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.

As the TVS Apache series gets a facelift, we ride the RTR 180 to see if there are any surprises under the skin

The TVS Apache series has been quite popular in the sub-250-cc performance motorcycle segment. The last time the Apache received a notable design upgrade was in 2009 and three years is long time in the Indian motorcycle market.

The company, therefore, went back to the drawing board and tweaked the Apache’s design to come out with a sharper looking motorcycle. The new design has been adopted by the entire Apache range, which includes the RTR 160, RTR 180 and the RTR 180 ABS.

To start with, the RTR has a new head cowl that gives the bike an aggressive look. It also gets all-time running LED pilot lamps that were the highlight of their teaser campaign and they look stunning. The other most prominent change is the elongation of the tank shrouds. The tank shrouds are just pieces of plastic clinging on to the tank shell and are supposed to give the bike a sporty look as we know it, but, according to TVS, they also improve performance and aerodynamics, which helps in reducing engine heat! Looking at the design, we were baffled: why this otherwise proportionate bike has these sabre teeth when the ones on the earlier model were so much better. Other than those, however, the chiselled, sharper lines of the bodywork, with carbon-fibre finished plastic inserts in a few places look good. The bike also gets new switches that are very ergonomic, decals hailing from the Hyper Edge variant, all metal rear foot-pegs and a better looking seat cover.

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Under the new body, however, there are hardly any changes. The RTR 160 is powered by the same 159.7-cc, four-stroke engine producing 15.4 PS of power and 13.1 Nm of torque while the RTR 180’s 177.4-cc engine churns out 17.3 PS of power and 15.5 Nm of torque.

The bike is still plagued by high-frequency vibrations from the seat, handlebar and foot-pegs and, owing to its stiffer suspension, it does not offer a very comfortable ride. However, handling still remains a strong point in case of the Apache.

The colours available in the new series include dual-tone colours for the RTR 160 (green, red, yellow or grey with black base) and single-tone (yellow, grey, white or black) for the RTR 180 while the RTR 180 ABS comes in either white or black. The prices of the 2012 series Apache are Rs 75,493 for the RTR 160, Rs 82,554 for the RTR 180 and Rs 94,447 for the RTR 180 ABS.

The 2012 series Apache hasn’t met the expectations of upgrades in performance, but the new look has given the heave-ho to the dated looking design and will help the bikes hold their own in this heavily fought segment.

 

Photography: Sanjay Raikar

After ruling the 150cc performance bike segment for almost four years, Yamaha YZF-R15 has finally got some competition from none other than the compatriot – Honda. The CBR150R has arrived and we are here with the first impressions of the bike that seems to be determined to dethrone the king that has ruled so far.

The first look at the CBR150R is enough to tell us that this one is almost identical to its elder brother CBR250R. However, a detailed look at the machine will bring out the differences like the two round pilot lights in the headlight cluster have a different treatment than what we see on the 250. The exhaust end can is much smaller; the front visor gets a slightly darkened tint and of course a whole new set of graphics. Look closely and you notice a whole new twin-spar frame on the motorcycle. Once in the saddle, the bike feels a little smaller and shorter than its elder brother and weighs only 138 kg as against the 161 kg (non-ABS version) CBR250R.

The first riding impressions of the bike tell us that this one needs some high revving to get going. With red line at 11,500 rpm, there is no doubt you will be twisting your right wrist harder for more fun. The bike makes 17.8 PS of peak power at 10,500 revs and 12.66 Nm of maximum torque at 8,500 revs. This, for city riding looks like a little on the negative side. However, let the horses lose on a weekend ride to the twisties, rev the engine hard and you won’t be disappointed. Aiding the performance and sporty side of the bike is its chassis and suspension that work perfectly well for hard cornering.

All in all it looks like a good machine for sport riding, touring but an average one for city. However, the final word will come once we have done the performance testing and pitted the bike against the YZF-R15. Stay tuned for further updates!

Price: 1.32 Lakh (Std, OTR Pune)

1.33 Lakh (Dlx, OTR, Pune)