 125
The Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike is available in three variants, including the base NG04 Drum variant, the mid NG04 Drum LED variant and the range-topping NG04 Disc LED variant.
All the variants are power by a 125cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine which is compatible with both CNG and petrol, and makes 9.5PS and 9.7Nm.
The engine is likely to be pair with a 5-speed gearbox.
It has a claimed top speed of 90.5kmph (CNG) and 93.4kmph (petrol).
The Bajaj Freedom 125 has a 2kg CNG tank place horizontally under the seat and a 2-litre petrol tank for when the CNG runs out.
The bike seamlessly switches between CNG and petrol modes and includes a CNG pressure indicator too.
Bajaj claims a mileage of 102km per kg (CNG) and 65km per litre (petrol), providing a combined range of about 330km.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 gets a specially design frame and a sub-frame that protects the CNG fuel tank in case of an accident or a crash.
Bajaj Freedom 125 has a box-section steel swingarm.
The suspension system consists of a telescopic fork and a linked monoshock.
It has a kerb weight of 149kg, a ground clearance of 170mm, a 785mm long seat (the longest in its class), and a seat height of 825mm.
Here’s how they are different from each other:
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum
Rs 95,000 (ex-showroom)
The base variant of the Bajaj Freedom 125 is call as the NG04 Drum.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum gets two colour options including Pewter Grey, Yellow and Ebony Black – Red.
The base NG04 Drum variant comes with a halogen headlight, it gets a full-LCD instrument console and misses out on smartphone connectivity.
Bajaj base Freedom 125 also doesn’t get a tank cover flap.
As the variant name suggests, it comes fit with 130mm front and 110-section rear drum brakes with CBS (combined braking system).
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum rides on 17-inch front and 16-inch rear alloy wheels but unlike other variants, it gets 80-section tyres on both ends.
This variant gets a sheet metal bash plate.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED
Rs 1,05,000 (ex-showroom)
The Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED is the mid-variant and is available in five colour schemes, Caribbean Blue, Ebony Black – Grey, Pewter Grey – Black, Racing Red and Cyber White.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED equip with an LED headlight and LED DRLs (daytime running lights), and gets a full-LCD instrument cluster but lacks smartphone connectivity. This variant gets a tank cover flap.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED also gets drum brakes with CBS on both ends, however, the rear drum at 130mm is slightly bigger than the base variant’s 110mm rear drum brake.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED variant comes with 90-section front and 120-section rear tyres.
This mid variant has a more robust plastic and steel metal bash plate.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED
Rs 1,10,000 (ex-showroom)
The Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED is the top as well as the most feature-loaded variant and is the only variant currently available in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED comes in five shades, Caribbean Blue, Ebony Black – Grey, Pewter Grey – Black, Racing Red and Cyber White.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED is equip with an LED headlight with LED DRLs.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED features a negatively-lit LCD instrument console with Smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth, call alerts and a dedicated call-receiving button on the left-side switchgear.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED also gets a USB charging port along and a tank cover flap.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED variant is equip with a 240mm front disc brake and a 130mm rear drum brake with CBS.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED has 17-inch front alloy wheel with a 90-section tyre and the 16-inch rear alloy is fitted with a 120-section tyre.
Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED also gets a plastic and steel metal bash plate.
Prices in Different States of India
As we discuss above, here is the Bajaj Freedom 125 variant-wise price list:
| Variants | Price (Ex-Showroom) |
| Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum | Rs 95,000 |
| Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED | Rs 1,05,000 |
| Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED | Rs 1,10,000 |
Bookings for the Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike have start online and at Bajaj dealerships.
But, only the top Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED variant of the bike is currently available in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, with the Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum and Bajaj Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED to be available in these states from August 2024.
The Bajaj Freedom 125 will be made available in other states of India in a phase manner, by the early next quarter, between October and November 2024.
And the first phase include Gujarat and Maharashtra and the next phase of the launch to include Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka, as these states have the highest number of CNG fuel pumps after Gujarat.
India currently has only 6,159 CNG stations, according to the latest December 2023 data from Vahan and the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Government aims to increase the total number of CNG stations to 17,500 in India by 2030.
Bajaj has also partner up with CNG and oil companies to ensure a proper availability of CNG in the states the bike is available in.
Problems of Bajaj Freedom 125
Being a CNG bike, it promises low running costs and great mileage.
Bajaj Auto has claim that the Bajaj Freedom 125’s CNG tank has a mileage of 102km per kg and the petrol tank has a mileage of 65kmpl.
With the CNG and petrol tank’s capacities being 2kg and 2 litres respectively, the Bajaj Freedom 125 has a combine claim range of 330km.
But it is important to note that the petrol tank will mainly be use as a reserve unit in case of emergencies like when the CNG tank is empty.
So, from a realistic point of view, the bike’s usable CNG-only range comes down to about 200km.
On an average, you need to travel 1000km monthly on your two-wheeler, then it will cost you Rs 780 in fuel per month with the Bajaj Freedom 125.
If you have a 125cc petrol-power bike, you can travel for about 550-600km on a full tank before you’d need to fill up again.
But with the Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG bike, you’ll need to head to a CNG pump after every 200km.
Bajaj Addresses CNG Tank Safety Concerns
Being the first CNG bike, there’ll naturally be a lot of doubts among potential customers about the safety of having a CNG tank in a bike.
After all, a motorcycle is a lot more expose than a car.
Bajaj says it has thoroughly test the bike to ensure it is safe for the customers.
In fact, the Bajaj claims that it has also undergone 11 different crash and impact tests at Bajaj’s test facility.
Bajaj has crash-test the bike from multiple angles.
As Bajaj has design the trellis frame and subframe to ensure the safety of the CNG cylinder.
Both the frame and subframe work as a cage to keep the cylinder secure and prevent any damage in case of impacts or collisions, enhancing the overall safety of the bike.
The engine is also position away from the CNG cylinder, so that the heat from the engine does not affect the CNG tank.
This is particularly important as the CNG tank contains pressurise gas, and gas by nature expands when it heats up.
Also, you will have to get off the bike and stand at least 5 feet away while getting the CNG tank filled.
This is an essential precautionary measure at every CNG fuel station, to prevent any mishap in case the CNG cylinder explodes under any circumstances.
Future Plan for Bajaj Freedom 125
Bajaj had reveal that they will be exporting the bike to over 6 countries.
As of now, the target is the Indian market and export will only begin in the future.
Bajaj plans on targeting markets with wide spread CNG infrastructure, such as Bangladesh, Columbia, Egypt, Indonesia, Tanzania and Peru.
