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Old 15th December 2022, 11:54   #106
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Cyclone Mandous X FURY


10/12/2022 was the day when Cyclone Mandous touched base North of Chennai in the early hours and continued its pleasant travel across Tirupati and neighboring districts. The forecast for Tirupati city was heavy to very heavy rainfall between 2 AM - 5 AM with wind speeds touching 40 - 50 kph, peak Mandous cross over.

We had our tickets booked 3 months back for a special entry darshan and nothing was going to stop me from riding down to Tirupati to avail the Lord's darshan. (Psst, if you've been following my thread, you might have guessed that I like to ride in the rain). We were a total of 7 members, 1 person had dropped from the ride due to a family emergency.

It seems like we cannot take a break from the sambavams (incidents) we come across on the rides we have been on recently. The plan was to leave Bangalore by 5 AM and reach Tirumala before 12 PM to get our room allocated, a second late and our room allotment will be canceled automatically, such is the system. I was supposed to leave by 6:30 AM and catch up with the rest, as usual. A last-minute change in plan among the others, at 4 AM in the morning, they decided to drive down by car. Fine, I was adamant that I would be riding and informed the guys to go ahead and take allocation of the room which was very important considering the weather.

Sambavam 1: The "car gang" left home at 5:30 AM and drove to E City via NICE Rd from Vijayanagar, in an i20, and were supposed to shift to an Ertiga parked at the owner's office location. After reaching the location, the owner realizes he hasn't carried the Ertiga keys with him . A 1hr drive back and forth to get the keys and they were already significantly delayed.

What was supposed to be a leisurely ride for me in the cyclone, I suddenly had a task in hand to get the room allocated before 12 PM. I left home at 6:15 AM, confident that I would make it in time. The rain was gingerly and pleasant until Kolar, once I crossed into Mulabagal, the rains and wind took a turn, sudden heavy downpours, and gusting wind hampered my visibility, my helmet visor fogged up considerably and it slowed down my progress. After 2:30 hrs of continuous riding, I took a 30 min break at Palamner for breakfast and for some hot tea. The time was 9:15 AM when I left the hotel, in what seemed I could make it in time. Once I took the left turn at Chittoor onto the Tirupati 6-lane highway, all hell broke loose. The bike was literally being pushed from all sides due to heavy wind, and the rain added to the inconvenience. Credit where it's due, the RR310 shod with 5-year-old Michelin Pilot Streets did a commendable job in keeping me grounded, not once did I lose control of the bike, I was seriously impressed by the bike's capabilities of staying planted.

Sambavam 2: I reached the Sapthagiri toll plaza at 11 AM, since there's a separate 2W lane, I was able to squeeze past the long line of cars. I placed my tank bag on the metal detector ramp and just as I was collecting it and heading toward the bike, the operator called me and informed me to place the bag on the ramp again. I was maniacally laughing inside my head, how much more? how much more? should you wish to punish me, lord? I was called to the screen and he showed me 4 images that looked like bullet slots from a revolver. The moment I saw the image, I could feel all the bodily fluids coming to a slow and complete stop, haha lol. I really didn't know what they were, I told him "anna, there is nothing in the bag", "then, what is this", he questioned back as if I was a terrorist. Seeing the commotion, another guard came to my rescue and asked me to check the items in the bag, all I had was a couple of pillow bags and some clothes. He physically examined the bag and noted the magnet slots at the back. He asked me to remove the magnet pouch and place it separately on the metal detector ramp, confirming it was the magnets that were designed like bullet slots, a huge shout-out to RYNOX. All my bodily fluids were back in motion and I was breathing again.

10 precious minutes were wasted at the toll plaza, and I made a dash uphill, thanks to little traffic, I was atop 27 mins flat. Parked the bike and ran towards the CRO office to scan the room booking code. 11:50, 11:50 AM was when I received the message that the room was allocated. Well, that was fun.

The "car gang" reached Tirumala at 1:30 PM, good going guys. I had a small power nap before they reached the room. We refreshed ourselves and headed to the SED line at 3 PM, a good 3hrs later, we had a divine darshan of the lord and a sense of calmness prevailed when we had our tummies filled with some hot and delicious prasadam from the Anna Prasadalayam center.

I've been going to Tirumala ever since I was a kid and I've not seen it in such a setting as seen on this day, during cyclone Mandous. The fog was thick and the dark rain clouds covered the entire hilltop. It was dark as midnight at just 5 PM in the evening. Rains lashing across the gopuram with the yellow floodlights as background, and the gold, glittering, it was scenes straight out of a movie. I feel we were just lucky to witness Tirumala in such a setting in person.

Breakfast break at Palamner


Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20221210_084600.jpg

On to the TPTY 6-lane highway

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-100000736601.jpeg

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-100000736801.jpeg

Aerodynamics in motion

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20221211_123903.jpg

Memorable Miles

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20221211_114135.jpg

Onward Ride stats from REVER

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-rever-ride.png
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Old 22nd December 2022, 17:22   #107
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Midlife Rejuvenation Of The RR310
4 Years 9 Months And 34,600 Kms Later

It's hard to believe that FURY will turn 5 in the next couple of months, time flies and it flies faster when you are having fun. The RR310 was surprisingly low on maintenance cost (or so I thought it was), for the amount of highway run it has seen. Just to give you an idea, I am still on my stock front tyre, 2nd set of the rear tyre, 2nd set of the front brake pads (changed at 25k kms), 2nd set of the rear brake pads (changed only now at 34k kms). Maybe my sedate riding style contributes to the longevity of these wear-and-tear parts.

But, the age was starting to catch up with the bike. I could feel the bike getting slower and slower, struggling to play catch up with the new-gen of BS6 RR310s. I started to feel the initial pull fading, the bike was not opening up as it used to between 4000 - 6000 RPM. I shifted to Shell Fully Synthetic Engine Oil at 30k kms thinking it would make things better, it made little to no difference at all.

In Short


Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-bs4-tvs-apache-rr310-vs-bs6-tvs-apache-rr310.jpg

This is the story of how Lightning McQeen, cough cough sorry, how FURY and I set out to amend things and take the fight to the new-gen RR310s. Sorry for being overly dramatic, that Cars 3 scene came to my mind just before I started to draft this thread.

A summary of parts changed

Petronas 15W50 Engine Oil
Air Filter
Oil Filter
ROLON Brass Chain & Sprocket Kit
Sprocket Rubber
Sprocket Bearing
Coolant Replacement - Motul Inguel
Brake Fluids - TVS Girling
Rear Non-Sintered Brake Pads
F&R Brake Caliper O Rings
Clutch Assembly (Non-Slipper)
Clutch Bell Reset
Finger Followers

Total Parts Cost: Rs. 14,511/-

TVS's service for the RR310 is deteriorating all across Bangalore, especially after our lead mechanic at Prakruthi TVS, Hebbal, quit a year ago. The parts availability is another issue that has been cropping up recently. The oil filter, a running repair part is out of stock and rarely available at RR310 authorized SVCs. I have even heard stories in our RR310 Bangalore owners group that the SVCs are now resorting to not changing the oil filter during service and asking the customers to come back for replacement when the part is in stock. A recent thread by one of our members here regarding the issues he faced with Flagship TVS doesn't instill confidence at all. TVS has to step up and step up fast, it's one thing to launch a bike with all the gizmos in the world, but if your service centers aren't capable of stocking crucial wear and tear parts, that's the endgame.

Coming back to our rejuvenation, I chose an FNG, which is being run by one of my friends. All the items required were slowly sourced from TVS and collected over a period of time, let's say 2 - 4 weeks. In Mid-November, there was a slot open at the garage and I dropped the bike with them. Due to the estimated service timeline of 4-5 days, I decided to remove all the fairing myself and keep them at home, for peace of mind.

The drop off

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_110905.jpg

Since it was a weekend, I decided to stay back for the day and capture important moments. Out of all the part replacements we had planned, the clutch assembly was still a question mark. I insisted we first check the wear before we opt for a new assembly.

Draining out the engine oil

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_111426.jpg

No time was wasted in draining the coolant to remove the clutch cover and check the clutch plate's condition. After almost 35k kms, the plates showed signs of wear. I decided to go for a replacement since anyway a number of parts were getting changed on the bike, and adding a new clutch assembly will contribute to the performance.

Clutch assembly check

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_111519.jpg

The radiator and throttle body were also removed for a complete cleanup. All these parts were never ever touched throughout the ownership.

Removing a very dirty radiator

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_111646.jpg

A carbon deposit-friendly throttle body

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112037.jpg

We then proceeded to remove the tank and remove the ignition coil to check the spark plug condition, it was within the specs and decided not to replace it, a plug costs Rs.880/-. The cylinder head cover and camshaft housing was removed to access the all-important finger followers.

Spark plug check

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_111811.jpg

I was in for a shock when the old finger followers were removed. It was beaten up, showed signs of wear, and looked like it was made up of scrap metal. Compare it with the new finger followers which looked like it came out of a spaceship with an advanced level of engineering and all. We BS4 owners complained day in and day out about the vibrations and harsh engine noise, TVS has made amends and introduced these new followers from I believe 2019 onwards, they could have guided the early adopters to get this part changed if not under goodwill replacement, at least on a chargeable basis. I felt really stupid having this substandard piece of metal in the bike for 4.9 years and didn't even know about it. I am guessing you would figure out which are the old and new finger followers.

What a single piece of metal, in the RR310s case, 4 pieces of metal can change the performance of the bike altogether

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112142.jpg

On to the cleaning now, a clean throttle body and a shiny head cover

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112240.jpg

A clean radiator, cools the engine efficiently

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112432.jpg

We had to remove the swing arm to install the new chain on the sprockets since there are no link locks.

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112525.jpg
Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_113045.jpg

The front and rear brake failures which I had faced were found to be a faulty O ring in the caliper, really good job by the team to get this issue to be found and rectified. I have ridden almost 800kms after the service, the brakes seem to be working fine now.

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112607.jpg

I did not fancy the slipper clutch in the RR310, having ridden bikes assisted with the slipper clutch, I felt they had lesser engine braking, which is obvious. I liked how my bike felt with the standard clutch assembly. After enquiring with a lot of contacts for a standard clutch plate assembly, I was informed that TVS was not sending out standard sets but only slipper assemblies. A good week was spent in trying to source a standard clutch assembly, which we finally caught hold of.

A new non slipper clutch plates assembly goes in

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112720.jpg

Petronas Engine Oil, Motul Inguel Coolant, and a BMW performance part , any guesses?

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112819.jpg

Cause a repainted, clean, exhaust adds to the aerodynamic efficiency of the bike

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_112927.jpg

One final test ride by Mr. Shiva and the bike hit sunlight after 10 days in the bay.

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20221222_113155.jpg

Post Service Feedback

I had 10 - 15 days in hand before the Tirupati ride I had planned in the 2nd week of December. I did not fit back the fairings, I wanted to check for any issues that may crop up. I used the bike regularly to set the new finger followers in place. It felt almost like running in a new engine, the initial pull was back, if not better compared to the newer bikes. The engine is now running much much smoother and silent, it almost, almost feels like a HONDA. There's a new roar from the engine when shifting at a higher RPM and rev-matching when downshifting. A couple of my friends who test rode my bike recently on the highway are also in awe by how the bike feels and rides now. All in all, as mentioned in my earlier update, the grin is back on my face, a worthy rejuvenation task which should help the RR310 clock more miles in the coming years. I am really happy with the work done by Mr. Shiva, a 2 stroke specialist and a KTM loyalist, to pull off such crucial work on the RR310 is just commendable.
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Old 25th December 2022, 12:31   #108
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Excellent writeup, Fury44. The in-depth analysis is wow. Kudos to Shiva for being so diligent with the repair process. The bike looks like she's ready for munching miles. Keep us posted.
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Old 25th December 2022, 16:44   #109
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

A job well done. Takes me back to my Rx100 days when we used to do this including doing the bore every two years. To bring back life to the old bike.
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Old 27th February 2023, 10:56   #110
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by FURY_44 View Post
Midlife Rejuvenation Of The RR310
4 Years 9 Months And 34,600 Kms Later

It's hard to believe that FURY will turn 5 in the next couple of months, time flies and it flies faster when you are having fun. The RR310 was surprisingly low on maintenance cost (or so I thought it was), for the amount of highway run it has seen. Just to give you an idea, I am still on my stock front tyre, 2nd set of the rear tyre, 2nd set of the front brake pads (changed at 25k kms), 2nd set of the rear brake pads (changed only now at 34k kms). Maybe my sedate riding style contributes to the longevity of these wear-and-tear parts.
Since the time this article has gone live, I have had a lot of people try to contact me through different modes. Some even reaching out to different Facebook/Instagram pages asking for my contact . I am really ecstatic that my article on midlife rejuvenation of FURY has reached a lot of like minded enthusiasts. I spoke to one Mr. Rangasamy, from Ambur, TN, yesterday, a fellow RR310 owner who is fed up with the service support. He has spent days together trying to connect with me. He was a happy and relived man after the call.

I am also truly thankful to Team BHP for providing us with this platform, without which this kind of reception on the article would not have been possible.

For non-members, you can search for apacherr310ownersbangalore on Instagram, for any queries, they will be happy to help you regarding any queries/questions about the RR310.

The garage location & details.

MotoGuru: https://goo.gl/maps/hx5D6pGc7QzAj2qNA

Last edited by FURY_44 : 27th February 2023 at 11:26.
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Old 15th March 2023, 16:40   #111
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Tale Of Two Weddings & FURY’s 5th Anniversary Ride
When: Feb 3rd - 5th
The Sketch: Bangalore - Velankanni - Nagapattinam - Nagercoil - Kanyakumari - Bangalore
Stay: Covered by the bridegroom

It's another year, and yet another set of my biking buddies are getting married. As part of the last standing singles group, we often cry about when this cycle will end. However, we're not really complaining. Thanks to our bridegrooms Mr. Arut and Mr. Pramood for choosing to keep their respective marriage receptions as far away from Bangalore as possible. That means only one thing for us - it's ride time!

Mr. Arut's reception was on a Friday evening in Nagapattinam, while Mr. Pramood's wedding was on a Sunday morning in Nagercoil. We had a perfect ride weekend planned, covering 1600 kms across the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu. This ride was very special for me because FURY's 5th anniversary coincided with our planned visit to Kanyakumari for sunrise. As a routine, I had a small ride the previous week on Republic Day just to check things off for both the bike and rider.

To keep our ride entertaining, we had a small cyclone warning issued for the coastal and delta regions of Tamil Nadu on February 3rd. A cyclone warning at the beginning of summer - who would have guessed? Anyway, we decided to carry extra luggage in terms of rain gear just to be on the safer side.

THE SKETCH

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-ride.png

Day 1 Route Map: Bangalore - Salem - Namakkal - Trichy - Mannargudi - Thiruthuraipoondi - Velankanni - Nagapattinam.

The group departed at 4:00 AM from E City toll plaza, while I left my home at a scary 7:00 AM from N Bangalore, with a full 12-hour ride ahead of me. It took me a lot of time to reach Attibele Toll Plaza, a full 1:30 hours. However, I maintained a good pace after Hosur, took a small break at Thoppur Toll Plaza, skipped breakfast, and caught up with the group just before Trichy at Vijay Cafe, Kattukalam. I relished myself with some Rose Milk and Bonda's at the Cafe. We stopped for lunch again in Trichy at Sri Kanda Villas.

The on-and-off rains started to show it’s hand after Tirchy, between Samuthuvaparuam until we reached Velankanni. There used to be a sudden 5 to 15-minute burst of rain, followed by the sun peeking out in the next couple of minutes, causing us to sweat inside our riding gear. We decided to leave our rain gear behind, stopping multiple times for those intermittent showers, which added a lot of time to our ride.

One final shower hit us when we were just around 10kms from our stay location. Since it was a single-lane SH with no street lights and poor visibility due to the rain, we halted at a bus stand to wait out the rain. Thirty minutes into the stop, we were getting a little impatient. All of us were tired, and the reception had already started. We had to make it to our stay, get refreshed, and ride another 10kms to the event location.

It was 6:30 PM and the darkness had already descended upon us when we set out from the bus stand. As I got onto my bike and started to ride, I realized that there was zero visibility. I had to keep wiping off the visor continuously to see where I was going. In such situations, I usually follow the lane markings, and this time was no different. I was riding just left off the lane marking in the middle. After covering around 3km from the bus stand, there was a slight 30-40 degree right turn sloping downwards. It was then that I noticed a bike on the top left corner of my visor, going slowly or stopped, on the left-most marking on the shoulder of the road. The bike was about 100-150 meters ahead of me, and it took me a while to see it in the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a burst of rain, or perhaps it was water falling down from the trees due to a gust of wind. All this happened in a matter of seconds, and by the time I had covered the distance between that bike and myself, the guys on the bike suddenly decided to cross the road and take shelter from the rain at a bus stop on the opposite side. I could see them clearly as they took a right turn without looking back, and their bike was perpendicular to the road. They stopped only when the last passenger, who was triple-riding, noticed my headlight in the corner of his eye and alerted the rider. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to react, and my left-hand side handlebar made contact with his right-hand side. My LH ring finger bore the brunt of the friction between our handlebars, causing me excruciating pain. I managed to stop the bike slowly in gear, a little ahead of the accident scene and waited for the guys to arrive.

When I looked back, I saw that these guys had fallen on the ground and were trying to make it look like a bigger accident than it was. All three of them were drunk, and they argued that we, being out-of-towners, were automatically the offenders. After making a few phone calls to their "supreme leader" or someone, we eventually agreed to pay Rs.1500/- towards their night party and left the place.

In the meantime, I had lost all sensation in my LH ring finger and couldn't pull in the clutch lever as I normally would. I had to resort to clutchless upshifts, and by using my thumb and index finger, I could downshift somewhat. It was a grim scene once we reached our room, with a lot of thoughts running through my head. We still had a couple of days of travel left and another marriage to attend, and we didn't want to ride the bike again that night, or rather, I couldn't. We ended up booking a mini-bus for the drive to the event location.

We kept the news of the accident from the groom, who although very influential in the town. We didn't want to spoil his reception mood and setting. Returning to the room after the party, I decided to consult a doctor before deciding my next course of action. I had two options - to park the bike at the groom's house and take a train to return back home or ship the bike back to Bangalore and travel back by train or bus. Both options would mean the end of my biking career, considering how my mom would react. The doctor examined my finger and gave me some medication for the night. He also remarked that there might be a cracked bone since I couldn't fold my finger all the way in. He suggested we take an X-ray in the morning if the swelling hadn't gone down.

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_4961.jpg

At a scenic spot after Trichy

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_7172.jpg

Guess the outcome, judge by the rider's wife (owner of the bike) reaction on the left

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_7217.jpg

The gang at Arut's reception.

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-d4d506acc2b74711893fe3d843db7d53.jpg

Day 2 Route Map: Velankanni - Ramanathapuram - Tirunelveli - Nagercoil

To my dismay, I woke up to find my hand was still swollen. Concerned, I decided to get an X-ray to assess the damage. Before that, however, we visited the Velankanni church, which happened to be close to our hotel. I offered a small prayer at the shrine, which is known as "The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health," a fitting name for my situation.

The Basilica Of Our Lady Of Good Health

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-ds1_4928.jpg

Afterwards, my brother and I rode to the Nagapattinam GH to get the X-ray. The results confirmed my fears: I had a cracked finger. The doctor advised me to rest completely as riding the bike could worsen the injury. Once they cast my ring and middle finger together, I felt slightly better. The pain had subsided somewhat.

When we returned to the hotel, I decided to test-ride the bike to see if I could pull the clutch in. I used my thumb and index finger to make a hook-like impression to avoid putting any stress on the crack. Ultimately, I decided to continue the journey to Kanyakumari.

At 12:45 PM, my brother, another friend, and I left Velankanni, the rest of the group who had departed earlier to avoid any delays. The state highway until we reached Tirunelveli was challenging, with many small towns and frequent speed breakers. We also encountered a lot of truck traffic. At around 9 PM, we filled up fuel near Thoothukudi, with 130 more kilometers to Nagercoil and an estimated ride time of 2.5 hours.

All ready for the ride to Kanyakumari, notice the floor, it rained all through the night

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_7322.jpg

I decided to skip dinner when the group stopped at Tirunelveli at 10 PM, as I wanted to call it a day as soon as possible and rest my hand. Luckily, the Tirunelveli-Nagercoil route was an excellent ride, with well-lit roads, reflectors, and signboards. There was almost no traffic, just an occasional truck or car that I zoomed past. I covered the 80-odd kilometers in an hour and arrived at the hotel at 11 PM, while the rest of the group arrived at 12:30 AM.

At a beach on the way to Ramanathapuram

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-fullsizerender.jpg

After finally joining the NH44 closer to Thoothukudi

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20230204_201219.jpg

Day 3 Route Map: Velankanni - Kanyakumari - Velankanni - Tirunelveli (Shanti Sweets) - Bangalore

On day 3, we sprinted to the Kanyakumari sunrise point to catch the event and celebrate FURY's 5th anniversary. We then quickly returned to Nagercoil to attend the marriage at 10:30 AM. Although our initial plan was to leave at 11 AM, we ended up having a heavy Kerala-style lunch at the marriage that left us feeling drowsy with no sense of urgency, even though we had 680 kms to cover over the day.

The moment we all had been waiting for, the "event"

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_7389.jpg

Happy 5th FURY

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20230311_110547.jpg
Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20230205_073252.jpg

Lined up on a pier at the Kanyakumari sunrise point

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-ds1_5117-1.jpg

Ready for the feast

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20230205_105443.jpg

The feast

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20230205_110141.jpg

Eventually, we kicked into gear and left Nagercoil at a leisurely 1:45 PM. We took small breaks for photo ops near the numerous windmills on the Nagercoil-Tirunelveli stretch. A quick impromptu detour at Tirunelveli towards Shanti Sweets to savor some of their delicious halwa, packed around 10kgs worth of halwa for the entire gang. We were on the NH44 again at 4:45 PM near Salaipudhur Toll Plaza with another 560 kms to cover. The gang excels in night rides, and as soon as the sun set, our pace picked up. During the night, I dialed in for the long haul, only stopping for a fuel break, combined with rehydration, and a face wash to keep myself fresh and alert.

Near one of the numerous windmill plants near Kanyakumari

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20230205_141450.jpg

Tirunelveli Halwa Da!, for the Tamil audience

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20230311_110057.jpg

We covered the distance between Madurai and Namakkal, a distance of 185 kms, in 2:15 hrs at a sane speed with zero stops or breaks. Unfortunately, due to Sunday being ThaiPusam, most hotels had shut down earlier than usual, and we couldn't find a proper place to have dinner. We finally found a dhaba operating in Bommaikuttaimedu, some 250-odd kms from Bangalore, and indulged in some delicious parottas. However, the instant parotta overdose kicked in, and everyone was skeptical about riding again without dozing off. We took a vote, and the majority suggested we sleep at the shop for 2-3 hrs and start our ride again at 2:30 AM, reaching Bangalore by sunrise.

I took the opportunity to sleep immediately, laying down my riding jacket on the floor and dozing off with an alarm set for 2:00 AM. I wanted to be home before 6:00 AM to make my mom feel like I was back home in one piece before breaking the news to her about my casted fingers. I set off at 2:00 AM while some of the guys were still sleeping, bidding them goodbye and riding solo for the final leg of the journey. Since I was well aware of the Salem-Bangalore stretch, I maintained a good pace, even though there was a lot of returning bus traffic. I took advantage of following a well-driven Volvo at some stretches near Thoppur in close quarters to keep myself shielded from the cold wind. I reached home at 5:30 AM, just before sunrise, covering around 240 kms in 3.5 hrs.

A couple of hours later, I broke the news to my mom, who immediately ran towards the bike to check if I had been in an accident. Thankfully, FURY came out unscathed during the entire trip. I managed to weave a different story that didn't involve the bike and was let off with a stringent warning. The following couple of weeks were spent in rehab and convincing my mom that the crack was nothing serious and would self-heal in 4-8 weeks. As I am typing this, it's been five weeks since the accident, and the injury is almost healed, with just a slight pain left.

X marks the spot

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20230204_112350.jpg

How I had been riding for over 1200 kms across 2 days

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-img_20230311_110633.jpg

In closing, I want to express my gratitude to all my friends who stood by me throughout this journey. First and foremost, Mr. Diwakar, who accompanied me to the hospital visits, and special mentions to Mr. Kittu, who bought the Volini spray at Trichy during our onward journey, which we all believe was the starting point for the turn of events. Some of us were using the Volini spray like we use deodorant, spraying it all over the body, hilarious scenes, that. I also want to thank Mr. Hemanth, for having the high-level discussions with our drunk heroes.

A special thank you to our bridegrooms, Mr. Arut and Mr. Pramood, who showed us great hospitality and treated us to some amazing food at their respective events. And of course, a big shout-out to Mr. Sanjay, who braved the crowds at Shanti Sweets and managed to snag 10kgs of their delicious halwa for all of us to enjoy.

Finally, I want to express my appreciation to the rest of the gang for their unwavering support throughout the journey. It was an unforgettable adventure that we will always cherish.

Worth every kilometer!

Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!-20230206_191746.jpg
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Old 15th March 2023, 17:48   #112
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Happy birthday to Fury and congratulations on getting the Ride completed even through pain. Though I would have suggested otherwise if I was with you, you luckily have age by your side.

You did take quite a bit of risk, and in the hindsight though you pulled it off, my suggestion is to be more careful next time. Great photos and good to see Fury Ageing well with you, may both of you grow older and wiser together.
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Old 16th March 2023, 13:50   #113
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Nice read.
I had ridden to Velankanni couple of weeks ago via the same route. I left around 530am and was there by 3pm.
Like AtheK mentioned, you have age on your side, but don't take risks when it comes to riding on our roads.
Having driven and ridden on interior TN roads over the years, I would never do a night ride on those roads, not even by car. You had a substantial group which may help when it comes to any local issues, but night riding has its own risks.

Just my thoughts.
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Old 16th March 2023, 19:16   #114
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Wishing you a speedy recovery, it must have been quite the damper. Glad you made the most out of the ride!
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Old 16th March 2023, 19:47   #115
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Ah! Youth!!

I still have my own "battle scars" from my late teens and early 20s! My left thumb once became turned over the wrong way when I refused to let my newly refurbished Lamby fall after a slip on loose mud. I also have a badly healed right knuckle after it was broken inside a KSRTC bus as I went to pick up a Yezdi Roadking! I rode back with the wonky ring finger and went on to my job location after rubbing some ointment on the break. Now I cannot fold that finger!!

Enjoy the mishaps of youth - but be careful on the roads.
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Old 16th March 2023, 21:18   #116
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Good job FURY! That's why never hurry, the reception can wait, safety is paramount. I am always at 40 kmph in any ghat sections or city limits just because of these city rowdies. I never leave the city at nonsensical hours like midnight for long rides because of the body's circadian rhythm which forces you to doze off, I only leave by 530 - 6, when daylight is about to break. I left at 630 am for a group ride, while the group had left at 4 for Dandeli. I caught up with them at Dharwad at 12, where they had just reached and were considerably in confusion that I had covered 420 km in 5 hours on a Himalayan, while the others were on RR310s and Interceptors, having teased me the previous ride as a slow rider.
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Old 17th March 2023, 06:11   #117
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Nice travelogue..
Santhi sweets in Old bus stand brings back old memories.
The traditional Tirunelveli alwa is the Iruttukadai one in Town, although a lot of people like the Santhi sweets one as well like me

I was wondering how did you cross Thoothukudi between Tirunelveli and Nagercoil, or maybe I got it wrong.

Also, from Velankanni to Tirunelveli, was it ECR ?
Ride safe, and wishing you many more such wonderful rides and many more Ilai saapadu
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Old 17th March 2023, 06:40   #118
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Lovely writeup. The power youth gives to transcend pain and discomfort. I prefer night riding or driving. Even though the obstacles are different, I can always set a rhythm which let's me cover more distance than what I can do at day. Riding in the rain is another thing altogether. Once in 1989,due to a political issue in Tamilnadu, the government was toppled and I had to ride from Chennai to Erode in soaking rain with no hotels or restaurants and only the odd petrol station open due to political unrest. I doubt if I would do it today on my Interceptor whilst I did it on my RX 100 then. The power of youth!! Enjoy your bike, bud!!
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Old 17th March 2023, 10:02   #119
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AtheK View Post
Happy birthday to Fury and congratulations on getting the Ride completed even through pain. Though I would have suggested otherwise if I was with you, you luckily have age by your side.

You did take quite a bit of risk, and in the hindsight though you pulled it off, my suggestion is to be more careful next time. Great photos and good to see Fury Ageing well with you, may both of you grow older and wiser together.
Thank you for the wishes sir!, between FURY's anniversary celebration and mom's antics, I'm glad I chose the former and enjoyed a couple more days before parking up the bike.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tharian View Post
Nice read.
I had ridden to Velankanni couple of weeks ago via the same route. I left around 530am and was there by 3pm.

Having driven and ridden on interior TN roads over the years, I would never do a night ride on those roads, not even by car. You had a substantial group which may help when it comes to any local issues, but night riding has its own risks.
You are about the condition of that road, tharian. To make it seem like a plot, those drunk locals on the bike, were at the same bus stand as we were earlier, taking shelter from the rain. Maybe, they overheard our conversations about going to the reception and wanted to make some quick money. I do not rule out this opinion of mine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHelix0202 View Post
Wishing you a speedy recovery, it must have been quite the damper. Glad you made the most out of the ride!
Thank you for the wishes, Helix. I'm almost ready to be back on the bike.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pennant1970 View Post
I rode back with the wonky ring finger and went on to my job location after rubbing some ointment on the break. Now I cannot fold that finger!!
Sir, you have just mentioned my worst nightmare. I used to go to sleep thinking I cannot fold my finger anymore and won't be able to ride a bike in my life again! Once the cast was removed, after 10 days, it was really difficult to fold my ring and middle finger together.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore View Post
Good job FURY! That's why never hurry, the reception can wait, safety is paramount. I only leave by 530 - 6, when daylight is about to break. I left at 630 am for a group ride, while the group had left at 4 for Dandeli. I caught up with them at Dharwad at 12, where they had just reached and were considerably in confusion that I had covered 420 km in 5 hours on a Himalayan, while the others were on RR310s and Interceptors, having teased me the previous ride as a slow rider.
Hey 100Kmphormore, if you have follwed my previous travelogues, I usually depart later than my group, because of me being a pet parent. I cannot leave home earlier than 7 AM. I have caught up with the group multiple times midway, just by following a sane 100 kmph speed limit. No matter what the hurry, I do not cross this limit, it's my safe zone.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mah45 View Post
I was wondering how did you cross Thoothukudi between Tirunelveli and Nagercoil, or maybe I got it wrong.

Also, from Velankanni to Tirunelveli, was it ECR ?
Ride safe, and wishing you many more such wonderful rides and many more Ilai saapadu
Yes, we took the ECR from Velankanni. We passed Thoothukudi before Tirunelveli, haha I myself am next line to give the ilai saapadu.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajeevsulu View Post
I prefer night riding or driving. Even though the obstacles are different, I can always set a rhythm which let's me cover more distance than what I can do at day. The power of youth!! Enjoy your bike, bud!!
I also enjoy night riding, I always surprise my gang with the pace and time I can maintain during the dark. During the day, I am usually the last one in the line to catch up with them during a break, there's always a 5-10 min buffer, the table's turn during the night though.
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Old 17th March 2023, 10:30   #120
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re: Fury in all its glory | My TVS Apache RR310 Ownership Review | EDIT: 6 years and 43,500 kms up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by FURY_44 View Post
05-02-2022 FURY turns FOUR


We are at 29,103 kms.

I love data, Team-BHP loves data, let's have data.
Following up with last year's trend, I am sharing the data compiled over the past year covering FURY's ownership. With a lot more miles, a lot more fuel, and a lot more service bills, 2022 was a good year.

The RR310 is surprisingly cheap to maintain and run even after 5 years of ownership. I would love to see a comparison with its posh BMW 310 siblings considering the high service and parts cost with BMW.

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*All data is being recorded between a Feb - Feb cycle.
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