Great Balance of all the virtues needed in a bike!. Review on Bajaj Wind 125

Please note that I do not own Wind125 but I have helped my friend Atul with his purchase here in the city of Pune. There are several 'Bajaj' dealerships out here & he chose to buy from the on the Mumbai-Pune road.

It has been around 1.5 months he had the bike. I have driven it single/double seat several times on the way to lunch outside the company (we work in the same company). I must say that I am very impressed with the bike. The 125 cc engine revvvs freely up to 6K rpm & makes enough power (10.8 bhp) in this lower-weight bike (than Pulsar) to make it feel real fast. The bike is highly maneuverable unlike heavy bikes & it is verrrry easy to drive.

The 5 speed gear-box (1 down-4 up) is quite smooth but not 'Honda-Smooth'. It is very well matched with the engine though. The bike never feels under/over geared in any gear except the 5th at lower speeds. Some times it is hard to find neutral at the signals.

The seating position though not as great as Pulsar is quite good. The bike feels a little strained with a pillion but not up to 55 Kmph. I think 2 hour continuous drive should be ok with this bike but not yet tested.

The tires of this bike are the same as on 150 DTSI that is to say they are 'class-leading'. The fact that it costs the same as Splendor which is 100cc with less power & lesser tires make the complete deal that much sweeter.

Chassis: However while comparing with Ambition 135, I think the WIND125 is a glorified Caliber & not a different chassis as Ambition. So if the price is not an issue (it always is!) then I suggest a very close look at Ambition before you are set on Wind125.

The engine is also a modified version of the Caliber115 (a very good one mind you) unlike Ambition whos engine is scaled down (architecture wise) version of Karizma (not CBZ). Wind125 stops surely & confidently without even the disk brakes. It is only with a pillion that the bike need more real estate to stop from 60 kmph.

Price: As discussed above it is the strength of this bike & is able to deliver class leading perf at class leading price. You should thank Pulsar for getting price on CBZ & Karizma lower over the years. Because of the worthy competition from Bajaj, Hero Honda has to do away from over-charging their bikes. I think die-hard fans of Honda (like me) would also agree on this fact. Thanks to Bajaj they can enjoy Honda bikes at lower price now a days. The era started by the 4S & then taken by Caliber has been raised by Pulsar & now by Wind125.

Color Quality & Availability: Honda always beats everyone out there with the color quality. It has always been better than competitors. Wind125 although a good job & satisfactory, lacks a bit behind the Ambition in this category. The Color on Passion-Plus is even better than Ambition! However color availability on Wind125 is quite good & you would find a color of your choice. I hope they add 2 more colors soon.

Styling This is a very subjective issue but everyone would agree that Wind125 looks good. It looks as if specially designed for the print & TV media with perfect angle from any side. The looks are ''executive'' if you will & suit any personality just fine. A step up from calibers/splendors/passions but not as dramatic as Pulsar or as classy as CBZ. From the side view (front 3 quarters) it looks very similar to Caliber 115 & that is the only downside. Ambition however looks different & more in the premium league specially with the new fairing (not before) but still carried is the same old trapezoidal CBZ fairing which sports? the age-old headlight & not the clear lense like WIND125 or Pulsar. Ditto with CBZ, even after the recent changes CBZ doesn't give clear lense headlamp. A significant omission in otherwise excellent products.

Fuel Economy Atul is averaging constant 65 kmpl in the first 1.5 months in mixed city/highway driving. I think it wouldn't go down below 60 for long time to come. Given my friend's 4S which still averages 68 kmpl !! So it trounces the Ambition which gives 50 kmpl from what I hear.

Overall, a very good bike you don't want to go for heavy premium bikes like Pulsar/CBZ. I suggest a close look at Ambition before you make a final decision. As Wind125 is based on already proven components it will not disappoint you. Like all other Bajaj vehicles it is very easy on the fuel & is lower priced too! :-)

I think Bajaj has discovered the formula for success! With Wind 125 it has given performance, style, fuel economy, reasonable price at the same time. With the increased competition the true winner is the consumer.

Thanks for reading, now time to rate & comment the review! :)

Some background on Atul's buying experience

He compared it with Pulsar 150 & Hero Honda Ambition but his decision to go for WIND125 (without disc brake) was based on the lesser weight/easy rider than Pulsar & better styling/price than Ambition. Also, Wind125 is not that common (yet). I advised him to consider Ambition more closely but he was treated let say 'not very well' at the Honda dealership in Wakadewadi & chose to for Wind125 straight away. He also saved 4500 Rs over ambition! (Bajaj vehicles are at least 2000 cheaper in Pune).

Atul did have a problems with ICICI financing (why they suck so much?) & also finding the right color as he bought it on the of the 3 muhurtas of the year! He wanted to have a black one & the dealer had all the 13 black ones spoken for. The dealer did a lot of effort trying to trade one black with other dealerships for a blue/red but he was not successful. Atul also found follow-ups a little difficult as he is non-Marathi. I went with him & did some speaking around & finally the manager advised us to take the delivery of a RED one & he would replace the panels (i.e. make it black) whenever the next Black one comes in! This shows the attitude difference from Honda dealer to Bajaj. Here the manager was ready to let a RED bike go for a week or two & then was ready to exchange Red panels with black ones!

Anyways, on the day of delivery there was a cancellation of a black one & 'lucky' Atul got the black one right away! :-)

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