Photos by Aakash Varma
It was a usual Motoring morning. We had gathered to do what we love doing — ride and talk shop. But that day, it looked like there was another conversation happening; one between the Honda SP 125, the TVS Raider and the Bajaj Freedom 125. It was amusing to see how just like the three of us, these bikes were destined to do the same thing, yet each had a distinct way of doing so.
The Honda SP 125 (or the Shine 125) was the most senior among the three. It had seen its fair share of the world and humans’ desperate attempts to ‘save’ the planet. The Honda knew very well what has worked so far and it religiously stuck to it till it could. Looking at it, you couldn’t guess that just in July 2024, it accounted for 10 per cent of the total two-wheelers sold in India, could you? And if over 30 lakh people have entrusted this bike over the years, it must have gotten a lot of things right.
And the Raider seemed to be amused knowing this. It didn’t fully understand the hardships and years of continuous change that made the SP 125 what it was today. But perhaps it wasn’t the Raider’s fault. It started its journey on the foundation that was laid by the likes of the Honda. Maybe someday, just like the Shine, the Raider will be the inspiration for the next generation of 125s.
Though the Freedom 125 hadn’t seen the world yet, but it seemed to be in love with the idea of a green, clean and better world. Some of its family members, who couldn’t keep up with the changing times and the reforms it demanded, withered away. Though the Freedom didn’t meet them, it very well knew it was the one who not just needed to take its own legacy ahead, but also of motorcycling.
Up until the Freedom, a new breed of two-wheelers identifi able by their green badge and a distinct sound (or the lack of any) was seen as the way to attain an eco conscious future. All of them were tech-savvy, sure, but only a few got their fundamentals straight. Some day, maybe they will be as good and as reliable as the traditional ones, but is the world ready for them now? Defi nitely not. But till that time comes, Bajaj’s gas powered bike can hold the fort. It doesn’t want anyone to ride with the thought of running out of charge or plan the day according to the range. In fact, with a range of 210 km purely on CNG, it wants you to ride more and spend less. Now, isn’t that sustainability in its true sense?
I am sure the Honda would agree with this. Unlike the Freedom, it runs only on petrol. And yes, it doesn’t have an ‘Eco’ mode like the Raider; rather, the Honda lives an ‘Eco’ life and the mileage of 65 kpl is testament to that. After swearing by carburetors for all these years, making the switch to a fuel injector must have been a hard pill to swallow. But, it did what had to be done for the betterment of everyone. And with it came an alternator starter generator and jets that sprayed oil under the piston head to keep the engine cool.
When it was the Raider’s time to take up the job, all it had to do was take this up from what was already built. And it did. The idea of giving the power of a ‘Power’ and ‘Eco’ mode worked wonders, though it didn’t fundamentally change what it was, which was a fun motorcycle. Unlike the Honda, the Raider took a step further by getting a 17 inch wheel setup instead of the 18-inchers that the bikes of this segment had, and even let go of the traditional dual-shock absorbers at the rear for a monoshock. These bits along with its brand-new 124.8cc 3-valve engine made the Raider look like the future of 125s. No matter how hard it was pushed, it would still run 55 km on a litre of petrol.
Soon enough, the SP 125 and the Raider realised that it is perhaps the Freedom that’s meant to carry the torch for this segment. The Raider used two maps for its riding modes, the Freedom needed one map each for CNG and petrol. The Raider’s underpinnings made it a great handler, but the same formula wasn’t going to work for the Freedom because it was built different, and since the world hadn’t seen or experienced a bike like this, it had an upperhand. So, it went for a 17/16-inch wheel setup to account for the weight it carried on its shoulders, and a link-type monoshock to take care of small undulations and keep the seat height accessible.
The Freedom’s a lot different when it comes to weight distribution, too. Unlike the other two, it had to figure out a way to accommodate a CNG tank, the air box, petrol tank and two different injectors, all in this puny package. With all that weight concentrated up top, the top-heaviness would have been a problem, right? But that isn’t the case. Instead it can be used to the rider’s advantage as the bike tips into corners easily. Well, the Raider does that too, and feels surefooted, but the Freedom does that while doing its part to save the planet.
against having some fun on the twisties, but it seemed less interested to do that than the other two. It understood that though this is what will make it seem cool, that wasn’t really its job; being the reliable one was. The Raider was trying to juggle both; being the cool kid and the sensible one, too. It handled like a sporty naked that wanted to have fun all the time, and returned decent mileage, too. What the Freedom didn’t realise was that even though it saw itself as a humble commuter, it was so much more than that. The long, narrow seat gave the feel of a motocross bike, and by using its weight distribution to its advantage, it could make any boring or bad road a fun experience. Maybe a few years later, a bigger engine will compensate for the initial laziness of a CNG-powered engine.
This space is surely getting crowded every year. There are new faces and each claiming to be better than the other and actually fighting to be, too. Nonetheless, this only means motorcycles keep trying hard to become the best versions of themselves, which in turn means you get to enjoy the finest of them.
It was time to head home and get back to stories with the aim of writing it better than the last one. Maybe this story wasn’t just about these motorcycles. But then again, it was a Motoring morning. It always has been a lot more than riding and talking shop.
