New Bajaj Bike Spotted Testing: Could This Be India’s First CNG Bike?

A new Bajaj bike has been spied testing and we suspect it could be India’s first CNG bike, the design of which surfaced online recently via patent images. 

The test bike features Bajaj CT-inspired bodywork, but with a few differences. The most noticeable is the fuel tank with no contours, combined with the massive bodywork around the tank section and sides, likely covering the CNG cylinder. This is because storing CNG requires a lot more area than petrol. 

Next, the test bike looks like it has a perimeter frame derived from the Bajaj Pulsar NS125. This frame setup is perfect to accommodate a large cylinder CNG tank between the perimeter arms. As for the displacement, expect it to be a 150cc engine. This is because CNG is less power dense than petrol, so to extract 125cc petrol bike-levels of performance and mileage, this CNG bike will need to have a 150cc engine. 

The bike gets a telescopic fork and a monoshock, further cementing the possibility of it being based on the Pulsar NS125 platform.

The bike also features a few other similar design elements from the Bajaj CT lineup such as the knuckle guards we have come to associate with the CT series, along with smaller things like the relatively high-set, braced handlebar, for an upright riding position.

Bajaj will likely launch the bike sometime next year and as mentioned, it will be India’s first CNG bike. CNG bikes have a lot of potential as they serve as the ideal middle ground between traditional petrol two-wheelers and EVs. The increasing fuel prices have made petrol bikes too expensive to run and the mass adoption of electric bikes is hindered by the expensive price tag and the lack of proper charging infrastructure.