The Bajaj Discover 125M Review and test report by xBhp.

Getting off a Supersport like the Hyosung GT 650 and straight onto a commuter Bajaj Discover 125M is a culture shock. But once you have settled into the saddle of this latest commuter from the Big B stable, you know that it is a thoroughbred Bajaj. It has all the traits associated with the motorcycles from the Chakan based plant.

Text: Avinash Noronha (The Monk)
Photos: Sunil Gupta (sunilg)

The Discover series of motorcycles can be quite confusing for the motorcycle buyer, who has not been closely following the journey of this popular range of motorcycles. The New Discover 125 M, is the latest Disco, meant to replace the Discover 125, and will share the stable with the Discover 125T and Discover 125ST! Confused? Well the M, is going to be the cheapest in the 125cc range, with the M being the ‘Mileage’ one, unlike the sportier 125T and 125ST. With the power and price being set along the same lines!

Looks

The Discover 125M is a compact commuter aimed at giving the best of both worlds of a 150cc and a 100cc – the mileage from its smaller sibling and the power of its larger capacity namesake, which has been discontinued. From the front the bike looks decent. It looks best when viewed from the rear three quarters, with the lines of the rear cowl blending well with the commuterish saddle and complementing the leg grooves of the tank. The two features that do stand out are the 17” 10 spoke alloys and the LED tail lamp. The bike overall looks like a no nonsense compact commuter, ready for the work cut out for it.

Ride
Throw a leg over the saddle and one immediately notices the size of the bike. At 5’11”, I was cramped for room. Since the seat is contoured, one can’t slide back too much, so you are stuck with your knees folded much more than comfortable. The handlebar gives a decent posture to the upper body, but it does take some time to get used to the foot pegs being awkwardly ahead of the saddle!

Continuing on the saddle lines, it is far too soft. Perfect for short city commuting, but after riding for an hour, my butt was cramping up. Though it could be my personal preference since am used to a cycle’s extremely hard saddle and prefer the same on a motorcycle. The pillion seat is comfortable, but engine vibrations are felt by the pillion.

The bike given to me was brand new, with just 100 km on the odo and I wondered if the engine will start cold with just the touch of the button. And it did, with the sound of a sweet purring engine. The small bikes of Bajaj are a far cry from what they were a decade back; the company has made some giant strides in the engine smoothness department. The engine though still in the run in phase, was idling constantly. A light touch to the throttle gave an immediate and quick response, as the bike set off in motion. The gear shift pattern on this Bajaj is 4 down and a bit clunky to get it slotted, though that could also be because of the bike being new. Slipping through the gear box was problematic in motorcycling boots, as it is nigh impossible to shove the toe under the lever. But the heel shifter ensures that you have no problem, once you get used to it. The clutch is light and easy to use, with just the right amount of play to get the party started.

The ride quality for the rider is good, with no discomfort felt through the many potholed roads and the mountainous speed breakers, though the pillion was left with a sore bottom. The bike is extremely flickable and nimble, with its 1255mm wheelbase and the engine has good punch to ensure that manoeuvring through traffic is a breeze. The bike pulls easily and at times one can forget that it is a 125cc, as it easily keeps up with the 150s on the road. The engine is smooth till 60 kmph, but once past 70, the vibes creep in. But for the average commuter, 60 will be the speed to be ridden at. For these speeds the Kenda tyres fitted on the front and rear do good while cornering and braking hard using only the front. The rear also did not show any signs of stepping out while stomping on the rear brake. The 200mm petal disc at the front does a stellar job of bringing the Discover to a grinding halt, with sufficient support provided by the 130mm rear drum. The disc though optional, should be a standard fitment according to me.

Controls and Electricals

The headlight on the bike is adequate and with a decent beam spread for the speeds this bike is capable of and the LED tail lamp is bright and is a useful safety feature to ensure that nobody rear ends you at a signal! The pilot lamps give it a nice look, especially as the sun starts setting. The horn is something which I ‘almost’ forgot to use, thanks to the easy manoeuvring abilities, but it is adequate. The dial of the bike is very basic with a speedo, odo and a fuel indicator. There is a neutral light, indicator light, hi-beam light and a Bajaj logo light, but it took a bit of effort to notice them in really bright sunlight. The switchgear on the Discover 125M is one thing that really took me by surprise, it was so smooth and soft to the touch, like a waffle dipped in molten chocolate! Many times I had to cross check whether I had actually moved the switches, so smooth it felt through my gloved mitts. There is no engine kill switch though and the pass switch is not the most easily accessible.

On Sale
The Discover 125M is available in a plethora of colours; Bajaj has ensured that if you can ‘imagine’ a colour, it will be available in a showroom near you! As we told you, there will be two versions of this motorcycle sold in the market, one with and the other without the disc brake. The disc brake is a 200mm petal disc, while the drum is 130mm. Both versions have a 130mm drum fitted at the rear. The premium charged for the disc version is Rs 2000/- and it weighs an extra kg.

The bike is fun to ride and easy to use in heavy traffic, while being light on the pocket, though the negatives are the cramped ergos and a little vibey engine post 60kmph. Other than these issues, the Bajaj Discover 125M is a good buy at Rs 48500/- for the Drum and Rs 50499/- for the Disc Version, both prices ex-showroom Delhi.

Technical Specifications