I got my Wind 125 in Sep’ 03 & to date I have clocked 30, 000 kms on this bike! Apart from city riding in Mumbai, I have put it through trips to Goa & Pune. This bike has come out clear toppers from all my bikes to date. I have used a Yezdi, Yamaha YBX, Yamaha RX before succumbing to the petrol economy brigade. Since I was looking for an optimal Power to Economy ratio, this baby fitted in perfectly. Plus better than average looks & the assurance of world-class quality (Wind was developed jointly by Bajaj- Kawasaki for the Indian plus South East Asian markets in mind. Most bikes in Thailand, Indonesia etc are fuel guzzling power horses since petrol is about half the price of what we pay in India) sealed my purchase decision back then.
I have consistently netted 55-60kmpl with a one time best of 68kmpl which is quite beyond my expectations given the effortless power delivery. I have been touching 100 kmph consistently on open roads & the bike remains stable on hi-speeds. However unlike other Indian bikes, this is front heavy, which adds to the straight line stability but affects cornering ability over time. It does not inspire the same confidence on corners as other shorter bikes.
The only chink in Baja’s armor would be Sales & service. When I bought the bike, I had a rather funny experience. I had specifically asked for a silver bike with disc brakes. After the 2 weeks mandatory wait (post down payment), the same smiling Counter Staff called & told me I would have to settle for a black one without disc brakes. Kinda taken aback, I decided to hold on for a bike with disc brakes, however the responses continued to get worse over the weeks. At one point I was told my bike was ready for delivery & I would have to collect it from the showroom. On reaching the showroom I realised that the same black model without disc brakes would be handed over. By now I was running out of patience, got hold of Bajaj’s Pune numbers, called up & spoke to a senior marketing guy. In 3 hours flat, I had a Silver bike with disc brakes ready for delivery! Also received calls from some senior guy in Sai Service (the dealers) apologizing for the inconvenience etc.
Needless to say, service quality at the workshop has been a consistent disappointment. The company as taken a lot of pains as evident to set up world-class servicing facilities. Unfortunately people can make or break any set-up & this is most evident in Bajaj’s servicing centres. I have tried 3 different centres in Mumbai with each one telling me I shouldn’t have considered the other service centre coz they are the bad ones:). Stickler for quality that I am, I find a complete lack of ’’customer service’’ attitude & somehow all these guys manage to bend the detailed servicing rules & proceures laid out in the manuals.
Thankfully the bike makes up more than adequately for the poor service gripe I cant say the same thing for Pulsars, which seem to suffer from a higher defect rate for some reason). As of now, the only major niggle has been the front fork. It simply cannot cope up with the powerful disc brakes & numerous attempts at straightening the fork seems to provide only temporary relief. I have been asked to spend on straightening the fork on every single service which speaks volumes for the quality of repairwork undertaken.