From the stables of TVS the home grown Indian motorcycle company which has catered the performance needs of enthusiastic Indian youth on the road through it’s mighty Apache RTR line up for more than a decade has now unveiled a new beast for touring with the DNA imprints of an off roader ADV. Here comes the Apache RTX 300.
Nature of The Bike
Apache RTX 300 is a focused tourer with an upright seating position and a usable pillon with a flat grab rail at the rear for loading travel gears. TVS has done its R&D quite well it has blown away the likes of established players like Suzuki V storm 250, Honda 350s, Himalayans, KTM twins and its cousins Bajaj dominor/pulsar 400ns with price and features offered by TVS has really outplayed the competition on the Indian roads.
Budget <Cost of the Bike>
TVS has broken the price bracket and loaded it with features ranging from lower, mid and top variants. Below is the price breakup at ex showroom.
1. Lower variant or base at 1.99 lakh
2. Mid variant at 2.14 lakh
3. Top or BTO at 2.29 lakh
With road tax and insurance, even the top variant falls below the 2.5 lakh category, which will send chills down the Himalayan king, especially his naked cousin, Guerrilla.
The Engine <Heart of the Bike>
Bike Specs
| Displacement | 299cc |
| No of cylinder | Single cylinder DOHC |
| Max power | 35.5bhp @ 9k rpm |
| Max torque | 28.5 Nm @ 7k rpm |
| Gearbox | 6 speed slipper clutch |
| Cooling | Liquid cooled setup |
| Fuel tank | 12.5 litres capacity |
TVS has given a new heart for the RTX300; this time, it’s an all-new engine completely designed and tested by TVS in-house.
Since it has acquired the Norton group, the English motorcycle company known for its engine design with litre class bikes, can say TVS has pulled the right strings this time unlike the other two 310 twins which share the same engine. One downside of TVS is the gearbox from it’s legacy RTR 160 to Apache 310 RR the downshifts are not confident proving at times still yet to achieve the mighty Japanese gearbox or butterbox smoothness. Let’s hope the RTX 300 breaks this gearbox curse of the TVS stable in due time.
Features <Luxury for a Biker>
This is were TVS has completely cut the competition in the current market with multilevel feature rich ecosystem starting from lower to top variants .
- Frame of the bike – Steel trellis with aluminum cast swingarm.
- Front suspension – USD fork 180 mm adjustable at top variants.
- Rear suspension – Mono stock float piston 180 mm adjustable at top variants.
- Ride by wire fueling for crisp throttle experience yummy.
- Dual channel switchable ABS.
- TFT instrumentation cluster with GPS navigation on screen on top variants.
- Entire lighting set up is LED with automatic headlamp control at top variant.
- Bidirectional quick Shifter for quick upshifts and downshifts.
- Ride modes with Urban, Rain, Tour, Rally maps for better efficiency on road.
- TVS smart Xonnect app in mobile for Map mirroring during long rides.
In the present market with so many features looks like bikes and cars are becoming like smart phones more features are required for pulling the crowd.
But for a seasoned rider it’s the engine and the handlebar that links the soul to the road.
Experience with the Bike <The Communication>
After test riding the RTX300 you can definitely say that TVS has set the standards from a home grown Indian two-wheeler company to a niche competitor in the international markets with the Japanese and others.
Positives:
- Engine is a gem you can cruise at lower speeds like 35 to 45 kmph at 5th or 6th without knocking down the engine.
- Power production when the throttle is twisted is linear and punchy but not like the KTM jets.
- Seating position and cushioning of the seats are well designed to cover long distances with ease and no pain in shoulders or back so driving ergonomics is definitely good.
- TFT instrumental cluster is a delight to use bright screen with good visibility and the twin head lamp assembly is a boon at night for traveling. The lighting setup is extremely good.
- Suspension is quite impressive and can nullify major dumps in the road. Even on muddy roads filled with potholes suspension does its job well.
- Fuel rank capacity at 12.5 litres is well suitable for highway runs and can also carry additional Fuel tanks at the rear end.
- Heat dissipation from engine is quite controlled even in city rides with a 300 cc mill the amount of heat felt on the knee is less compared to the REs and Honda 350s.
Negatives:
- Once again the gearbox is not as slick as the Suszuki Vstrom 250 or the Honda 350. Even with quick Shifter, it’s quite annoying at times to downshift at 60 kmph. May be the test ride bike had some issue.
- The dual purpose eurogrip tyres will definitely last for 20k kms but the hard tyres are not confident boosting at highway runs. They are good for off roading.
- Fuel efficiency as per ARAI it’s 45kmpl but in reality the mileage is 35 kmpl in highways and less than 35 kmpl in city traffic.
- The comfort of the pillon depends on the pillon size and weight. If the pillon is in good diet and maintains BMI, he/she will enjoy the ride but it’s the opposite if they are overweight. It’s better to ride solo if it’s a long distance run as the pillon comfort with traveling gear is not feasible.
- The rear suspension with pillon is quite hard at times but is manageable if you get the top variant of the bike which has adjustable shocks at rear.
- Maintenance part as discussed with a senior technician at Chennai showroom, it’s quite evident that the RTX300 needs timely maintenance and diagnosis similar to the 310 twins which is little costly compared to the other variants of the Apache RTR family. Since it is a 300cc mill with a lot of electronic stuff it is justifiable. But for an average joe or a student it’s definitely going to hurt the bank balance.
End of the day, Apache RTX 300 is a wholesome package suited for daily city runs and weekend highway runs with off road capabilities.
You can test ride the bike before taking a decision. It’s up to you my reader as each and every one have their own requirements and most importantly the budget to buy and maintain the bike in the long run. This forum is just a pitstop to get the knowledge of the bike.