New Bike First Impression

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The 125cc segment has always been one of the most important segments for two-wheeler manufactures in India. With increasing number of manufactures focusing their attention on this segment it was only a matter of time before Bajaj had to radically re-invent the popular Discover series. The good thing is that this time the changes are not only cosmetic but also delves deep under the skin.

The new design is sportier than before, now focusing more on a youthful appearance than the commuter-biased looks of its predecessor. The bike has been christened as 125ST, where the suffix stands for ‘Sport Tourer’. The headlamp is borrowed from the Pulsar 135 LS, and the tail lamps are the now de rigueur LEDs. The instrumentation console houses a large analog speedometre, along with fuel gauge and tell-tale lights. Other small changes include aluminum footpegs, new alloy wheels and split tyre-hugger among others.

Now the mechanical details. The highlight of the new bike is a Nitrox-damped monoshock suspension at the rear. Continuing the family tradition, the ST features a twin spark, 4-valve engine developing an maximum power output of 13PS @ 9,000 rpm and 10.78Nm of turning force at 6,500rpm. Bajaj claims that the new Discover has best in class power to weight ratio and a top speed of 105 kp/h.

The company states that the new ST will be sold alongside the current Discover 125 DTS-i and will be priced slight higher than the latter. So, considering that the DTS-i (disc) retails for Rs 53,380 (OTR, Pune), we expect the ST to go on sale for a premium of a couple of thousand rupees.