Review: Bajaj’s V-12 Is a Stand-Out Commuter Motorbike

The bike, made from aircraft carrier INS Vikrant’s metal, proves that a commuter need not be boring.

The Bajaj V-12 (pronounced Vee One Two and not Vee Twelve as far as I’m concerned), is what you’d call a non-conformist.

This is a motorcycle that goes against the set norms of what a commuter should be like. And if you do happen to be in the market for a 125, then the V-12 will satisfy your cravings for some grunt. It shows the world that just because you’re a commuter, doesn’t mean you need to be boring.

Design

There definitely exists a market for a 125-cc motorcycle that gets you going – that makes you want to ride to work, rather than have to ride to work. That’s where the Bajaj V-12 fits in and in doing so, it has gained my respect.

Any motorcycle shouldn’t be about how big the engine is, but how it makes you feel when you ride it. And the V-12 most definitely stands out from the crowd on this count.

It looks pretty much exactly like the bigger-engine V-15. Second, it’s the styling that rounds up all that grunt I’ve been raving about.

The colours on offer for the V-12 set it slightly apart from the V-15, but it carries over all the goodness of its flamboyant design. Apart from the neatly stated relation to the Vikrant aircraft carrier on the fuel filler cap, the headlamp is shaped like a ship’s hull too.

As on the V-15, the V-12 comes standard with a rear seat cowl as well – easily removable with an allen key neatly built into the ignition key. I really hoped Bajaj would figure out a way for the removed cowl to be fit on the bike somewhere when you’ve got a pillion on board.

Power

The V-12 gets a 124.5 cc air-cooled, single-cylinder SOHC mill employing two spark plugs nestled in a double cradle tubular frame. Bajaj’s DTS-i twin spark plug setup squeezes out 10.7PS and 11Nm from the long stroke engine and there’s where that entire grunt I’ve been talking about comes from.

Peaking at 5,500rpm, the torque curve and gear ratios are what make all the difference. The fifth gear on the V-12 is no overdrive – it actually aids in performance, and it took me up to almost 90km/h with ease.

You could drop down all the way to 45km/h (maybe more) and still ride back up to almost double that speed without having to downshift from top gear. And that’s a really huge twist-and-go range for a single gear on what is essentially a motorcycle that will mainly be used within city limits.

The Drive

While you end up cycling through the lower gears fast when setting off from a standstill, slot it in third or higher and the need to downshift when negotiating traffic is minimal. The light clutch helps too and the more universally conventional ‘all-up’ shift pattern on the heel-and-toe lever slots in with confidence.

The ergonomic triangle made by the handlebar, hip and pegs is rather comfortable too – aided further by the little bits of back support you get from the cowl over the pillion seat. The handlebar itself is wide, making it easy to turn in and out of traffic.

The V-12 feels stable at every speed too – no matter what you throw at it. Suspension duties at the front are courtesy the 30-mm diameter telescopic forks while the rear is handled by gas-charged twin shocks.

Considering the smaller sibling will not be attaining massive speeds, the small drum is adequate enough as long as you are a rider who plans his braking well.

Verdict

At a launch price of just Rs 56,283 (ex-showroom, Delhi) the Bajaj V-12 is bang smack in the middle of the action that defines the 125cc segment.

But that’s about all the similarities it has with its rivals. And this is where I think Bajaj has another stand-out product – the manufacturer has mastered the art of carving out niches in well-settled markets. In a world full of rather robotic and unemotional 100- and 125-cc commuters, the V-12 is a breath of fresh air.

(Muntaser Mirkar is one of India’s best-known automotive journalists and the Co-Founder of MotorScribes. He can be reached on Twitter: @BullSpeech)