[indivic]

Sorry to bump up this thread, any idea whats happening with the Apache 200? I have seen all of 1 new bike on the road in the last 5 months.

I am on the look out for a bike after about 10 years of driving and this bike is in my radar but I dont see any ownership reviews. Has TVS shifted focus to manufacturing the G310R ?

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by indivic

Sorry to bump up this thread, any idea whats happening with the Apache 200? I have seen all of 1 new bike on the road in the last 5 months.

I am on the look out for a bike after about 10 years of driving and this bike is in my radar but I dont see any ownership reviews. Has TVS shifted focus to manufacturing the G310R ?

Looks like TVS is concentrating on pushing out more scooters and the RTR 200 has taken a back seat. A couple of days back, saw a fresh set of stock arriving at the nearby dealership. I believe the ABS and FI versions are still are not available. TVS is ensure a good product would fail in terms of sales.

[indivic]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Looks like TVS is concentrating on pushing out more scooters and the RTR 200 has taken a back seat. A couple of days back, saw a fresh set of stock arriving at the nearby dealership. I believe the ABS and FI versions are still are not available. TVS is ensure a good product would fail in terms of sales.

I think they have become more aggressive in N.India hence focus on scooters and possibly the Star range of bikes.I had been on vacation last month and I saw TVS dealerships in almost every town I visited in HP while Bajaj was missing in some. I even saw a TVS-XL carrying goods up the ghat roads !

It could also be that since there are not too many 200cc competitors they prefer to focus on the faster moving products - AS 200 sales are down NS200 did not get relaunched, ZMR is gone and no replacement in sight. If that's the case we wont be seeing the ABS and FI versions anytime soon.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Some performance comparison figures with Pulsar AS200, thanks to Motor beam. Beaten in the engine performance department, but wins the shootout thanks to the handling.

0-100 kmph- 10.51 (AS200), 13.17 (RTR200)
30-80 kmph (Third gear)- 6.63 (AS200), 6.33 (RTR200)
40-100 kmph (Fourth gear)- 11.23 (AS200), 11.43 (RTR200)
60-120 kmph (Fifth gear)- 16.63 (AS200), 21.73 (RTR200)

https://youtu.be/aMzxmQe2v98

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

https://youtu.be/Dc3p_RAGIUw

VBox run for the RTR 200 from Motorbeam. 13.17secs to 100.

Here are some numbers from direct and indirect competition.
AS 200 - 10.5 secs.
Avenger 220 - 12.91 secs
Himalayan - 11.11 secs
R15 - 11.89 secs

All figures from Motorbeam. Shockingly, Apache 180 did the same in 13.2 seconds. The 200 is just 0.03 seconds faster to the ton than the 180 after the long wait and years of development.

https://www.motorbeam.com/2014/10/bi...-180-shootout/

Looks like TVS was focusing more on the BMW partnership than on their own flagship Apache!

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Shockingly, Apache 180 did the same in 13.2. seconds. The 200 is just 0.03 seconds faster to the ton than the 180.

I guess i had mentioned this in one of the threads after a fairly long test drive of the RTR200. What TVS have essentially done is increase the power by 3 bhp compared to the 180 but have made it almost 11kgs heavier. So the power to weight advantage that the RTR series always had has now been lost. 20BHP from a 200cc is not what is expected from TVS. In one of the journalist reviews, it was mentioned that TVS can go up to 40+bhp on this engine but they chose to go with low and mid range grunt for city usage. While I agree with that logic, limiting it to just 20bhp was not the right thing to do. In order to appeal to the junta, the power should have at least been a bit more than the KTM200. Then it would have really shaken up the 200cc segment. It is now ideally a damp squib. I am an ex RTR180 owner and I was seriously considering a change to the RTR200. But after the TD, it was very clear that the KTM 200 is very hard to beat !!

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

https://Youtu.be/Dc3p_RAGIUw

VBox run for the RTR 200 from Motorbeam. 13.17secs to 100.

Here are some numbers from direct and indirect competition.
AS 200 - 10.5 secs.
Avenger 220 - 12.91 secs
Himalayan - 11.11 secs
R15 - 11.89 secs

All figures from Motorbeam. Shockingly, Apache 180 did the same in 13.2 seconds. The 200 is just 0.03 seconds faster to the ton than the 180 after the long wait and years of development.

https://www.motorbeam.com/2014/10/bi...-180-shootout/

Looks like TVS was focusing more on the BMW partnership than on their own flagship Apache!

Powerdrift has different numbers all together. Vast difference in the numbers, not sure how Motorbeam managed such numbers. Even with the crude GPS method during my test ride, it did not take such a long time. Something doesn't add up with the Motorbeam review. The bike may have had a clutch issue, quite possible with a bike being handled by media folks.

https://youtu.be/8EobyFNbSDs

From this review the numbers are

Pulsar 200 NS
0-60: 3.7 secs
0-100: 10.5 secs
Top Speed: 132 kmph

RTR 200 Carb
0-60: 3.6 secs
0-100: 11.5 secs
Top Speed: 123 kmph

RTR 200 EFI
0-60: 3.7 secs
0-100: 10.9 secs
Top Speed: 127 kmph

RTR 200 wins hands down with respect handling, lean angles and agility. Which was evident from my test ride as well the Powerdrift video. The top speed is restricted thanks to the shorter gearing and the lack of 6th gear. The current engine block doesn't allow a bigger bore and a 6th gear.

[Ruchitya]

Enquired at a TVS dealership why the launch of apache 200 is delayed (the EFI and ABS versions). He said the ABS system had technical issues and hence, the factory is sorting them out. Right now, the TVS website only displays prices for Carb versions(with and without Pirelli tyres). Don't know how true the rumor is, so take it with a pinch of salt.
He also hinted February to be a launch time for other models. He might have been referring to Akula, or the EFI versions.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by Ruchitya

Enquired at a TVS dealership why the launch of apache 200 is delayed (the EFI and ABS versions).

He said the ABS system had technical issues and hence, the factory is sorting them out.

Strange since TVS already has ABS on the Apache 180 (RTR 180 ABS)

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Ruchitya

Enquired at a TVS dealership why the launch of apache 200 is delayed (the EFI and ABS versions). He said the ABS system had technical issues and hence, the factory is sorting them out. Right now, the TVS website only displays prices for Carb versions(with and without Pirelli tyres). Don't know how true the rumor is, so take it with a pinch of salt.
He also hinted February to be a launch time for other models. He might have been referring to Akula, or the EFI versions.

Take that news with bucket load of salt.

Originally Posted by payeng

Strange since TVS already has ABS on the Apache 180 (RTR 180 ABS)

They are concentrating on exports for FI and ABS variants whereas the local market let to sulk with just the carb version, no ABS or FI. Even the Pirelli tyre variant of carb version is not to be seen yet.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

https://youtu.be/uzMRQUETH20

Surprised to note that the ABS variants are still not on sale, one full year after the launch of the RTR 200!

TVS has only themselves to blame for the flop show from this flagship model.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Surprised to note that the ABS variants are still not on sale, one full year after the launch of the RTR 200!

Agreed TVS is to be blamed for the damp squib from the RTR200 as they are not releasing the promised options at quicker time frames. But the above review just seems to be paid to put the bike down!! Except for the first point about missing ABS version even after a year, most other things are not valid! The guy they have used in the video will find it cramped on most Indian bikes and the RTR200 cannot be singled out here. About the NS being faster, of course it was known from the outset that the RTR200 is all about low and mid range which will compromise the top end. Not defending the bike or anything but the video by Motor Beam is totally biased..

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

The video by Motor Beam is totally biased..

They come out with similar videos about most bikes, I remember recently they had done the same on KTM as well. But you are right - as these things go, we can only take the valid points and dismiss the rest.

Another issue I've personally noted is that TVS still is not promoting the 200 properly. I'm a weekend movie person and almost every movie has advertisements for the RTR 180 ABS, but haven't seen one for the 200 ever! Only few movie halls have poster ads for the 200.

[rbp]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

They come out with similar videos about most bikes, I remember recently they had done the same on KTM as well. But you are right - as these things go, we can only take the valid points and dismiss the rest.

Another issue I've personally noted is that TVS still is not promoting the 200 properly. I'm a weekend movie person and almost every movie has advertisements for the RTR 180 ABS, but haven't seen one for the 200 ever! Only few movie halls have poster ads for the 200.

I believe TVS is caught up with the BMW 310 quality issues, the BMW has been delayed for ages and they are unable to deliver either BMW and the RTR on time.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

https://youtu.be/txNYKG-sjoA

Long term review of the Apache 200 by Motorbeam. Looks like a mixed experience with quite a lot of positives and negatives listed.