New Bike Road Test in India

Nothing but the best will do for today’s new age Indian woman. So does the TVS Scooty Streak deliver? Bunny Punia finds out
Photography Sanjay Raikar

TVS Scooty is a name that has become a synonym for ungeared scooters in India. From the old, peppy two-stroke powered little scooterette, the brand has matured into four different variants now. The little two-stroke Scooty Teenz, the green electric Teenz, the Pep+ and the latest cosmetically changed avatar christened the Scooty Streak. In India, toying around with current products with a few cosmetic upgrades and in turn luring the customer into believing the new variant to be a much improved machine works and that is exactly what the Hosur-based manufacturer has done with this new Scooty. And while Sania Mirza was busy with her tennis practice, we decided to rope in our own model for the shoot, Vartika Pandey who incidentally owns the good old Scooty Pep.

The fairer sex is very picky about details and when it comes to a makeover, girls want a lot more. A majority of Scooty owners are college going damsels or young working women and in order to successfully entice them, TVS made the new Streak wear more than just new graphics. The entire design of the body is different, yet a single look at the scooter will immediately remind you of the Pep+. I must say the new design is clever and distinct yet it carries forward the design of the Scooty family. In short, the Streak carries on the Pep+ cutesy lines but with sharper angles. The speedometer console too is new with a snazzy background.

As compared to the cute smiling front of the Pep+, the Streak gets a savvier design. The combination of a new headlamp layout and a triangular slot for the indicator and pilot lamps in my opinion lends a mature look to the scooter. The colour combination and graphics of course are altered but the highlight here is the rear. Apart from the big twin deck grabrail, the first in India LED tail lamps on a scoot look smashing. With the parking lamps on and the brake depressed, the tail lamps lend a look reminiscent of a peacock with its feathers stretched out. No really! Vartika too shared the same opinion and admitted that the Streak easily overshadows the Pep when it comes to a more feminine look. Also worth a mention are the wider 90mm front and rear anti-skid tyres which are made from wet compound thereby aiding grip during rains.

Vartika, who has a liking for stunts (she has been doing stuff on bikes too!) was eager to have some fun with the Streak, and boy, did she make us eat dust in traffic! While I was aboard the new Honda Activa 110 (read Rohit’s take on the scooter elsewhere in the magazine), she managed to use the amazing handling of the Streak to lose me in the rear view mirror in no time. The Streak’s small 10-inch tyres and a diminutive size means a typical rider will be able to squeeze her way in traffic without a fuss. TVS boffins have left the engine largely untouched, however, there are a few tweaks done to enhance the fuel economy which remains above 50kmpl in a combined city and highway cycle. The 87.8cc LITECH engine develops 5PS of power with 5.8Nm of torque. This scooter always had a peppy throttle response and with a weight of just 96 kilos (one kilo more than the Pep+), the scoot manages a naught to 60km/h dash in a respectable 12 seconds. With a lightweight Vartika on board, the Streak managed to nudge the 80km/h mark on the speedometer thus matching the top speed of its sibling. The brakes work well and are responsive with enough bite. Seat comfort is very good – it’s soft yet has enough padding and doesn’t feel bottomed out with a heavy weight like me. The suspension though starts bouncing all over the road the moment you encounter the smallest of undulations if you have a 90odd kilo rider on board at anything above 65-70km/h.

For just over two big ones more than the Pep+, the Streak is a recommended buy. It looks snazzier and has enough lineaments to keep owners happy. The usual features like a mobile charging point, good underseat storage space and a new external fuel filler cap (located behind the seat, and gets somewhat hindered by the grabrail) are thoughtful details. Retailing at Rs 41,200 (on-road, Pune), this scooter is now a grand more than its direct competitor, the Hero Honda Pleasure. But is it the best set of two-wheels for the ladies? Watch out for our next issue then…

The Streak carries on the same 87.8cc engine from the Pep+. TVS claims to have made a few tweaks for better fuel economy though	Most of us thought that the rear was overdone, but once it gets dark, the Streak’s tail lamps look the best in business	The speedometer console has been designed keeping in mind the overall snazzier look of the Streak

Rohit Paradkar zips around city streets to evaluate the newest avatar of Honda’s trusty urban tool
Photography: Sanjay Raikar and Eshan Shetty

 

Riding an ungeared scooter can be a pleasant surprise especially after tackling the chaotic traffic on a geared motorcycle and chocking all life out of the poor clutch plates. Having reviewed such geared commuters in the past few BI issues, I was excitedly looking forward to test the latest avatar of the undisputed ruler of the scooter segment, the Honda Activa!

The Activa has always been on my list of Indian wonder vehicles for the sheer way in which it resurrected the dead scooter market in India. However, with the competition having churned out some funky looking products to counter it, I was afraid that the new Activa would end up being an alien-ish looking sibling of the Aviator. Thankfully, the latest Activa comes across, once again, as a subtly designed city slicker and marks its own individuality not only amongst the entire Honda lineup, but the Indian scooter segment as well. While speaking about the Activa’s new design, the people at Honda told me that front fascia is designed with the philosophy of a man’s V shaped torso in mind. Frankly, I fail to see a significant resemblance, nevertheless, the new face is fresh. The small air vents add a hint of sportiness to the overall frontal appearance. Even with all the newly incorporated elements, something appears to be missing – the design doesn’t exude a feeling of completeness especially at the front. The headlight and turn blinkers have maintained their arrangement on the handlebar cowl. The blinkers, now larger, sport a rakish shape and are sure to be more visible to the oncoming traffic than the older model. The position of the tail elements too hasn’t been altered too much, although the shape of the lamp glasses is slightly different than the ones on the previous model. The side panels aren’t a big departure from the ones on the earlier Activa. Honda, however, has taken a lot of metal off the new scoot’s body in a bid to shave off some kilos. The company has used ABS plastics for the front faceplate, headlight cowl and rear panels. The belly pan remains metallic though to provide the strength required to protect the underbody from pebbles shooting from the front tyre on gravely, broken roads. Overall, the design is fresh but still has clues of the old Activa to highlight the lineage.

Apart from the new body, the big news on the new Activa is the new engine for the ’09 model. The mill is now bored out to displace 109cc as opposed to 102cc of the earlier engine. The engine now puts out 8PS at 7500rpm – 1PS up over its predecessor. But that doesn’t translate into a significantly higher acceleration as suggested by our test figures. But the power figure is not the only stat that has gone up. The magic figure for me was the 9Nm of torque, which is the trump card for the new Activa and puts it ahead of even some 100cc motorcycles in the market. Mate this figure to the seamless variomatic transmission and what you get is a scooter that can zip through the unnerving city traffic with utter ease.

The scooter’s strength lies between the 40-50km/h mark. Within this range, the vehicle will not only return decent fuel efficiency, but will also deliver enough torque to make quick overtaking manoeuver. However, once you cross this mark and proceed to the 70km/h zone, the Honda mill changes its silent tone into an echoing hum. This hum amplifies as you accelerate further and also brings in a slight hint of vibes as you max out close to 89km/h. Though the Activa zips around comfortably, the brakes aren’t really a big improvement over the scoot’s earlier avatar. The 130mm drums front/rear lack the stopping power that you would get from the Aviator’s disc. Yes, I know I’ll sound stupid if I compared the drums to a disc, but then why not have disc brakes on the new Activa in the first place, as an option at least? If Honda could integrate the mechanism on the Aviator and still manage to price the scooter under Rs 50,000 on road, they could have done the same for the new Activa too. There is a mopdel with combined braking coming soon, but I still doubt whether it’ll outperform a full fledged disc brake system.

The new instrumentation console is easy to read. It’s simple and functional, without any flashy graphics	The new headlight sports a halogen bulb which provides better illumination in the dark than its previous version	The new grabrail from the Aviator is very ergonomic

Brakes apart, the Activa continues to impress in the city with improved fuel efficiency figures. Even on a crowded day, Aspi managed to extract 52kmpl in the city and 58kmpl on the highway (though the latter is not of much significance with regards to a scooter). While these figures inspire you to make a buying decision in favour of the new Activa, what may dishearten a few fairer souls is the increase in saddle height by 5mm. However, the front sides of the seat have been slightly scooped off halfway through the length thereby reducing its width at the front. This will help a shorter rider easily reach the ground in spite of the increase in ride height. Under the new seat is some increased luggage space and is achieved by trading in a litre worth of fuel tank capacity. Though Honda claims that the storage space can accommodate a full face helmet, I could hardly fit in my Studds open face in the cavity. Whatever the storage space can hold though, rest assured that it will be safer in the new Activa than the older one. Thugs and victims alike will recall that the wire actuated seat locking mechanism located above the swingarm was easy to access and break into for the trained hand. The new mechanism has a metal covering which restricts access and would in turn prevent thefts – a boon for people who have the habit of leaving valuables in the underseat storage. Another security aspect is the key shutter, but that is not available on the standard model and will be available only on the Deluxe variant.

Coming to ride quality, the Activa has always offered a comfortable ride and the new version is no exception. The front suspension in the new Activa still employs a bottom link, spring loaded hydraulic damper setup, which has been trashed by the competition for telescopic forks long back. After having ridden the Aviator, the front suspension of the Activa leaves a lot to be desired. The handling isn’t as crisp as the Aviator’s. But since I’m stating that the new Activa is no exception to the old one’s comfortable characteristics, I would rather compare the new model with its predecessor than its elder sibling. The rear suspension too is carried over from the old Activa and is made up of a single-sided swingarm with a spring loaded hydraulic damper. The entire suspension setup coupled with the wide and comfortable seats makes for good ride comfort for the rider and the pillion. The pillion comfort is augmented further by virtue of the newly designed footpegs. On the earlier model, the footpegs wouldn’t open easily especially with the panel guards in place. On the new Activa though, there are small notches on the pegs for easy access to open them outward or tuck them back in. Overall the riding position for both the rider as well as the pillion turns out to be more comfortable on the new scooter.

So, are the improvements worth the extra money? The answer is a simple yes. The new Activa is dearer over the ex-showroom price of the outgoing model by only Rs 1,500. In exchange, the scooter returns better fuel efficiency, has a bigger capacity engine, more storage space, offers good ride comfort and comes with Honda reliability. Though a side stand, panel guards and glove box remain optional accessories, the base price is still good value for money. We wish there wasn’t any price increase over the earlier model, but the extra amount quoted isn’t too exorbitant for you to alter your buying decision. Be it the tight city conditions or broken roads on the countryside, the scooter can carry two riders with great comfort. It’s got a new face to match up to the times, but still carries the subtle lineage forward. If an understated, reliable, no-nonsense scooter is what you’re looking for, your search ends here.

Is the Stunner version 2.0 an improvement over the older version as it happens with electronic gadgets or does it disappoint like movie sequels?
Words: Mihir Gadre
Photography: Sanjay Raikar

 

Usually, when Honda launches a new product it leaves the audience gasping for breath. The Stunner FI launch was no different. This time though it was not because Honda had unleashed yet another phenomenal product but because of the bike’s price tag of Rs 72,834 (on-road, Pune). To put this into perspective, let me give you an overview of its competition. Yamaha’s streetfighter par excellence, the FZ16 as well as TVS’ flagship, the Apache RTR EFi cost exactly the same as the Honda. Those looking for affordable performance have options like the Pulsar 180 or the Apache RTR, both of which retail for about rupees five grand less.

Honda’s own 150cc offering, the Unicorn, is rupees nine grand cheaper whereas the Hero Honda Achiever, which sports the same 150cc engine from the Unicorn, costs around Rs 12,000 less. Honda’s other 125cc bike, the Stunner (without the FI), is Rs 15,000 cheaper while the Shine is a whopping rupees 19 grand less. Does the FI tech justify the Stunner FI’s ultra premium price tag or is Honda asking for too much for a couple of alphabets added to the Stunner’s name tag? Well, let’s find out…

Style and ergonomics
The Stunner is a very handsome bike. The body work follows a uniform design language from its sharp, beak-like front to its upswept tail. The ergos are slightly sporty with rear set footpegs but are reasonably comfortable at the same time thanks to the high seat and handlebars. The quarter fairing too has been executed with much more finesse than the abrupt jobs pasted on to some other bikes in the country. I opine that the Stunner is one of the best looking bikes in the country. The FI version gets a new two-tone paint scheme with colours borrowed from the Fireblade which look, well, stunning.

The new shade of deep metallic red especially complements the bike much better than the solid blood red shade of the old bike. Build quality too is top notch perhaps the best you will find in the market. The FI gets red coloured rear springs, a silver heat shield and a golden coloured engine which differentiate it from the carburetor fed variant. However, we have a bone to pick with Honda for ditching the wing graphics on the tank and fairing that we absolutely loved. Nevertheless, on the styling front at least, the new bike fares much better than the competition.

Performance and FE
The Stunner is now the fifth bike on the market to feature fuel injection and the second, after the Glamour FI, to get Honda’s Legendary PGM-FI short for Programmed Fuel Injection. The FI engine feels much more refined than the carbureted version while the gearbox is a typical butter smooth Honda unit. The throttle response has improved and is especially evident while blipping on downshifts. The engine now produces 11.76PS of peak power – half a PS more than the old Stunner – and 11.2Nm of torque at a slightly lower 6250rpm.

The console gets the pgm-fi logo below the fuel gauge and a malfunction indication lamp next to the neutral indicator	The bike gets an open chain guard and red rear springs which differentiate it from the carb version. honda have employed a smaller rear sprocket in order to make the overall gearing taller	The stunner fi gets a silver finish heat shield instead of the chrome unit seen on the older bike

The FI manages much higher speeds in every gear compared to the carbureted Stunner which used to be totally out of breath at the 80km/h mark. However, the difference is not so much due to FI technology as Honda would like you to believe but because of the revised gearing. Honda technicians have given the bike a taller gearing by going one tooth down on the rear sprocket. BIKE India had suggested a similar gearing change to Honda way back in June 2006. We had even carried out the sprocket modification on the Shine and had done a comparo with the stock Shine in our magazine. However, it took Honda three long years to implement the changes. Honda must have hoped that nobody would find out about the revised gearing and assume that the difference in performance was all because of the PGM-FI.

The bike clocked a 0-60km/h time of 6.32sec and a top speed of 108.2km/h. Its performance is good for a 125cc but it is not good enough for the bikes it is trying to compete with. More than outright performance, it’s the new bike’s deficiency in midrange torque that takes it out of the performance game. However, Stunner FI does make up for it by returning fantastic fuel efficiency figures. The bike managed to stretch a litre to 64km on city roads and 72km on the highway. That gives it an overall fuel efficiency of 66kmpl which is 5kmpl more than the carbureted version in addition to being on par with other 125s.

Ride and handling

There are no changes on the chassis-suspension front. The bike is stiffly sprung to complement its sporty pretensions. This gives it a slightly harsh ride especially when riding solo. The ride gets much more compliant with a pillion on board. However, the stiff set-up also has its own advantages. It gives the bike good handling characteristics. The Stunner FI has a good grip and plenty of feedback through the tyres. The short wheelbase makes it a doodle to swerve in and out of the traffic. So in terms of dynamics, it does manage to outclass most of its competition. Many Stunner owners complain about the problem of vibes creeping up through the footpegs and handlebars at the top end of its rev range. Thankfully, as the FI variant runs lower revs due to its taller gearing in addition to the bike’s new bar ends, this problem has been alleviated to a great extent.

Verdict
What the Stunner FI sets out to achieve is to give the customer the performance of a 150 and the fuel efficiency of a 125 and it has almost achieved this goal. At the same time, it feels much more of a premium product compared to its competitors and has that all important big bike feel. It would have been a great product for people looking for a premium bike with great fuel efficiency to boot had it been priced a bit more realistically. A maximum premium of Rs 5,000 over the carbureted Stunner would have been justifiable. But a price tag of Rs 73,000 is just too optimistic on Honda’s part.

To reiterate a bit, the bike is certainly head and shoulders above the rest in its segment but is so darn expensive that prospective buyers are forced to consider other alternatives. The fact that Honda itself offers a fantastic bike like the Unicorn at a reasonable price makes the case for the Stunner F1 a bit weaker. The Unicorn is a well established benchmark in its segment with its legendary reliability, refinement, performance and dynamics. It also has a monoshock rear suspension and a tachometer which is absent on the Stunner FI.
If you compare the Stunner FI with the Unicorn, it is 7kmpl more fuel efficient than the Unicorn but then there’s a difference of Rs 9,000 in their price tag. So if you do the math it will take you at least 75,000km of riding to recover the price difference in your fuel bills. As such, the big question is whether the Stunner FI will be flying out of showrooms like all the other Hondas.

 

More power. More fun. More bang for your buck. The P220 returns with a vengeance
Words Bunny Punia
Photography Sanjay Raikar

 

While exiting the last left oval before the straight started, I ducked down as much as my large frame allowed. Gunning the bike, I upshifted to fourth and could see the digital speedometer climb towards the 120km/h mark rapidly. At close to 130km/h, I shifted to fifth and by the time I was forced to brake hard for a left curve, the speedometer had registered 135km/h! For a rider weighing in at a quintal, these speeds are phenomenal on a short straight. Can the new Bajaj Pulsar 220 easily clinch back the crown for being the fastest Indian bike?

When launched two years ago, the P220 redefined the rules of performance biking in India. It also marked the debut of technologies and features never before seen on any domestic motorcycle. As an overall package, true to Bajaj’s traits, the 220 was also a fantastic value for money proposition. However, once Yamaha entered the Indian performance biking segment, they stole the crown from the Pulsar 220. Later, with TVS confirming the launch of the 180cc RTR, Bajaj had to act fast to reclaim its lost glory.

Starting on the outside, the firm’s design boffins have followed an all-black treatment seen on the bike’s new smaller capacity siblings too. The engine, the alloy wheels, the suspension and the chassis – everything is painted the colour of midnight. In our opinion this treatment goes a long way in adding more muscle and poise to the bike. The inclusion of a braided brake hose not only looks good, but also improves the feel under hard braking as there is next to no flexing of the steel hose. There is a slight change in the sticker work as well but we are left wondering what the big ‘F’ logo behind the front indicator means? The tyres remain the same, however, Bajaj officials claim they are now made of softer compound in order to aid grip around corners.

A major alteration, however, is between the bike’s wheels. The engine does away with the fuel injection system and in its place comes the biggest carburetor seen on any current Indian production bike – a UCAL UCD 32 Venturi unit. This is a major departure but Bajaj claims that the overall benefits in terms of getting more power and better fuel economy at a lesser cost compared to the FI unit made them incorporate this change. Other modifications like graphite coating of the piston’s skirt for reducing the friction between the block and the piston, a modified intake port, high lift cams, a larger resonator and a bigger catalytic converter aid in generating more power which is up by a PS to 21. These figures give the Pulsar 220 the best power-to-weight ratio in India. Bajaj also claims to have made the final gearing longer for a better top end.

Right then, with our test equipment strapped on, it wasn’t long before we realized that the carbureted Pulsar 220 managed better timings than its predecessor. Most importantly, the new bike bettered its previous iteration’s top speed by a fair margin. Naught to sixty comes up in 4.7 seconds and the ’09 220 flies past the 100km/h mark in just 13.1 seconds. With Aspi on board and a relatively short straight, that didn’t do full justice to the bike’s top end, our test equipment still showed a true 132.5km/h with the bike’s digital speedometer registering 142km/h! Needless to say, these numbers make the new Bajaj Pulsar 220 the quickest and the fastest production bike in the country today. Performance aside, the company also claims an improvement in the bike’s fuel efficiency by approximately five percent over the FI model, however, we couldn’t test the fuel economy due to a lack of time.

Even the grab rail and clip-ons match the all-black treatment of this colour option	Just like the chiselled logo on the tank, the numericals of the tacho too get same effect with a grey background	The latest 220 employs the biggest carb on an Indian bike. K&N lovers rejoice! The engine also gets temperature based ignition mapping and an auto choke function

Time and again, we have highlighted the 220’s weakness around the track. Although there hasn’t been a significant change in the bike’s chassis and suspension setup, some retuning, especially at the front has been done. We rode the bike for an hour around Bajaj’s test track at Chakan and could feel the softer compound tyres doing their duties well. However, the main stand played spoilsport and was done away with for the photo shoot. The tendency of the earlier 220’s front suspension to dive while braking hard has been somewhat reduced in the new version. However, we would like to reserve our judgment about the bike’s handling prowess compared to its main rivals until we pit it against the competition soon.

Saving the best for last, the biggest improvement, rather the reason I would recommend this machine to bike fanatics, is its discounted price. We knew the 220’s sticker price would be reduced, considering the bike is now minus an expensive FI unit, but what we heard is simply outrageous. The 2009 Pulsar 220 will retail for approximately ten big ones less than the current bike which, simply put, makes it a shattering value for money deal! This price makes the 220 almost rupees thirty grand cheaper than its main rival – more than enough reason for bikers to head to a Bajaj showroom and book one right away. The 220 was once the benchmark for performance bikes in India and unlike other manufacturers, Bajaj didn’t want to sit and relax on their laurels. Instead, they have decided to raise the bar higher and challenge themselves by delivering a product that is not only better looking and faster but economical to run as well as to own. So, does that mean the competition has been smoked already? Let’s wait and watch!

 

Adhish Alawani finds out if the new RTR 180 packs in the ingredients of an all-rounder
Photography Sanjay Raikar

 

TVS Motors had the Apache RTR 180 in the pipeline for a long time. The bike’s predecessor, the RTR 160 has already proven to be one of the best bikes in its class. This fact alone had definitely raised my expectations from the new bike and when I first saw the breathtaking promotional video of the RTR 180 shot at one of the MotoGP tracks abroad, my excitement knew no bounds. I could hardly wait to lay my hands on this beast. After innumerable calls to the TVS guys, I finally got the chance to pick up the RTR 180 from the company warehouse on the outskirts of Pune.

The bike’s sparkling white colour with golden front forks and rear shock gas reservoirs plus the big RTR logo running across the tank scoops is a treat for the eyes. In spite of not making too many cosmetic changes to the original RTR, the 180’s refreshed looks make it stand out from its 160cc sibling. The front and rear petal disc brakes come from the fuel injected version of the RTR 160. TVS has retained the instrumentation console of the 160 although it sports a white treatment now. It retains the 0-60km/h timer and the high speed recorder previously featured the older RTR. What comes as an option on the bike is a set of naked footpegs for the track (which otherwise have rubber sleeves over them) and a stylish rear fender. All in all, the RTR 180 is more or less the same as its 160cc version with minor but welcome upgrades.

Without wasting too much time at the warehouse, I hit the road astride one of the most awaited performance bikes in the country. The company claims that the RTR 180 is one of the quickest Indian bikes from zero to 60km/h. I wasn’t quite convinced about this while riding it for the first few minutes. The engine is not as free revving as the smaller RTR. TVS also claims that the 180’s horsepower is considerably higher (17.3PS) at 8500rpm compared to the 160cc bike (15.5PS). Additionally, the new bike’s peak torque has increased to 15.5Nm from 13.1Nm of the RTR 160. It was obvious that all these figures had to reflect in the performance testing results even if they weren’t really being felt while riding normally. And boy was I impressed after the performance runs! The RTR 180 managed to pull off the 60km/h mark from standstill in just 4.64 seconds – a feat as yet unattained even by some of the higher capacity Indian bikes. During testing, the bike took just 18.47 seconds for the quarter mile run. An interesting fact here is that the engine has a very linear power delivery. Wring your wrist at any given rpm and the bike is more than happy to start pulling away comfortably. The Apache 180 also managed to pull off a true top speed close to 124km/h which is slightly more than the RTR 160’s top speed. What is worth mentioning is that the new 180’s engine doesn’t have a rev limiter. The tacho redlines at 9000rpm, however, rev it hard and the engine can go all the way up to 12,000rpm – the last mark on the tachometer. The fact that TVS is developing a race kit for the RTR 180 makes a lot of sense as it will help boost the power in those high revs. Nonetheless, until that happens, we are sure enthusiasts will be more than happy with the stock bike.

The new 177.4cc mill packs in adequate power to plaster a grin on every enthusiast’s face	The golden gas reservoirs are among the few cosmetic upgrades on the 180	The instrumentation console remains more or less the same as the 160’s except for the white treatment

Considering the fact that TVS has created the 180 by keeping performance as a top priority, it goes without saying that the company has made sure that the bike’s chassis can handle power quite ably. The bike’s wheelbase was increased by 26mm as compared to the RTR 160. The longer wheelbase has lent a very stable and planted character to the 180. The way the bike behaves in corners instills a lot of confidence in the rider. Throw the bike around a bend at the maximum possible speed, get your butt off the saddle and point the knee down – you are surely in for a comfortable high speed cornering act. I wonder how many Indian bikes would be able to match this kind of handling. And it is not just about the corners, the RTR 180 feels very stable on bumpy and uneven surfaces as well. The stability of the chassis is phenomenal and the grip lent by the new set of lightweight TVS Shrichakra aids the handling of the bike to a great extent. The manufacturer has switched from the 18-inch rear tyre of the 160 to a wider 17-inch one on the 180 while retaining the 17-inch front.

TVS engineers who have done a lot of work on the racing front for the company’s factory team in India have pooled in their collective experience in creating the RTR 180. The new bike’s amazing power delivery and fantastic handling characteristics is a proof of the fact that a motorcycle can be perfected to a great extent on the racetrack. Yet, in doing all this, they haven’t missed out on other aspects of biking. I had to catch up with a friend in Mumbai the other day and I took this opportunity to ride the RTR on the NH4. Even after riding the bike for two and a half hours continuously, there was no hint of fatigue crept in my body. The new RTR’s handlebar-footpeg geometry is so versatile that apart from the racetrack, it will prove to be highly comfortable even on the highways and in the city. The Pune-Mumbai NH4 ride was a testimony of the high speed stability of the RTR 180. Not to forget, that the Apache RTR is one of the better bikes to ride in traffic with its strong low end grunt. Additionally, the bike’s flickability makes it a fun machine for the city.

Let’s talk about an aspect of biking worshipped in India – stunting. The images of the Apache 180 featured on these pages probably speak more than a thousand words. The bike is a stunter’s delight and is extremely wheelie friendly, ready to pop that front wheel anytime it is required to do so. In fact, even during the performance testing, I had a tough time keeping the front wheel down while managing the perfect launch. The longer wheelbase has made it a bit difficult to execute stoppies easily, however, it’s just a matter of getting the hang of it. So where does the RTR 180 lack? There are hardly any negative aspects of the bike aside from the fact that the engine doesn’t rev smoothly. Also, one wouldn’t call the RTR 180 a very refined machine. But well, refinement is not something that everyone likes. There are people who love to have that slight grunty feel from a motorcycle which adds a big bike flavor to the machine.

At the end of the day, when I look back at all the characteristics of the Apache RTR 180, I am convinced that TVS has successfully introduced a bike in the local market which is ready to take on other contenders in India’s performance bike segment. The RTR 180 is a highly versatile machine that can do almost everything comfortably be it sport riding, city commuting, touring or stunting. There is absolutely no area where the bike refuses to perform. The manufacturer’s claim that the RTR 180 is one of the quickest from zero to 60km/h is absolutely correct and the bike truly lives up to TVS’ racetrack promotion. But there’s a lot more to the bike apart from just its performance and racing gene. It returns a decent fuel efficiency of 42kmpl in the city and 55kmpl on highways. What else do we need from a bike that costs Rs 72,000 (approx OTR, Pune)? Probably nothing! Except, of course, TVS’ performance kit that produces even more power beyond the red line!