[CrAzY dRiVeR]

I am reminded of FZ from the front, and Duke from the rear. Specially the anniversary edition FZ.

I hope they get the quality and price right. Because it's going to be TVS against KTM in India.

[LordSharan]

Originally Posted by theredliner

Coming to the derivatives, I think the upcoming Apache 200 already has a lot of inputs from BMW. It would be one heck of a daily commuter in that case!

There is an upcoming Apache 200??

Havent seen any news related to that.


--

Some more information at this link- http://www.superbike.co.uk/bike-test...-with-g-310-r/

These guys expect the price to be around GBP 4500 which translates to 4.52L INR, considerably higher than Duke390/RC390, into Ninja 650 Category may be. Honestly speaking I do not see any of Duke brand's sales being hurt by this, even if priced ~2.5L which itself is highly improbable.

Someone commented on the build quality of Duke/RC bikes from Bajaj. Honestly speaking, I've not come across as many complaints about them. Might be wrong, but still think Duke/RC series products are fantastic, and true VFMs.

I only hope that TVS manufactures these bikes in India with heavy localization so as to bring cost down. And, a fared version is in pipeline. That would be smashing.

Also, this is more or less TVS doing a Bajaj with KTM product, only that they don't own equity in BMW brand.

[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by theredliner

I think you meant "I don't think this will be branded TVS"

Sorry for error and thanks for correcting me!

Coming to the derivatives, I think the upcoming Apache 200 already has a lot of inputs from BMW. It would be one heck of a daily commuter in that case!

I don't think just the inputs would help significantly. I am not very impressed with TVS R&D efforts but then that's just personal opinion of an armchair critic about a company that has probably the oldest racing pedagogy in India.

BTW, the tyre in the pics is Michelin Pilot Street Radial. Isn't that already available in India and being used by 390 owners as a cheaper alternative to Metzelers?

The earlier pics had Metzelers while the newer ones have Michelins! I missed them and thought they come shod with Metz. Even then, I'll be glad if there is better availability of Michelins which is only patchy currently.

[Sheel]

If the handling is as good as the Yamaha twins [should be, with that frame] and local ASC will stock spares & service it, then I might commit if the price OTR is >2.5L

[PrideRed]

It looks to me like a catch 22 situation. The bike does not offer outright power/performance in comparison to Duke 390 and they cannot price it cheaper than KTM. If at all they price it cheaper, they would end up ruining their premium brand image. What they could have done is launched under Husqvarna brand which in no way would impact BMW brand image.

[fiestarry]

Which segment of motorcycle users is this machine aimed at actually?
Has the Duke 390 created a segment worth entering...as in the numbers sold ?
Wondering because I look at the Mojo as worthy of my attention because it ticks a lot of (my) boxes.

[Beast_of_Burden]

Heading in the autocar india article --> Power is nothing, without comfort! Indeed. That is a tacit reference to the KTM 390 twins I would think. The KTMs wear their lack of refinement on their sleeve, like its their calling card. I am expecting BMW to have paid attention to refinement and TVS have a track record of good build quality. I hope ergos aren't as cramped as the Duke. If the pricing is close to the Duke 390, I am interested.

[ReluctantRebel]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I am reminded of FZ from the front, and Duke from the rear. Specially the anniversary edition FZ.

I hope they get the quality and price right. Because it's going to be TVS against KTM in India.

You beat me to it. The first thing that came to my mind is that, the genes of FZ-S Version 2.0 and genes of Gixer have been combined during the design. It looks good though and isnt quirky. It would be interesting to see how its priced and which bike it competes with. People might be attracted to the BMW brand. Fingers crossed.

[sreedotk]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

What they could have done is launched under Husqvarna brand which in no way would impact BMW brand image.

Husqvarna is no longer a BMW subsidary. KTM bought it from BMW in 2013

On an added note, i would have loved if they had kept the stunt version's downward firing exhaust. The side exhaust kind of spoils the clean lines

[theredliner]

Originally Posted by LordSharan

There is an upcoming Apache 200??
Havent seen any news related to that.
--
Some more information at this link- http://www.superbike.co.uk/bike-test...-with-g-310-r/

These guys expect the price to be around GBP 4500 which translates to 4.52L INR, considerably higher than Duke390/RC390, into Ninja 650 Category may be. Honestly speaking I do not see any of Duke brand's sales being hurt by this, even if priced ~2.5L which itself is highly improbable.
:

Fresh news about Apache 200

Regarding the pricing, we can be sure that it won't cross 2.2L ex-showroom.
The KTM 390s are also sold around GBP 4.5-5k in UK. Since they are built completely in India, we get them at half the price. Same should be the case with BMW since it is built completely in India by TVS.

Originally Posted by ksameer1234

I don't think just the inputs would help significantly. I am not very impressed with TVS R&D efforts but then that's just personal opinion of an armchair critic about a company that has probably the oldest racing pedagogy in India.

Agreed. They have been slogging the Apache for a decade. But the link I posted above looks promising for a commuter segment bike. Looks like time's up for the Japanese to up their game.

Originally Posted by fiestarry

Which segment of motorcycle users is this machine aimed at actually?
Has the Duke 390 created a segment worth entering...as in the numbers sold ?
Wondering because I look at the Mojo as worthy of my attention because it ticks a lot of (my) boxes.

This bike is mainly aimed at the beginner/intermediate segment of western countries, (which is considered as entry level 'high performance/premium' segment in India) where people care more about ease of riding and worry free ownership than outright performance/handling. In that case, this bike might be a good hit in those countries. Performance/handling wouldn't be of too much concern to them since 600s are easily accessible/affordable to them and people usually upgrade to 600s after 1-2 years of learning on a 250/300.

This happens to be sold in India just because it is made here. If this was built in Europe, BMW wouldn't even have thought about selling this in India IMO.

Originally Posted by Beast_of_Burden

Heading in the autocar india article --> Power is nothing, without comfort! Indeed. That is a tacit reference to the KTM 390 twins I would think. The KTMs wear their lack of refinement on their sleeve, like its their calling card. I am expecting BMW to have paid attention to refinement and TVS have a track record of good build quality. I hope ergos aren't as cramped as the Duke. If the pricing is close to the Duke 390, I am interested.

Though we can expect some better refinement out of a BMW engine than KTM 390, I wouldn't expect stellar refinement from this bike either, considering that this is a 310cc single. The big bar end weights from the Apache RTR also confirm that

-------------

I seriously hope that separate dealership network and customer care (of BMW standards) are setup for this bike. Being a TVS Apache owner, I have had enough of their third class, arrogant service centers and non existent customer care. At least in case of Bajaj/KTM, customer care is responsive. In case of TVS, even writing an email to the higher ups is of no use as they just forward it to the service center and then stop responding to the emails altogether.
The experience with my current bike alone had made me swear not to look at another TVS in the future even though the quality is much better than Bajaj's.

Anyway, it's good to see that the Europeans who were completely absent in the market are taking it to next levels while the Japanese who have been present here since long spit on us and tell us (indirectly) that we don't deserve anything more than 100cc scooters and commuter bikes and just launch some overpriced imports as halo bikes in spite of having factories to build them here.

[safari_lover]

Looks like the USP of this bike will be refinement and quality. The specs slot it right in the middle of the KTM Duke siblings. But most likely the pricing would be closer to the 390.

Now if and when they launch an adventure version based on this platform, I'd be very tempted to buy one.

[ebonho]

I would be very surprised if they are able to price this bike cheaper than the Duke 390.

I am interested in the rims, and wonder if they are a easy direct swap.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by safari_lover

Looks like the USP of this bike will be refinement and quality.

The USP will be that it's a BMW.

[emperorofindia]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I would be very surprised if they are able to price this bike cheaper than the Duke 390.

I am interested in the rims, and wonder if they are a easy direct swap.

This will definitely be more expensive than the duke. VFM of Duke is on a different level!

And why do you want to change the rims? IMO, it's not a true KTM if it doesn't bleed orange.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by emperorofindia

This will definitely be more expensive than the duke. VFM of Duke is on a different level!

And why do you want to change the rims? IMO, it's not a true KTM if it doesn't bleed orange.

Yeah a real Beemer's pair of rims would cost as much as the whole Duke. Or a real KTM's for that matter. Remember posting photos of a lovely spoked set and its price in dollars.

I keep bending my rims man. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe I'm riding too fast, maybe the rims suck ....

Too many maybes on an overcast Sunday morning with a slight nip in the air.