[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Cartik5477

I would've preferred Metz or MRF as stock. Michelin seems to be just ok but not good on the braking side for me, having ridden various bikes.

Are you kidding?

Michelin radials is the only tyre that is closest to Metz when it comes to grip. It is 90% metz at 60% cost!

MRFs? MRFs are useless. No comparison with Metz or Michelin Pilot street radials. Apache with a soft suspension setup and a tall clipon setup, i feel metz amd michelin would feel the same, no big difference unless you are a knee-scraping pro attempting 60+ degree leans at high speed corners.

i have 25000 km experience on 2 bikes with Michelin radials, CBR 250R and Duke 390. I have also had 40000 km experience on MRFs on my NS200 and ZMR. MRFs were so useless when it comes to spirited riding that I had to go to Pirelli sport demons (120 sections). The Michelin street radials never left me wanting.

Best part about michelin radials is that they are extremely durable. It lasts easy 25000 km. One of my friends replaced his Michelin radials at 33000km. While Metz give away at 10000km max.

[BlazzingInferno]

Originally Posted by bhavik.1991

If KTM launches RC250 & undercuts rr310 by 5-8k, TVS will have hard time selling the bike.

The Apache RR310 will definitely sell evn if KTM manages to under cut it's pricing for the RC250. A 5-10K difference isn't going to make much of a difference because this bike is definitely more powerful than the RC250 and also packs in the safety features too, also the bike fares well in the looks department (this can be subjective though). Just like how others have mentioned before the RC250 is going to be DOA.

IMO, TVS has succeeded in building quite a looker, aside from the looks which is quite mature compared to the RC series the performance is also there. They managed to not give us a detuned version of the engine like how Bajaj does with the KTM engines and also managed to strike a balance between performance and practicality. The touches like the pathway for the radiator air to go out and stuff is thought out really well. A good bike on the whole.

[Asish_VK]

Beautiful looking bike there TVS done a great job on designing the bike.
And from the reviews, Fit and finish seems to be top notch.

Regarding the pricing and VFM against RC, I guess, the pricing is sensible and there will be lot of takers for this bike

Main thing is design, If we remove the branding and tell someone (non enthusiast) that its a 600cc Ducati or an Aprillia, they will believe

Also there are buyers who need a better built, good looking, faired bike which wont burn their wallet (like the R3 or Ninja 300) . There is RC390 but I believe (no offence to anyone) there is a 'maniac, irresponsible & dangerous' vibe surrounding the RC series (Common man perception)

This may be the next step for those comes from an R15 and are not too keen about track performance (like an RC)

[payeng]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

There is RC390 but I believe (no offence to anyone) there is a 'maniac, irresponsible & dangerous' vibe surrounding the RC series (Common man perception)

But is't that exactly what a Full Faired "Dhoom" bike supposed to be?

i.e Young, Fast, Wild, Bad Boy, Live Life Dangerously, In your face, READY TO RACE?

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

There is RC390 but I believe (no offence to anyone) there is a 'maniac, irresponsible & dangerous' vibe surrounding the RC series (Common man perception)

This may be the next step for those comes from an R15 and are not too keen about track performance (like an RC)

Absolutely!

As they say "If the motorcycle doesnt scare you a little, it isnt the one"

I know a few yamaha fanatics who come from R15, but were quite disappointed with R3 due to the fact that it did not justify the R tag according to them (solely due to the suspension setup and upright stance when compared to R15). As you said, apache rr310 will be one worthy upgrade!

[Thirugnnanam]

This is how the refreshed Karizma's headlight should have looked like. Hero missed it big time with that weird design.

That said, this is TVS's big step ahead - in terms of technology, styling and pricing. Like many have said already, if I were on the look out with a moderate budget for a faired bike which looks nice, is comfortable and makes 100km/hr all day long, it would be hard to look away from this bike. Considering the expected cheaper service and maintenance cost, R3 and Ninja 300/400 doesn't make much sense now economically.

Kudos to TVS for bringing in such a wonderful choice to the market.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by Cartik5477

I just reached office coming from TVS Shelar Pune(Taware) and booking the bike, I was the first one to do so(they made a big deal about it) and they are expecting all details next week.

Congrats! If you come to know of a test ride bike arriving at their showroom, could you please post here? This bike looks to be quite tempting, specially after 5.5 years on a RTR 160. Century TVS is quite lackadaisical in their approach to sales, test rides etc; so maybe this time I will try Shelar TVS.

Cheers,
Vikram

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by Thirugnnanam

budget for a faired bike which looks nice, is comfortable and makes 100km/hr all day long, it would be hard to look away from this bike. Considering the expected

Except, with that tank it'll only run an hour or two before you need a refill I think that's the only thing missing in an otherwise solid package. Guess, range wasn't really a criterion for the kind of bike this is.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by sharninder

Except, with that tank it'll only run an hour or two before you need a refill I think that's the only thing missing in an otherwise solid package. Guess, range wasn't really a criterion for the kind of bike this is.

With every litre of additional fuel, the Kerb Weight of the bike also increases. Which makes the specifications look bad on paper.

Otherwise I see no reason why that huge "looking" tank can't be designed to accommodate 4-5 lts more fuel.

[Grease_Monkey]

What a beautiful motorcycle TVS has made! I was looking for a bike which I could use daily for my office commute and go corner carving over the weekend and it fits the bill perfectly! We folks have another option besides the RC twins

[AtheK]

Any idea if any bangalore dealer is taking bookings, I will probably book one in red and get it done with.

[swiftnfurious]

I read that the payload is 130 kg, which means that the rider & pillion combined should be 130 kgs??

What'll happen if it goes to a 150kg?

[Madhu_Bengaluru]

During the launch i heard that the target TVS has for this vehicle is just 10,000 pieces annually. Is this segment so small or is it that TVS is just testing waters with their first premium product? For some reason i think this target will be breached quickly and there will be a long waiting period for prospective buyers.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I am paying 2.32 ex showroom for RC390, which translates to 2.64 otr (+7k handling charges and accessories). .

Someone higher up in BAL & KTM confirms that handling charges are prohibited by them, if you raise a concern, you can save that amount.

[Cartik5477]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Congrats! If you come to know of a test ride bike arriving at their showroom, could you please post here? This bike looks to be quite tempting, specially after 5.5 years on a RTR 160. Century TVS is quite lackadaisical in their approach to sales, test rides etc; so maybe this time I will try Shelar TVS.

Cheers,
Vikram

Thank you!
Yesterday I had a talk with Shelar TVS and they confirmed that bikes will arrive on 20th December, after a meeting with TVS. Even Shelar were lackadaisical in their approach at first had to push them a bit.