Cracker of a bike

The walrus-toothed pilot lamps flanking the headlamp serve little purpose and the matt garnish on the speedo console is simply hideous.

Take a painting, an almost perfect one. Now try accentuating every brush stroke. Add a few touches here and there. Spill some paint, a few more brush strokes and what do you get? Utter confusion and a spoilt masterpiece, which is now as good as overcooked food.

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And that is the problem with the Freedom Prima 125. The new styling touches added by the company in order to differentiate the Prima from the earlier Freedom have played spoilsport. Like a melodramatic sequence in a hardcore action flick, the additional styling touches spoil the visual symmetry that the erstwhile Freedom had. The walrus-toothed pilot lamps flanking the headlamp serve little purpose and the matt garnish on the speedo console is simply hideous. However, the new sticker job is done very well, something that cannot be said about the clamps that hold the number plate on the front. They look half-hearted, almost a last minute idea and there is scope for better execution.

One thing that works, however, is the 125cc engine. Though it has a low-key metallic sound and lacks the raunchiness of the Graptor’s mill, it is quite peppy and should hold well against contenders like the Victor GLX 125 and the Bajaj Wind, though the Bajaj Wind’s mill will beat it hands down on the refinement front.

LML, thankfully has not increased the size (and weight) of the Freedom frame and thanks to the extra 15cc, the bike is now a peppy little cracker. The Prima is immensely more fun to ride than any other 125cc on the road. It does not have the near perfection of the GLX 125 nor the tarmac huggability and smoothness of the Wind. Instead it is a bit quirky, unpredictable and individualistic. And that is what makes the Freedom Prima 125 so entertaining. Handling is top-notch and one has to be a really bad rider to lose the bike on any curves.

The switchgear is the same as on the Graptor and the Freedom Prima 125 comes equipped with a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and even a throttle sensor, which keeps telling you through bright lights when you are consuming too much fuel. You get a choice of four-speed or a five-speed transmission, which is a good thing considering only LML is offering anything like this. And in this segment, options count.