Bajaj Auto on Friday launched the world's first CNG motorcycle, naming it the Freedom.
The 125cc motorcycle gets 2 kilo under-seat CNG tank and a 2 litre petrol tank. You can easily shift between petrol and CNG by pushing a switch, and the company promises lower emissions and lower running costs.
Bajaj Auto claims that this motorcycle offers about 50 per cent of cost savings by reducing fuel expenses as compared to similar petrol motorcycles.
There will be three variants of the Freedom. While the base variant with Drum brakes is priced at Rs 95,000, the one with Drum brakes and LED headlamps will cost Rs 1.05 lakh, and the top-end variant, which also gets disc brakes will be available at Rs 1.10 lakh ex-showroom.
Bajaj claims that Freedom 125 can cover about 213 kilometres on CNG alone (fuel efficiency of 105 km/kg), and an additional 117 km on petrol (petrol efficiency of 65 km/l ). Overall, it can cover up to a range of 330 kilometres.
The bike has a trellis frame, which serves as a protective cage around the CNG tank. There are separate filler nozzles for CNG and petrol, catering to their distinct storage requirements.
Freedom 125 delivers 9.5 ps power and 9.7 Nm of torque. It also possesses a unique monolink suspension. Stylistically, the Freedom 125 adopts a modern-retro aesthetic with a round headlamp featuring a DRL. This Bajaj motorcycle has the longest seat in its category, with its length at 785 mm.
While there may be concerns about the use of CNG in a bike, Bajaj claims there has been no compromise on safety. The motorcycle has undergone 11 safety tests, it claimed, even showing a video of a truck passing over the bike and the CNG tank still remaining safe.
The company has started bookings of the Freedom, which will be available in Maharashtra and Gujarat to begin with, and in other states in phases in the next quarter.
With the Freedom, Bajaj is targeting customers from the 100cc to 125cc segment. The commuter 100cc segment is dominated by Hero MotoCorp's Splendor. Bajaj hopes the Freedom will help it gain traction in this segment.
