[prateekm]

So, from where does this story start? Oh right, let's move back to the year 2009. I had just passed my 10th, so dad had gifted me a Honda Dio. I did about 15,000 odd kilometers in about 2 years, commuting to college as well as doing a many 100-120km rides and even one Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai ride. But still, I knew that these gearless scooters aren't safe for such long drives so I restricted myself. I knew I had to get a bike but I wanted to be of the legal age first, so the wait began.

Fast forward, June 2011. Celebrated my 18th birthday. The only thing in my mind was getting a bike. By that time, I had also made enough money via freelancing, as I wanted to buy the bike from my own money. I started researching on the internet (mainly xBhp) and so had 3 likely contenders, the Pulsar 220, the R15 and the Apache RTR 180 ABS. I just knew the basics of riding a bike, so I brought the bike purely based on online reviews after evaluating the pros and cons of every bike. To be frank, I never considered any other bike than the RTR seriously because none had ABS (which was a prerequisite for me). The only other bike in my budget having ABS was CBR250 and I didn't want to spend so much since it was my first bike. My other priorities were pickup, handling and touring (which is a bit bad in the Apache).

Purchasing the bike: I had read good reviews about Innovative TVS which is located in Mulund, Mumbai. I went there in the evening, and they had almost closed for the day. They also didn't have any 180 ABS in stock, and I would have to wait for 2-3 weeks. Went to the Thane dealer and he promised me a delivery within a week. At that moment, dad said I needn't pay anything and he gave the cheque for the full amount. I argued a bit, but since he wouldn't budge, I guess I saved some money for the downpayment for my next bike! The dealer experience was average. Though he stuck to the delivery time he had assured, the bike wasn't washed when I went for delivery.The other negatives were that when I was checking the features, I was shocked to see that the guy who rode it from the workshop had touched 72 kmph. Also, the service adviser revved the bike upto 7k RPM on neutral before the delivery. So if you have a chance, please skip this dealer since there are better ones in Mumbai. The on-road price came to 91,487.

Here are some pros and cons which I have witnessed till now.

Positives:

• ABS. Since it was the only bike in the segment having ABS, I was sure I wanted this. Yes, I had a doubt a few times looking at the sexy new R15 v2, but the high backseat coupled with extension of budget, I didn't go for it.
• Best braking, dual discs (270mm at the front and 220mm at the back I am not mistaken).
• Nice console with digital speedometer, 0-60 timer, 2 trip meters, digital fuel meter, clock and other common features.
• Long range. Gave me a mileage of 40 before the 1st service (I guess I got a bit less since I am new to biking and have stalled it a couple of times when learning). It has a 16 liter tank, so on highways, that should give you 600-650 kms quite easily.
• Practical for city commuting, has good low-end torque. I checked with other bikes in the segment which my friends have, and I also found the headlight to be the brightest (not taking into account P220's projector setup).
• Awesome acceleration. Accelerates like a jet! (Yeah, I'm exaggerating a lot, but you get the point, don't ya?)
• Exhaust. This bike has the best stock exhaust in the market. Will bring a smile to your face.
• Great handling, a boon again in the chaotic riding in our city.
• ABS has a fatter tyre, DC electricals and anti-wheel lift feature too. Also has unique stickering to stand out among other RTR's.

Negatives:

• The gearbox sometimes has a mind of it's own. I have faced problems a couple of times when I am shifting from 1st to 2nd and it goes into the neutral gear. Maybe it's a mistake on my end, I guess the gear shifting could be more swifter by changing to semi-synthetic/synthetic. I plan to do that after 2000 kms.
• The rear seat is pathetic. There will be back pains for the pillion after 1 hour of riding. No such issues for the person riding though. I guess I will add some foam or change the seat soon.
• The vibrations. A big negative on the Apache, you will feel numbness especially on your left hand if you do a continuous riding for 1 hour in the 4000-5000 rpm range. The vibes do reduce in the RPM range above that, so I generally ride either below that range or above it.

The bike has done about 1,500 kms in 15 days of riding. Take it to college daily which is about 70 odd kilometers, also did a Mumbai-Pune round trip of about 280 kms. Planning to go on a 600 kms round trip (Mumbai-Mahableshwar-Mumbai) in the 2nd week of November and maybe Goa during December end.

About the kitna-deti-hai? question which I have been asked many times, I got about 40.xx before the running in, and have been getting 42.xx after the run-in. My riding consists of 90% highway and 10% in-city. Mileage was never a criteria, so I'm more than happy to get this much!

Plan to use this bike for at least 18 months before thinking about an upgrade. Have already started saving for a Ninja now (hope parents don't read it)!

Regarding safety, I use a LS2 Phobia, DSG Nero and Pro-biker gloves. Will most probably add bionic knee-pads to my kit by the end of the year. I'm laughed at by friends who feel it's stupid to wear all this while going to college daily, but hey, who cares? ATGATT

Adding a couple of pictures after a day's riding, I'm still an amateur in photoshop and in using the DSLR, so hope you guys don't mind!

Here are pics from the recent Mumbai-Pune run:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorbikes section. Thanks for sharing!

[deetjohn]

Super photos prateekm.

Have a lot of fun with your RTR. Nice to know that you were particular about ABS.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Super photos prateekm.

Have a lot of fun with your RTR. Nice to know that you were particular about ABS.

Thanks. Yes, ABS was an important criteria as my daily riding is about 70 kms on highways, and I guess ABS will come handy in the rains and prevent wheel locking.

[Patriot_Vishwas]

Very Good review.
My friend,who also graduated from a Dio to the 2010 RTR180,is facing many problems despite his constant attention towards the upkeep of his bike.
He was also getting good fuel efficiency figures for first 5 thousand kilometers,i.e 40-45KMPL but now it is in the Karizma region(barely 30!).There are no modifications to the stock vehicle and it gets serviced at authorized service centers of T.V.S,regularly!
Also,there is heavy metal music for the ears from the discs,which is extremely irritating
I advised him to get the discs cleaned by water jets but the problem resurfaced with a bang just after a few days from the cleaning!
Any suggestions to rectify the above problems??

Can you please mention about the LS2 Phobia?
How much does it cost?,does it have the ISI certification or DOT certification and how is the visor quality?
Also,how much did the pro-biker gloves cost and did you get them online?
Regards.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by Patriot_Vishwas

Very Good review.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Patriot_Vishwas

My friend,who also graduated from a Dio to the 2010 RTR180,is facing many problems despite his constant attention towards the upkeep of his bike.
He was also getting good fuel efficiency figures for first 5 thousand kilometers,i.e 40-45KMPL but now it is in the Karizma region(barely 30!).There are no modifications to the stock vehicle and it gets serviced at authorized service centers of T.V.S,regularly!
Also,there is heavy metal music for the ears from the discs,which is extremely irritating
I advised him to get the discs cleaned by water jets but the problem resurfaced with a bang just after a few days from the cleaning!
Any suggestions to rectify the above problems??

Err, I'm quite new to biking so I have no idea Maybe some other BHPians could help you with this if you start a new topic. I have also starting getting a faint thak-thak sound on braking, will sort it out in the next servicing.

Originally Posted by Patriot_Vishwas

Can you please mention about the LS2 Phobia?
How much does it cost?,does it have the ISI certification or DOT certification and how is the visor quality?
Also,how much did the pro-biker gloves cost and did you get them online?
Regards.

LS2 Phobia costs about 2.5k here. It has a ECE 22.05 certification. LS2 imported by Vega has ISI certification whereas a few LS2 helmets have a DOT recommendation. Mine has a strap which looks like the image below whereas a few LS2 have a D-ring strap which is common in costlier helmets. I got a transparent visor when buying the helmet. I also purchased a dark tinted visor which costed me 450rs. Visor quality is good, hardly any scratches till now in about 6-7 months of heavy usage. Yes, probiker gloves are available on eBay.

[abhinav.s]

Good first impressions Prateek. And nice photos to boot as well except a few which appear a little too dark! A few comments inline with yours below:

Positives:

• Nice console with digital speedometer, 0-60 timer, 2 trip meters, digital fuel meter, clock and other common features. Just love the console on the RTR. Has everything you need and nothing you don't.
• Long range. Gave me a mileage of 40 before the 1st service (I guess I got a bit less since I am new to biking and have stalled it a couple of times when learning). It has a 16 liter tank, so on highways, that should give you 600-650 kms quite easily. On the recent long ride, i have got a mileage close to 48kmpl!!!
• Awesome acceleration. Accelerates like a jet! (Yeah, I'm exaggerating a lot, but you get the point, don't ya?) Yes we do!!
• Exhaust. This bike has the best stock exhaust in the market. Will bring a smile to your face. Even RTR160 owners envy the exhaust sound of the 180. Such is the music of this exhaust.

Negatives:

• The gearbox sometimes has a mind of it's own. I have faced problems a couple of times when I am shifting from 1st to 2nd and it goes into the neutral gear. Maybe it's a mistake on my end, I guess the gear shifting could be more swifter by changing to semi-synthetic/synthetic. I plan to do that after 2000 kms. Changing to semi-synth will make the gear shifts smoother. But false neutrals happen if you are too gentle with the shifter when up-shifting.
• The rear seat is pathetic. There will be back pains for the pillion after 1 hour of riding. No such issues for the person riding though. I guess I will add some foam or change the seat soon. Have never been a pillion. But wife never complained even on rides of 250+kms one way. She is vertically less endowed and could be one of the advantages being pillion on the RTR.
• The vibrations. A big negative on the Apache, you will feel numbness especially on your left hand if you do a continuous riding for 1 hour in the 4000-5000 rpm range. The vibes do reduce in the RPM range above that, so I generally ride either below that range or above it. If your bike has crossed 1300-1500kms, then you can start crossing 6000 rpm once in a while and you will notice that the vibes are practically absent beyond 6000rpm until about 10,000rpm. I have not gone beyond that yet.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Good first impressions Prateek.

Thanks!

If your bike has crossed 1300-1500kms, then you can start crossing 6000 rpm once in a while and you will notice that the vibes are practically absent beyond 6000rpm until about 10,000rpm. I have not gone beyond that yet.

Yeah, completed around 1,800 now. I've gone upto 8k now and have seen that there the vibes is absent in that range. I get 40-42 maybe because I love shifting late. I generally shift at 5-6k now Anyways, I'll be out of station for about 10 days, so won't be riding the bike. Any precautions I should take because it isn't being used for 10 days?

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by prateekm

Anyways, I'll be out of station for about 10 days, so won't be riding the bike. Any precautions I should take because it isn't being used for 10 days?

Only things i do when leaving the bike unused for more than a week is to clean the bike if not already clean, disconnect the battery terminals and ensure proper psi in the tires.

If you are pressure washing the bike, ensure you dry it completely before leaving it unused. Wipe water away from all the parts and make sure its bone dry!!

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by prateekm

Regarding safety, I use a LS2 Phobia, DSG Nero and Pro-biker gloves. Will most probably add bionic knee-pads to my kit by the end of the year. I'm laughed at by friends who feel it's stupid to wear all this while going to college daily, but hey, who cares? ATGATT

Congratulation on the bike Prateek! And what I liked most in this post are the lines that I have quoted! Most guys in college rarely even bother to wear helmets - appreciate you wearing a jacket and gloves too. Get them knee-pads too when you can!

Ride safe!

[prateekm]

Update: Have completed about 3,000 kms in about 60 days. Just got the bike from the 2nd free servicing, nothing was charged other than the oil change for 306 incl. taxes. The bike is a dream to ride now. I recently did a 750km round trip and it gave me a mileage of 39 which I feel is decent since it even included 100-150kms on ghats and the fact that I shift anywhere between 5.5k-8.5k depending on my mood! During daily college rides which includes 70kms of highway and cruising at about 70-80kmph, it returns me a mileage of 42 generally.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by prateekm

Update: Have completed about 3,000 kms in about 60 days. Just got the bike from the 2nd free servicing, nothing was charged other than the oil change for 306 incl. taxes. The bike is a dream to ride now. I recently did a 750km round trip and it gave me a mileage of 39 which I feel is decent since it even included 100-150kms on ghats and the fact that I shift anywhere between 5.5k-8.5k depending on my mood! During daily college rides which includes 70kms of highway and cruising at about 70-80kmph, it returns me a mileage of 42 generally.

Gonna use your thread for my ownership report too :P

Took delivery of my RTR 180 ABS today .

• Cost almost 88k OTR here
• I have to get used to the diagnosis scan period before I can start it! Accidentally started twice today before it completed the scan.
• Gotta check front air pressure; feels bumpy sometimes
• Seems they just gave a water wash and so I get some beep sound ( they said it will go away ) full time.
• Awesome throttle response

Took it and came to office and hence will add more comments later.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Took delivery of my RTR 180 ABS today .

Congrats on the bike JK. I had a doubt when you roused an already dead thread for the RTR tire upgrades

Wish you many happy miles with it. Please do post in some more comments once you pile up a few more kms. And yes, pls post some customary pics.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Congrats on the bike JK. I had a doubt when you roused an already dead thread for the RTR tire upgrades

Wish you many happy miles with it. Please do post in some more comments once you pile up a few more kms. And yes, pls post some customary pics.

Thanks!

Why Apache RTR 180 ABS

• was on budget; no loan
• wanted something that suited my frame
• something that is renowned for handling
• was available asap
• ABS
• damn review about it

Pix will come soon once I take it home.

I think I did my share of eating heads here in this forum and xbhp. Some crazy mod who also owns bikes tried to brainwash me to get KTM etc :P Thanks to all who helped!.

[n_aditya]

Comments appended below:

Originally Posted by prateekm

Negatives:

• The gearbox sometimes has a mind of it's own. I have faced problems a couple of times when I am shifting from 1st to 2nd and it goes into the neutral gear. Maybe it's a mistake on my end, I guess the gear shifting could be more swifter by changing to semi-synthetic/synthetic. I plan to do that after 2000 kms. Most probably the gearbox "issue" is due to your shoes. With the right pair of boots, false neutrals will vanish. I used to face this issue on my ninja when i used to ride wearing my red tape boots. After i got the SIDIs, false neutrals completely vanished. Also I would suggest you to switch to better quality/brand of oil (mineral or semi synth) and switch to fully synth oil after around 10k kms.
• The rear seat is pathetic. There will be back pains for the pillion after 1 hour of riding. No such issues for the person riding though. I guess I will add some foam or change the seat soon.
• The vibrations. A big negative on the Apache, you will feel numbness especially on your left hand if you do a continuous riding for 1 hour in the 4000-5000 rpm range. The vibes do reduce in the RPM range above that, so I generally ride either below that range or above it. Tighten the clip-on bolts, add some handlebar grips/bar ends of better quality. This should reduce the vibes.

First off, congrats on the new bike. The RTR180 is known for its brutal acceleration and coupled with powerful brakes, ABS is a necessity for those who are new to performance biking. It takes a lot of practice to avoid panic braking situations (which leads to wheels locking, skids, etc.). Wishing you many miles of happy and safe rides.

Originally Posted by jkdas

I think I did my share of eating heads here in this forum and xbhp. Some crazy mod who also owns bikes tried to brainwash me to get KTM etc :P Thanks to all who helped!.

Frankly, I am keen on replacing my Fiero which is almost 11 years old. Torn between performance and mileage since it'll be a daily ride to work and back only. Juggling between the mileage champions and the performance bikes such as the duke. Would love to have a second weekend bike that could also do daily duties.