Thursday, June 23, 2011

Motorbike Mania – A Tale of a Biker & his CBR250R : BikeAdvice

Motorbike Mania – A Tale of a Biker & his CBR250R : BikeAdvice

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Motorbike Mania – A Tale of a Biker & his CBR250R

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:44 AM PDT


Original Source: Motorbike Mania – A Tale of a Biker & his CBR250R from BikeAdvice.in

The spirit of Christmas festooned the club even as dappled sunlight danced through the corridor window. On either side of the square table two smokers were debating the fate of the Nation as Hormaz Jalnawalla and I entered their hallowed space. Khushroo tapped his glass with the heavy ring on his finger and instantly Denny the barman appeared conjuring more liquid refreshment.

Gopi, his back to us and his ponytail tied neatly above the nape, was already on his second round and well into a discourse on governments within the different states of the Nation. He went on glibly to encompass the globe at large; chastising the Presidents of America, Libya and the Ghanaian Republic when Joe Antony burst on the scene:

"My nephew in Cochin called. He said, 'Joe Chaach' you must get the CBR 250R Honda motorbike. They had you in mind when they designed it!'"

Ponytail Gopi's Oxford English and choice vocabulary came to an abrupt halt. My mobile was out in the instant, immediately dialling the dealer in Dindigul, from whom we had earlier purchased our Honda Unicorns.

"Joe and I would like to book two CBR 250 R's with ABS," I said, sending ripples through the miasma in Kodaikanal which, swelling exponentially, probably triggered off the nuclear plant disaster at Fukushima. In the event, Joe opted for a non-ABS bike as delivery of the ABS variant would take longer. I waited. Writing several letters to Honda, my observations on the matter might well have prompted them into releasing a bike at the earliest possible opportunity.

Within the month I was told to meet the Sornam Honda mechanic in Batlagundu, where he would hand over the fully registered and completely insured two wheeler. Needless to say I tempted Varadhu and Shiraz into the ride. Shortly after Varadhu's 1000 c.c Honda and Shiraz's 'Fat Boy' Harley Davidson stood at the porch of the Crystal Palace hotel, the mechanic arrived with my bike. He wanted my original passport along with four passport size photographs to boot.

To cut a long story short, I didn’t have them on me so, mounting the bike, the three of us (with the mechanic behind Shiraz on the Harley Davidson) roared down the forty kilometre strip to Dindigul. There we were fussed over by Varadhu’s agent and taken to Parson’s Court for lunch. I didn’t know such a place existed within the dreary city.

At about four in the afternoon Varadhu was getting jittery about riding in the dark – I would have been too, if I had been envisaging speeds in excess of one hundred and sixty kilometres an hour – so we pushed off, taking the longer but better riding route through Odanchattram and Palni. It was a terrific ride!

When I stopped at Varadhu’s house, which is next to mine in Kodaikanal, it was six forty-five and already dark. He had an ecstatic look about him and made just one comment before pouring out a drink: “That was one of the best rides I have been on. So glad we chose the Palni route back!”

The following Sunday was the flower-show, the boat race and, needless to say, road rage contest in this hill-station of ours. I decided to take Joe up on his offer to ride down to his farm in Palni. It was great even though the power did shut down at 11:00, leaving us in the dark for the night.

Naturally the fan didn’t work and at some point a rat found its way into the kitchen. Announcing its presence with a clatter of pots and pans and other such enterprising methods to wake us up, I had to rouse Joe from his slumber to catch the culprit. We were both wide awake by then and only managed to doze with dawn breaking after 5:00.

Joe commented wryly, "in Kodaikanal it’s the chant of the mosque but, down there, without power, it’s the drone of mosquitoes to greet you."

Groggy, not thinking too clearly, we decided to liven things up by riding to Coimbatore, a hundred and thirty kilometres away, where we could get Joe’s bike serviced. Joe with his superior riding skills, was obviously going to be ahead of me so we planned to stop at the BP bunk in Udumalpet where I needed to tank up.

The next stop was to be Sulur, twenty kilometres short of Coimbatore, where we would decide whether to enter the City by way of Trichy road, or Avanashi, via. the airport. I got to the BP bunk and tanked up but there was no sign of Joe. Assuming that our man was enjoying the ride, I continued. Powering my way to Palladam, I was crossing the bus stand when I felt the phone vibrate. I couldn’t stop then so I rode to the end of town and returned Joe's call. No answer! “I guess he’s now screaming down the road to Sulur,” I surmised and, with that, did exactly the same thing.

In Sulur I stopped and had a glass of tea, asking the lady if a similar machine had also stopped by earlier. A big crowd gathered to examine the bike and assured me that this was the first of its kind they had ever seen. Assuming that Joe must either be in Coimbatore or very close I called, and was pleasantly surprised when he answered immediately:

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Sulur” I said shamefacedly. It was all I could do to get speeds of up to 115, with crosswinds blowing every which way and my knapsack flopping around in diametrically opposite directions. “Where are you? Coimbatore Club or Cosmo?”

“I’m in Palni!”

“What!”

“I didn’t see you in Udumalpet so I started back… looking for you! Now I’m back at the farm.”

I had a long ride back, covering 236 Kms in less than four hours. It was just as well we didn’t go to Coimbatore because the workshop there said their men were away at some training centre, learning how to service the new Honda CBR 250R’s, and that we should only come next week. I didn't feel so bad then, saying "All’s well that ends well."

Another night in Palni – thank the lord the power stayed with us through the night – and Rajah from Kodaikanal came down to fix the pipe through which the rat was making its entrance. I rode back up the hill the next morning with eight hundred odd kilometres on the bike and nearly ready for her first service.

Last Saturday, at the Honda workshop in Dindigul (yes, I rode down all the way) the mechanic looked at me astonished. "You've done a thousand kilometres in one week!"

I grinned told him that it's not how many Kilometres you ride, it's how you ride. I didn't tell him that it was both Varadhu and Joe who had instructed me not to hold the handlebars tight and to use knees and the heel-lock to guide the machine through hairpin bends and steer her through monsoon winds. This of-course set up the next question.

Studying me quizzically he promptly asked, "How are old are you?"

"Why, I'll be sixty-six come November!"

- Minoo Avari

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Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) in Motorcycles – Explained in Detail

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT


Original Source: Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) in Motorcycles – Explained in Detail from BikeAdvice.in

TVS has already made their ability by introducing Apache 180 with ABS. ABS in not a new concept for four wheeler and two wheeler as well. In 1988, BMW introduced the first motorcycle with an electronic-hydraulic ABS: the BMW K100. Honda followed suit in 1992 with the launch of its first motorcycle ABS on the ST1100 Pan European. In 2007, Suzuki launched its GSF1200SA (Bandit) with an ABS.

In 2005, Harley-Davidson began offering ABS as an option for police bikes. In 2008, ABS became a factory-installed option on all Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycles and standard equipment on select models. Now let us enlighten how ABS works on bikes.

Skidding Mechanism

Skidding of a vehicle leads to disaster in many cases. Skidding starts when force applied by driver on the brake lever is more than the required. Skidding results when friction in brakes become more than the friction exists between tyre and road surface. That means wheel gets locked and start skidding on road surface. Less force leads to poor braking and more force leads to skidding. So to avoid the skidding of vehicle, the braking force should remain in limit.

In normal bikes, the brake lever is directly connected with calliper. The force applied by the driver on lever is directly exerted on calliper & disc without any interrupt. In the case of ABS, this braking force is exerted through ECU and Hydraulic valve.

The ABS prevents the wheels from locking during braking. It does this by constantly measuring the individual wheel speeds and comparing them with the wheel speeds predicted by the system. This speed measurement is done by individual speed sensors.

If, during braking, the measured wheel speed deviates from the system's predicted wheel speed, the ABS controller takes over, correcting the brake force to keep the wheel at the optimum slip level and so achieving the highest possible deceleration rate.

This is carried out separately for each wheel. Controller is nothing but an ECU with appropriate programming. This program avoids the rotational speed of wheel to become zero (Locking). This is done by temporary releasing the brake force by shutting off the valve in oil reservoir.

The ECU constantly monitors the rotation speed of each wheel. When it detect that any number of wheel are rotating slower than the other (this condition will bring the tyre to lock), it moves the valves to decrease the pressure on the braking circuit, effectively reduce the braking force on that wheel.

The wheels turn faster and when they turn too fast, the force is reapplied. This process is repeated continuously, and this is causes characteristic pulsing feel through the brake pedal.

Figure show major parts of Antilock-Braking System. Basic of antilock braking system consists of three major parts;

  1. Electronic Speed Sensor: This sensor will measure the wheel velocity and vehicle acceleration. LOCATION: On wheel Hub
  2. Toothed Disc: It helps the speed sensor to read the speed of wheel. LOCATION: With Brake Disc
  3. Electrical Control Unit (ECU). ECU is a microprocessor based system contains program. LOCATION: Under the Driver's Seat
  4. Electrically Controller Valve. This controller valve will control the pressure in a brake cylinder. LOCATION: With ECU

The following are the 3 major benefits of ABS

1. Stopping Distance

As the braking force is controlled and applied electronically, the stopping distance reduces considerably in comparison with normal bike.

2. Sudden Braking

In the case of ABS, the braking is intermittent in nature. So vehicle remains easily steerable during braking also. Below figure shows the comparison of normal bike and ABS bike at sudden braking.

3. Braking on Slippery surface

Most of the riders must have experienced this condition with their bikes and also know the results. ABS provides equal distribution of braking force on each wheel and provides straight line stopping of vehicle.

Some Interesting Facts about ABS

Donovan Green, United States, Department of Transportation had performed some experiments on bikes with and without ABS in 2006. Following bike were selected by him for his test.

  • 2002 Honda VFR 800 with ABS
  • 2002 BMW F650 with ABS
  • 2002 BMW R 1150R with ABS
  • 2002 BMW R 1150R without ABS
  • 2004 Yamaha FJR1300 with ABS
  • 2004 Yamaha FJR1300 without ABS

He had performed two types of tests: 1. Dry Surface Tests 2. Wet Surface Tests. Following are the results of his experiments.

Dry Surface Tests

On the ABS-equipped motorcycles, the operator was tasked with braking sufficiently to assure the operation of the ABS. The measured stopping distance values were corrected to compare data from the speeds of 48 km/h and 128 km/h, except for the BMW F650 data, which was corrected to 48 km/h and 117 km/h, the latter figure limited by that model's top speed of 157 km/h (i.e. 75% of 157 km/h).

In the ABS-enabled mode, for each load/speed/brake combination, the stopping distances were very consistent from one run to another. In this mode, the braking force was applied in a controlled and consistent manner by the ABS mechanism. With the exception of having to react to the possibility of the rear wheel becoming airborne under high deceleration, the rider did not require significant experience or special skill in order to achieve a high level of performance.

In the ABS-disabled mode, the stopping distances were less consistent because the rider while modulating the brake force, had to deal with many additional variables at the same time. Up to six runs were allowed for the rider to become familiar with the motorcycle's behaviour and to obtain the best stopping distance.

Test results from non-ABS motorcycles were noticeably more sensitive to rider performance variability.
Despite being compared to the best stopping distances without ABS, the average results with ABS provided an overall reduction in stopping distance of 5%.

The stopping distance reduction was more significant when the motorcycle was loaded (averaging 7%). The greatest stopping distance reduction (averaging 17%) was observed when only the rear foot pedal was applied to stop the motorcycle from 128 km/h.

Wet Surface Tests

The original test procedure called for wet surface braking tests to be conducted at 48 and 128 km/h. However, for safety and stability reasons, all low-friction surface tests were performed in a straight-line maneuver, from an initial speed of 48 km/h. The tests were repeated with and without ABS. The test track was wetted by a water truck, and the wetting procedure was repeated every three stops.

With ABS-equipped motorcycles, the rider was instructed to brake sufficiently to assure that the ABS was fully cycling by applying as much force as necessary to the brake control device (no restrictions on force application).

The front and rear wheel brakes were operated simultaneously when the initial test speed was reached and then were operated individually when the front wheel and rear wheel were tested separately. During braking, the engine remained disconnected from the drive train.

A steering operation was allowed to keep or correct the running direction of the motorcycle during the test. Below vehicle speeds of 10 km/h, wheel locking was permitted.

For motorcycles not equipped with ABS, the test procedure was the same except that the rider was instructed to apply as much force as required on the brake control device in order to get the shortest stopping distance without losing vehicle control or having any wheel lockup above a speed of 10 km/h.

As with the dry surface tests, practically no learning process was required for the operator to achieve the best performance with the operation of ABS. In the ABS-disabled mode, the stopping distances improved as the rider became more familiar and comfortable with the braking system.

On the wet surface, the overall average stopping performance with ABS improved on the best non-ABS stopping distance by 5.0%. The stopping distance reduction with ABS was more significant when both brakes were applied, with an overall improvement averaging 10.8% over the best stops without ABS.

The greatest stopping distance reduction with the use of ABS was observed when the motorcycle was loaded and both brakes were applied, averaging a 15.5% improvement over the best stops without ABS.

In general, the test results demonstrated an improvement in braking performance with the use of ABS, whether braking on a dry or wet surface even compared with the best stops obtained without ABS.

- Dhruv Panchal


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Suzuki’s Middle Class Motorcycle – More Updates

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:34 AM PDT


Original Source: Suzuki's Middle Class Motorcycle – More Updates from BikeAdvice.in

Here is an update on a write up which we came up recently about the Suzuki's Middle Class motorcycle. Motorcycle-usa.com has confirmed in its website, a couple of days back that this concept motorcycle is the all new 2012 Suzuki V Storm 650 ABS.

The company has now released teaser images in its global website and following are the images of the same. These images appear in the site with the initial words, 'Time for New Adventures' followed by the images and then gets ended up as 'middle class motorcycles coming soon'. Taking these words into consideration and by examining the newly released images, it is very clear that this bike is not a track oriented one with racing characteristics but an adventure bike.

There is not much that could be concluded about this bike at this point of time as Suzuki has released these images in a slightly blurred effect so that not much could be recognized about the bike. But, as mentioned earlier, the fact that this is an adventure motorcycle is confirmed.

The way the exhaust is placed at the rear in one of the images reveals the fact that this is really gonna be a stylish looking machine. Even I agree with the assumption that it can be a V Storm owing to the fact that the design of fairing and headlights are pretty similar in both these bikes. I even found the fact that the grabrails at the rear are very similar in both these bikes.

It is however clear that the height of the bike in teasers is pretty low compared with the tall stance of the actual V Storm. Unlike the present V Storm where the turn indicators are placed right next to the headlamp, this bike has got it placed pretty lower than the headlamp.

Keep watching this space for more updates from on our side on this Middle Class Motorcycle.

Regards,
M.Naren.
Author –BikeAdvice.in

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Apache RTR 160 RD Ownership Review by Saran

Posted: 22 Jun 2011 11:02 PM PDT


Original Source: Apache RTR 160 RD Ownership Review by Saran from BikeAdvice.in

Hi friends! Good to meet you all once again in a review of my Apache RTR 160 RD Fashion.

Note: There are few points which are deliberately repeated. It is just to make sure that scanners don't miss them. Readers, please forgive.

Why Apache?

Thats a million dollar question for which I still don't have a clear answer. Probably some of them are.

Brand Loyalty

I like the way TVS positions its products. Though the management team is not young as Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, they are one of the best niche marketers I know. The entire product line-up right from XL super to series RTR focus on certain niche markets.

TVS has also tried launching many innovative products. Its electric  scooters, Hybrid auto-rickshaws, clutch-less motorcycle, twin spark  motorcycle and a modern steel body scooter are attempts to stand out  from the crowd and voyage into lesser known areas.

TVS is the only Indian automaker with no Joint Venture with other  foreign bike maker and they've also managed to be better if not the  best. Adding to my like towards the company, we've owned TVS brand of  bikes right from TVS Champ to Centra which makes TVS the first choice  for me always.

The Grandfather

I still remember an old friend of mine in my school days who had a TVS Max 100R. When we asked him to upgrade his bike to a Pulsar, he always replied "Machi! TVS is going to introduce a bike called Apache. I'm sure it will beat the feat of Pulsar.

I'm waiting for Apache's launch." In Tamil, Apache means 'Grandfather'. So, we used to make fun saying, "What would the old man do to a Boy (Pulsar)?" And Yes, Apache proved it; if there would be a product that could beat the feat of Pulsar, it will be an RTR.

The Hulk

The inspiration also came from my dad's TVS Centra. This was in the year 2004 when he wanted a 100cc bike with very a frugal engine. We shortlisted CT100 & Centra, both of which promised 101 kmpl. My eyes were fully on the Sandriff Grey CT100 but my dad's was on the later. And yes. Of course. My dad won.

Then the Hulk came home (Thats how I call this green monster). It not only looked green but behaved green by returning 95 kmpl despite being heavy. Even after 6.5 years now, it still is in perfect condition returning 70+ kmpl. So, TVS Apache was my first choice and the other was Hero Honda Hunk. I deliberately avoided all other bikes for some reasons.

  • Pulsar : Very very common in my city. I wanted to be unique.
  • CBZ : I personally don't like the looks of the CBZ Extreme.
  • Unicorn : I never liked Honda bikes. Poor service here, pricy and no thrill to ride.
  • FZ : Simple. I can't afford.
  • GS150R : More like Honda. Poor service here and no thrill to ride.

Though Hunk was on my list, Apache had a lot of gizmos to pull me towards it starting from the semi digital console, split grab rails, clip-on handle bars, LED tail lamp, Tank scoops, Rear Disc to Engine fairing.

When I booked my RTR, the sales guy said, "No waiting period! You can take your bike now". For the very first time, perfection hurt me. I missed the lovely feeling of waiting for the first bike. The beast came home on 19th July, 2010 and our love started there on. Its now 11 months old and we have crossed 22000 kms together. My love towards the beast is still sky high. Uufff. That's a fast journey.

Technical Specifications

Like Lok-pal bill, everyone knows Apache too. So, there is nothing new much to tell about. As we all know, Apache RTR 160 has a single cylinder 159.7cc over-square engine mated to a 5 speed gearbox which develops 15.2 Bhp and 13.1Nm torque. Boring right? Okay. Lets get rid of this tech crap and get into more practical things.

Looks

If you see closely the looks of Apache and Centra, you could see few similarities (more like you and your sibling). There are few styling cues carried over to the Apache from Centra like the folds in the head lamp, bulky tank, tail lamp, etc.

"The Centra is a hen; Apache is a cheetah!". This is so evident when you see the top view of the Apache series RTR. I don't think you'll have a second opinion because Apache RTR is one of the very few bikes that look good from all sides. You can't expect a Sexy look like FZ or meaner look like the 2012 R15 but its surely a looker.

The clear lens – red combination in the tail lamp, split grab rails, removable tail fenders, engine cover, removable foot-peg rubber are few unique design elements that add to the sportiness of the bike. The adjustable clip-on handle bars covered by the RTR emblem are also in perfect harmony with the design of the bike and look better than any bike in its segment (after all, that is what we see most of the times).

And in the open chain part, I'm totally against Manish Sharma. An open chain will add a lot of sportiness to a bike. I'm really glad that the latest Apache RTRs have an open chain unlike the older ones. Yes. It needs maintenance but its just that it expects from you for the look it offers.

The colour of my beast makes it unique in the streets. When its raining and other bikers are running for shelter, we (me and my ride) make statements. A bit of rain droplets and dark tarmac make my beast look sexier. We don't want anyone miss the show and so we don't run fast.

Instrument Cluster

The instrument cluster of Apache RTR is definitely one of the best looking clusters available. The racing stripes on the tachometer shows the extent of design perfection. The best thing about this cluster is that it stores your top speed and 0-60 drag time apart from the standard stuffs like 2 trip meters, speedometer, odometer, clock, fuel level indicator, tachometer, low fuel warning, service due reminder, etc.

It is so cool that you show off to your friends how fast you are. You may end up caught by police who'll check the recorded top speed and fine you for what you did the other day. He.! [It happened to one of my friends].

Performance

Not to mention, Apache is the best performance bike you could get in the 150cc segment. While the R15 is a pure track tool and the rest being street machines, Apache is a perfect blend of both. What you get is a sporty riding position and styling that will give you confidence to drive, corner, control & brake at high speeds.

Even a stock RTR can perform superbly on a race track. If I could clock a top speed of 122 kmph and 0-60 kmph in just 5 seconds, what would an experienced racer do with this machine? When I put my butt on the saddle, my beast says, "Lets go have some fun!" High speed cruises are not so comfortable like Karizma but the feel is totally awesome.

At high speeds, the silencer note is like a sonic boom which makes me feel like ripping through the clouds at Mach 2. On the downside, the over square engine is a tad lazy in the mid range. So, if I were to challenge a Pulsar from a signal, I plunge first, then loose out to the Pulsar and then again acquire my territory. And if there is a pillion, I simply keep quiet. If you want to be the king, maintain above 5K rpm.

Suspension

Up front, there is telescopic suspension and at the back, the Apache hosts a Gas charged suspension which TVS calls MIG [Monotube Inverted Gas reservoir – old wine in new bottle]. The throw is little less than Hondas and so the set-up is a bit on the stiffer side which helps to take on the rough roads with ease. Even with your heavy friend at the back, it gives high confidence to corner.

Price

TVS bikes have always been priced right in between those of Honda and Bajaj. Apache RTR 160 comes at a price tag of 71K for the Basic variant with 2K extra if you want a rear disc. Guess what makes the Yellow unique? You gotta pay an extra thousand for it. (Prices are OTR Coimbatore –July 2011 for RTR Hyper-Edge).

Maintenance

Apache RTR, like any other bike, needs maintenance for best performance. What you get out of the machine will depend on how well you maintain it. If you treat it like a donkey, It'll kick you for sure. The regular maintenance to be carried out are:

  • Engine oil change – depends on the type of oil you use
  • Spark plug – once in 10,000 kms
  • Disc pad – once in 15,000 kms (depends on usage)
  • Chain lubrication – once in 500 kms (only sprays; never use crease)

My RTR is 11 months old and has crossed 22000 kms and during these days, I have spent only for fuel, engine oil (10 times), fork oil change (once), spark plug change (once) and disc pad change (once). And I think this is a normal maintenance which every other bike would require.

Most of them say that the chain sprocket of the RTRs is vulnerable to replacement often. But if you maintain it by checking the slack and lubrication every 500kms, there won't be a problem. My bike still runs on the factory fit sprocket. If you say there is a problem in your bike, it means you did not take care of it. Remember: Be it good or bad, its always the rider and not the ride.

Apart from the regular maintenance, even if I were to replace a part, it won't make a dent in my wallet since the spare price is low and the availability is really good unlike Japanese counterparts where the availability itself is a?

Service And Spares

Well I don't think the manufacturer is responsible for service. It purely depends on the dealer. In my locality, there are many dealers for TVS bikes: IndoShell, KRS, ONA and SJB. Out of the four, IndoShell is the oldest and the service they offer is the best I would say. So, the choice of the dealer decides the quality of service (Holds good only for Hero Honda, Bajaj and TVS who have multiple dealers in one place).

Apaches are not so technically complex (excluding EFi) and so you can even take it to any local mechanic for service. So, the manufacturers are responsible for what? You guessed it right. Spares. The quality, price, availability of spares are never an issue with respect to TVS in South India (Sorry. I'm not sure about North) coz they manufacture most of the spares by themselves. You can cook your own food cheaper than the cook right?

Quality

There is no common definition for "Quality". Thats why we all have different girl friends. According to me, a bike which does not disturb you often is a quality bike. So the quality is not how it is manufactured but how well it is maintained. I'm a 75 Kg marketer and not a racer. I do all the routine maintenances as per schedule and so I never felt any quality issues in my bike.

Tyres

As said earlier, Apache comes with TVS tyres that don't bite the tarmac like the MRFs. But its not too bad either. It offers enough grip at all weather conditions. But if you are a racer, then please change them before you break your knees.

Mileage

  • Swamy Vevekananda said "Show me your friends; I'll tell about you"
  • Saran says "Show me your bike's mileage; I'll tell about you"
  • Mileage of the bike depends purely on the maintenance. The first 2K kms is when you train your horse and it runs for the life time the same way. I've driven my bike with care till 2K kms by not over revving the engine which helped me get good fuel average.
  • During my PG, our college Director used to say "If you get compliments, be happy. But if you get complaints, be happier. Perfection is always criticized!". Though I've been criticized for the mileages I post, I'm not stopping myself from doing that. Please refer to the mileage of my bike with respect to different speed ranges under mixed driving conditions below. I'm proud to say, my machine never let me down in this department.

Speed Milage

  • 50-65 56
  • 65-70 54
  • 70-80 50

I sometimes feel bad when I under utilize the power of this beast just for the sake of saving some penny. "Then why the hell did I buy her?" So, if you really don't want to spend much, please buy a small commuter. Don't buy a bike like this and say bad about the bike (only for those who do). Going out on a walk with a horse is stupid. So, better buy a dog.

Handling And Ride Quality

Apache RTR is known for its nimble handling which really is a boon to zip through traffic. Though the bike is small and cramped for a tall rider, its advantage can be relished at high speeds where the riding position will reduce the drag. The petal disc brakes on the RTR are one of the best and offers high level of confidence while hard braking. Just change the tyres and you can challenge any bike in terms of braking.

If you have been reading this review right from the beginning, you'll realize that TVS has managed to make the Apache RTR either the best of the bunch or be above average on all parameters. But the only factor where the Apache loses is its Ride quality. Yes. The ride quality is little below average (I mean a little).

The bike vibrates at speeds of 60-70 kmph (only). But, in a way, I like that. Coz 'you need something to feel the speed' right? (Thats one probable reason I don't like Honda and Suzuki. They are plain and never give you any feeling – pure personal opinion; no offense). There have been a lot of efforts from TVS to reduce vibrations in the bike and they have succeeded a bit.

The latest offerings RTR180 and RTR160 Hyper Edge are less vibrating than the older ones. The engine of the RTR also ages in a different way. It gets more and more refined as it gets older. Now my bike (crossed 20K kms) is smoother than any brand new RTRs. The vibes don't create heart attack but if you have had an attack earlier, you are in danger! This machine will kill you with its performance! lolz

Things I love

  • Good looks
  • Good performance
  • Decent fuel economy
  • Perfect pricing
  • Unique colours
  • Unique silencer note

Things to watch out

  • Needs nursing
  • Ride quality
  • Increasing sales and variants means, you don't look unique

My Tips

  • Check tyre pressure
  • Lubricate drive chain
  • Maintain fuel above reserve always
  • Follow recommended service intervals
  • Once in a while, take it to hill stations. Don't worry about mileage. Just ride as hard as you can. After you come back home, make your regular service done and change engine oil. The engine will be smooth and the silencer note will be unique.

Overall

Apache series RTR is an effort by TVS to close the gap between commuters and racing machines and their expertise from TVS racing helped them create a marvel like this. With every new variant, TVS is bettering the Apache series and there is still a long way to go. I have seen a lot of people who have confusions for choosing their bike.

They take the help of others and go by the majority. Apache is not for those; It is a bike is for those who really fell in love with it and treat it like a gem. And for those of you ask me about Apache, I say, "It is the best I ever possessed. A true companion!"

Deepak: Thanks for the opportunity!

Readers: Ride it like you own it! Wear helmet. Obey traffic rules as much as possible. Last but not least, please leave your comments below.

Regards,
Saran. S

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