[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Did you guys buy the bike as soon as it was launched? Just want to check whether the initial batch itself was niggle free or they brought in some corrections.

RTR 160 can't be an initial batch. If I remember it right, only the 150 was launched Initialy back in 2006 and the RTR 160 came as a refresh a year or so later.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Did you guys buy the bike as soon as it was launched? Just want to check whether the initial batch itself was niggle free or they brought in some corrections.

IIRC, Apache reviews started coming in July, deliveries started in September in my city, and I got my bike delivered on November 24th. I waited for the FI version, but that was seemingly too long and most of my friends had got theor Pulsars already, so I decided to get the carb version

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

RTR 160 can't be an initial batch. If I remember it right, only the 150 was launched Initialy back in 2006 and the RTR 160 came as a refresh a year or so later.

Though it was seen as a refresh, a lot was changed - chassis (RTR came with longer wheelbase), engine had lots of changes, the swing arm, tyres, the rear suspension, electricals, the handle bar, the overall ergonomics and much more. So for this iteration to be relatively niggle-free is quite an achievement. It is totally another thing that they never managed to curb the buzz and vibes from the engine though!

I have the document that shows all the differences, but don't want to litter the Apache 310's thread

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Though it was seen as a refresh, a lot was changed - chassis (RTR came with longer wheelbase), engine had lots of changes, the swing arm, tyres, the rear suspension, electricals, the handle bar, the overall ergonomics and much more. So for this iteration to be relatively niggle-free is quite an achievement.

Which also shows that the initial version was nowhere near perfect and needed an extensive refresh soon. And this refreshed version was trouble free.

My friend had the 150 back in college and I do remember how much improved the RTR felt when I came out.

Anyways - TVS has come a long way off from those days and given the BMW partnership too - I wouldn't hesitate before booking the RTR310 if I was in the market for such a motorcycle.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Which also shows that the initial version was nowhere near perfect and needed an extensive refresh soon. And this refreshed version was trouble free.

My friend had the 150 back in college and I do remember how much improved the RTR felt when I came out.

Anyways - TVS has come a long way off from those days and given the BMW partnership too - I wouldn't hesitate before booking the RTR310 if I was in the market for such a motorcycle.

And to add to it, after sales service will be better, parts will be easily available. Maintenance will be cheaper.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Did you guys buy the bike as soon as it was launched? Just want to check whether the initial batch itself was niggle free or they brought in some corrections.

I own one from the first batch of RTRs(2007) which turned 10 years now. Can vouch for the quality of parts. Till date no major expenses inspite of me going in for some basic performance enhancement mods and the bike lying idle for almost 2 years while I was overseas. TVS are excruciatingly slow in churning out products but once out, they are decent enough(except for RTR 160 Fi?)

The 310RR surely looks smashing. Was eyeing the FZ25 as a possible sensible upgrade since I need to worry about pillion comfort(now that I have a permanent pillion) as well but this bike throws all sense out of the window. Some hard negotiation days ahead for me

[Sutripta]

One brags about 'flexible frame'?

Regards
Sutripta

[N33raj]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

I own one from the first batch of RTRs(2007) which turned 10 years now. Can vouch for the quality of parts. Till date no major expenses inspite of me going in for some basic performance enhancement mods and the bike lying idle for almost 2 years while I was overseas. TVS are excruciatingly slow in churning out products but once out, they are decent enough(except for RTR 160 Fi?)

Sir i own one of them RTR Efi system bikes and in this decade of ownership not once has it let me down anywhere. I have taken the boy to many places and it has performed very well. One thing i would say is owners who treated them like regular carburettor engine bikes and did not fill fuel when needed or filled up like 30 bucks would have ended up with issues. I have seen such an example while at the ASS. Guy comes in and complains his bike is making a whining noise and that it bothers him. Mechanic asks him a simple question "how much petrol do you fill in it usually?" Pat comes the answer "50 bucks worth". Mechanic tells him to be careful and fill more fuel or else the pump will fail. "What pump?" By then i gave up and walked off!

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by N33raj

Sir i own one of them RTR Efi ...

Nice Sir, good to know that. If it’s about reliability I already testified that. The reason I put a question mark (?) after RTR efi was , it was discontinued after sometime so wasn’t sure of the reason and hence the doubt.

Anyways this 310RR looks like a great upgrade for all us RTR fans.

[N33raj]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Nice Sir, good to know that. If it’s about reliability I already testified that. The reason I put a question mark (?) after RTR efi was , it was discontinued after sometime so wasn’t sure of the reason and hence the doubt.

Anyways this 310RR looks like a great upgrade for all us RTR fans.

Ah i see. I stand corrected sir. According to the chaps at the ASS, one of the reasons the Efi was discontinued was the number of complaints they got from buyers i outlined above. They were concerned that such complaints might affect the sales of the carburettor models as well.
I am waiting for the 310 but with reservation as i think it will be a committed riding position which i m not too keen on. I m happy with my horse as it is now.

[IshaanIan]

I'm not sure why everyone is so scared of sportbike ergonomics in India that manufacturers need to make them relaxed to such an extent that some of us don't feel okay calling them sport-bikes anymore. Does that riding position really look so committed to people here? I find the seat looks like it is really low, shouldn't that mean that they'd be fairly relaxed ergos?

[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I'm not sure why everyone is so scared of sportbike ergonomics in India that manufacturers need to make them relaxed

Ummmm... because they are not really practical in India for anyone outside of track day regulars? Poorly maintained roads and those contraptions called as speed breakers ensure that anyone who invests in bikes with committed ergonomics regrets every moment.

I find the seat looks like it is really low, shouldn't that mean that they'd be fairly relaxed ergos?

Yes, Akula appears to have more relaxed riding position than RC which is a good thing. Also, there is enough of the big bike feeling so should hold enough poser value as well!!

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Which also shows that the initial version was nowhere near perfect and needed an extensive refresh soon. And this refreshed version was trouble free.

OT

Pure misconception that the earlier was troublesome. As usual at TVS launched a product which market basically did not want. RTR was the reaction to the demand for the hooligan nature kind of bikes.

I got the first right after the deliveries started. Except for the clutch cable design nothing much has changed in the base design of the vehicle and it is very much going strong after 11 years and 9 months with close to 1.74 lakh kms piled up.

[sai_ace]

At the outset sorry for going OT. But owning both the Apache 150 (2006) and the RTR 160 eFi (2008) I have experienced first hand what TVS intended to do with the Apache 150 and also how they took a bold step with fuel injection with the rtr 160 efi.

The Apache 150 had it share of criticism - short wheelbase hence nervous handling, gruff engine but powerful in its class then, comprehensive but analog instrumentation, good brakes but bad tyres. But things what we call niggles (if i got the meaning right) wasnt there. The electricals worked well, the parts never fell off, the cables are going strong, the switches work, the paint still shines, there is very little rust. The only niggle was that the clutch cable had to be tightened more often than i liked. I still have the bike but its crying for attention.

The RTR 160 eFi was a trickier specimen. The fuel injection and power delivery was stupendous - just to see that tacho rise was a treat. But that combo of injector and ecu had problems. Drop in power esp when hot, erratic fuelling and misfires; the bike used to buckle like a horse. Had to send mails which had to be relayed to the the senior leadership at TVS for rectification which came in the form of a new ECU and injector. While the bike lost the mad rush, fuelling problems were almost wiped off. almost barring a 2-3 times in the last 5 years. This was and is the bikes biggest "niggle". I still ride this bike every single day to work.

I like TVS bikes, they have a certain longevity like the kind that can be seen in the first two iterations of the Honda Unicorn. The Apache was sorted in that sense.

Coming to the Apache RR310 I dont anticipate such gremlins in the Fi system thanks to BMWs expertise. On the cycle parts TVS is an old hand that knows how to deliver honest VFM quality. Right from digital instrumentation, ABS and other stuff including "chassis flex" which is getting a lot of flak here TVS does know what it is doing. The A310 will be sorted quality wise and I hope TVS does not prove me wrong.

Like the Dominar and NS/RS/AS 200 are Bajaj's take on an international partners platform and powertrain, the A310 is TVS' take on the BMW platform and one that is mechanically closer to the BMW than Bajaj were to KTM.

End of the day, these are good times for the Indian biker and the more the models the more the merrier.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by ksameer1234

Ummmm... because they are not really practical in India for anyone outside of track day regulars? Poorly maintained roads and those contraptions called as speed breakers ensure that anyone who invests in bikes with committed ergonomics regrets every moment.



Yes, Akula appears to have more relaxed riding position than RC which is a good thing. Also, there is enough of the big bike feeling so should hold enough poser value as well!!

Adding to the above, I think the age profile of people who can afford performance bikes is between 28 to 35. These people spend long hours at the desk everyday, thus typically developing a niggle / weak back (which will not allow daily 50-60 km travel).

I havent seen a lot of these customers on a R15 in Mumbai and Bangalore atleast.

[swiftnfurious]

Scanning through Twitter, RR310 doesn't get slipper clutch, the ORVMs are not on handle bars - both these confirmed by Rush Lane.

Guess they may also release the full video right after the embargo. Seems like the test rides were done on 04 Dec 2017.