The LML Freedom is a series of light motorcycles that the Indian maker LML (Lohia Machinery Limited) launched in July 2002. It was the company’s attempt to hold on to the home market after the end of its cooperation with Piaggio, and it became LML’s most successful motorcycle, with an average of 14,000 units sold every month in its first year and a half.
LML Freedom at a glance
| Maker | LML (Lohia Machinery Limited), India |
|---|---|
| Type | light motorcycle series |
| Launched | July 2002 |
| Sales | about 14,000 a month until November 2003 |
| Versions from 2004 | Freedom Prima 110, Freedom Prima 125 |
| Added August 2004 | Freedom Topper |
| Engine from 2004 | Delta 4 with digital ignition |
| Production end | February 2006, when the works closed |
| Relaunch | 2013, 110 cc version with light revisions |
| Models on the company site | 110 cc LS and slightly cheaper DX |
| Brakes | drums front and rear |
| Starters | KS for kickstart, ES for electric starter |
Based on one source: the German Wikipedia article on the LML Freedom.
History of the LML Freedom
LML is best known in Europe for the Star motor scooter, a licence-built copy of the Vespa PX. After the cooperation with the Italian scooter maker Piaggio ended at the end of 1999 the company lost market share, and the Freedom was its first attempt to establish itself again in the home market. LML had entered the Indian light motorcycle market in 2000 with its own designs, the LML Adreno and the LML Energy, and the Freedom followed in July 2002. It was regarded as a success for the company: until November 2003 an average of 14,000 examples were sold every month.
After that success the range was widened in 2004 with the Freedom Prima 110 and the Freedom Prima 125. Both models received the newly developed Delta 4 engine with digital ignition. In August 2004 the Freedom Topper was added to the range. Production of the Freedom ended when the works closed in February 2006. When the plant reopened in March 2008, the company concentrated first on building the successful LML Star models, mainly for export.
Only in 2013 was the 110 cc version of the Freedom put back into production with light revisions. As the German article notes, buyers in India are less interested in top speed than in the economy of a motorcycle, and the figures usually quoted are the distances covered per litre of fuel. According to the company website, only the two 110 cc models were still offered, the LS and the slightly cheaper DX, which differ only slightly in appearance; both have drum brakes at the front and the rear. The letters KS in a model name stand for the kickstart version and ES for a motorcycle with an electric starter.
Design and features
- Mass-market size: a light motorcycle aimed at Indian commuters, the class that sold in the largest numbers.
- Delta 4 engine: the company’s own four-stroke with digital ignition, fitted to the Prima versions from 2004.
- Wide version range: Prima 110, Prima 125 and Topper covered different prices and engine sizes.
- Economy first: the model was sold on fuel consumption per litre rather than on top speed.
LML Freedom versions
- Freedom (2002): the original 110 cc model that made the name.
- Freedom Prima 110 (2004): the updated small-capacity version with the Delta 4 engine.
- Freedom Prima 125 (2004): the larger-engined version of the Prima.
- Freedom Topper (August 2004): a further model added to the range.
- Freedom LS and DX (2013): the relaunched 110 cc models, the DX being slightly cheaper.
- KS and ES versions: the same motorcycles with kickstart or with an electric starter.
The Freedom was developed alongside the LML Adreno, which used the same Delta 4 engine after its facelift, and it shared the showrooms with the LML Star scooter. More LML models are in the LML collection.
Sources
- LML Freedom, German Wikipedia: history, versions, relaunch, equipment codes
