[TusharK]

TVS has launched its 'Built To Order' (BTO) platform, which offers factory customization options to its customers. The Apache RR 310 is the first offering on this platform.



The BTO platform will enable customers to customize their bikes when making a purchase. The custom bikes will then be built directly at the factory, as per their requirements.



Apache RR 310 customers can select from different graphics, including a special 'Race Replica' livery, black or red coloured alloy wheels and can even get personalized race numbers.



TVS is also offering two performance kits - Dynamic and Race. The Dynamic kit includes fully adjustable front and rear suspension that offers adjustment of preload, rebound and compression damping. The Race kit includes a more aggressive and tucked in handlebar, raised and slightly rear-set footpegs with a knurled finish that allow for a higher lean angle and better straight-line stability. The kit also comes with an anti-rust brass-coated drive chain.

Customers can personalize their bikes on the 'TVS Arive' app or on the web configurator. Once the customization is complete, the total ex-showroom cost of the bike will be updated. The booking amount can be paid online, and customers can select their nearest TVS dealer for the delivery. Customers can also track their orders across different stages of the build process.

Link to Team-BHP News

[sen2693]

Tata should offer this. With the 30-40 trims they were carrying for Nexon few months back. And if I remember correctly, still no variant was close to what features I wanted in the car without going for the top most trim.

[IshaanIan]

WOW this is some fantastic proactiveness from an Indian manufacturer. Gotta respect TVS for this

I have never owned or spent considerable time on a TVS bike but I have always respected the brand ever since I once used TVS branded brake pads in my WagonR. I had never experienced better braking performance before or since whether it be Bosch pads or Maruti ones or whatever (I mean in the regular crop of oem brake pads locally available in the market) Made me feel like the company genuinely cared in what they had to offer to the consumer.

Considering not many 250-500cc sportbikes are sold in India by any manufacturer even KTM (in comparison to lower capacity bikes), this seems like it would be an easy thing for every manufacturer to offer on their low volume (100-1000 units per month) bikes. I applaud TVS for making this move

[GTO]

Kudos to TVS . I hope the initiative becomes popular with customers, so they expand it to more & more optional items.

Car manufacturers in India are a lazy bunch. Limited variants, no customisation options from the factory and many times, the variant we want is missing (e.g. ATs with all the kit of the MT).

Originally Posted by TusharK

TVS is also offering two performance kits - Dynamic and Race. The Dynamic kit includes fully adjustable front and rear suspension that offers adjustment of preload, rebound and compression damping. The Race kit includes a more aggressive and tucked in handlebar, raised and slightly rear-set footpegs with a knurled finish that allow for a higher lean angle and better straight-line stability. The kit also comes with an anti-rust brass-coated drive chain.

Imagine building a Polo with a custom colour for the rims, a firmer suspension & different kind of steering wheel!

[Samarth 619]

After Ford conceptualised "Mass Production" in the 1930's or so, I think it was Dell who moved on the "Mass Customisation" first, around the 90's.
Dell had a website in USA where you could get your dream computer setup nice and easy, in a branded like computer setup, not assembled.
Want a slow processor, but higher RAM for low cash? You got it.
Want a higher graphics card, but lower specs overall for photoshop or so? You got it.

Its about time Indian manufacturers from all industries focus on this.
Kudos to TVS for taking up the step. Its a boon for a market where people want to stay different.

However, true mass customisation will arrive only after government allows it. This homologation process is limited to a particular vehicle, with no flexibility.
Instead it should just be engine and frame, and the variable combinations of other parts.

[vinair]

Need of the hour I would say.

With regional transport offices tightening the noose on modifications, an OEM custom job makes absolute sense as it gives resounding assurance to the buyer at the end of the day both from legal and warranty perspectives!

Would love to see manufacturers letting the customer customize his/her machine with serious customization kits (not some crappy stickers or carpets!!) right from the factory!

[shancz]

Kudos and I am not surprised.

IIRC they were the first with ABS on the RTR 180 ABS in 2011, the adjustable suspension on the RTR 200 recently are the some I can think of, their attention to detail is also pretty good and more importantly at the price points they do it is commendable.

I hope that other manufacturers also take a lead.
I can imagine the 390 Adv owners drooling about an adjustable suspension

Good Luck TVS and a good start

[neil.jericho]

I was just browsing through their website to build the TVS RR310. Honestly, the options for customization are pretty limited. For all of us bikers who have spent hours after hours on the Royal Enfield Make It Yours platform and customized Himalayans and Interceptors and GT650s, with umpteen permutations and combinations, this feels like a starter kit for customization.

However, seeing what was being offered (quality over quantity), my initial reaction was one of excitement. But on further contemplation, I am not so sure about TVS's strategy with the RR 310.

- For all intents and purposes, the Apache RR 310 is not a sales success. A lot of it has to do with the flawed joint policy from TVS and BMW - the engineering decision to not play the A2 game and aim for a 47 HP motorcycle, like the competition has done. Ive said it from the beginning, 313 cc and 33.5 BHP, is the equivalent of bringing a butter knife to a gun fight.
- TVS got the short end of the stick when it came to splitting the models with BMW. The German partner got the naked (R) and the offroader (GS) while TVS got the faired equivalent. However, the Apache brand name was built on the broad shoulders of exciting naked bikes. Suddenly going to a faired version while carrying the Apache name, was a bit of a misfit.
- TVS did an average of 315 bikes per month, over the last 11 months. That is 1 bike per day for their top of the range bike. Yawn.
- The only way to add some excitement, was to change the game and take a leaf out of the Royal Enfield playbook, offer customization and inject some make believe excitement by trying to position this as a limited edition motorcycle that will coexist with the base RR310.
- I doubt TVS will sell 150 customized bikes in the first 2 months and 100 customized bikes per month from there on out. Of course, SIAM data wont tell us this, but Apache 310 owners can help us understand how well these are accepted by the market.

To me, TVS RR310 is a great bike that is hobbled by its engine. Had it boasted of a 47 HP engine from day 1, it would have sold in bucket loads. While I applaud TVS for giving adjustable suspension at such low prices (I know all too well how expensive it can be, cause my friends and I have been experimenting with it on our Royal Enfields), I think all of this is too little too late. The RR 310 will chug along in its various iterations and nothing that TVS can do, will make it a sales success.

The only way out, is for TVS to accept the fate of the RR 310 and use it, as the launching pad for the twin cylinder RR. As AtheK said here (2021 TVS Apache RR 310 to launch soon) (and what many of us have been saying from the beginning), TVS should use the RR 310 as the foundation to position a 50 - 60 HP, fully faired motorcycle with all the bells and whistles.

And for all our sakes TVS, do it right the first time. Get it perfect out of the box and watch how the Apache brand will get rejuvenated.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I was just browsing through their website to build the TVS RR310. Honestly, the options for customization are pretty limited.

It really is. In typical TVS fashion, they also seem to have botched the web browser configurator. You can't seem to select different rims or the RR livery without picking a custom kit first. I also wanted to see what the red bike would look like with red wheels and the new RR livery with black wheels. Can't do that unfortunately.

The new livery is also an eyesore to me. Instead, they could've brought back the black body and white/red racing stripes of the launch model which was amazing.

RE never offered mechanical upgrades though IIRC. So, in my books, TVS wins here. RE's configurator is just overflowing with junk cosmetic bullshit apart from the touring seat and luggage options.

- For all intents and purposes, the Apache RR 310 is not a sales success. A lot of it has to do with the flawed joint policy from TVS and BMW - the engineering decision to not play the A2 game and aim for a 47 HP motorcycle, like the competition has done. Ive said it from the beginning, 313 cc and 33.5 BHP, is the equivalent of bringing a butter knife to a gun fight.

- TVS did an average of 315 bikes per month, over the last 11 months. That is 1 bike per day for their top of the range bike. Yawn.

Not sure I get what an A2 license has to do with India and the value-centric market here.

I think TVS is doing okay for what the bike is. I say the performance figures it comes with are really in the goldilocks zone for India in general. Prestige, performance, quality and not bad fuel mileage either for the price. It's a quality product, especially in its current state, and truly wears the Indian tricolours proudly. Heck, I'm tempted to salute the damn thing and I don't even like faired bikes.

I was just looking at the KTM 390 and 250 numbers for 2021 and they don't look too far off from the RR310. They're doing roughly double the numbers during a bad year, but we don't get separate numbers for the RC and the Duke and Adventure. So, if we go apples to apples, the RC could as well be down in the dumps and the duke really carrying the platform. I mean, I don't see as many RCs on the street, web or social media as dukes, even back when I was living in Bangalore. With the riding posture and the lack of bells and whistles compared to the duke and adventure, I won't be surprised if the RC sells a lot less than its siblings, which is where TVS trumps it, double aces.

To me, TVS RR310 is a great bike that is hobbled by its engine. Had it boasted of a 47 HP engine from day 1... I think all of this is too little too late.

Not really. If all people want to do with sport bikes is do high speeds on highways, the RR can be called inadequate. But the thing looks like it's built to last, it revs well and handles well, especially the BS6 version. There's really no intrinsic downside or engineering goof up that lets the bike down. It's more or les well thought out and well built top-to-bottom. If I could do away with the hassles of riding and maintaining a faired bike, I'd love to own the TVS. But I'm a naked man. Er, I mean I prefer naked bikes.

And for all our sakes TVS, do it right the first time. Get it perfect out of the box and watch how the Apache brand will get rejuvenated.

They did get it fairly right the first time around and have been continuously working to better it. The problem is just the people who come in with heavenly expectations rather than knowing what they want and recognizing what the bike can do for them. I mean we've seen it time and time again on these very forums with all kinds of bikes.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

The new livery is also an eyesore to me. Instead, they could've brought back the black body and white racing stripes of the launch model which was amazing.

The original Akula prototype with its carbon fiber bodywork was a real beauty. Now if TVS offered that, then interest would certainly spike up.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

RE never offered mechanical upgrades though IIRC.

Agree.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Not sure I get what an A2 license has to do with India and the value-centric market here.

Everything. To give a cricket example, it is like saying my competition is playing in the IPL but I want to skill up to an Inter district cricket tournament standard. When you get matched to the best, the shortfalls become evident. On paper and in the real world.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

I mean, I don't see as many RCs on the street, web or social media as dukes, even back when I was living in Bangalore. With the riding posture and the lack of bells and whistles compared to the duke and adventure, I won't be surprised if the RC sells a lot less than its siblings, which is where TVS trumps it, double aces.

Its the opposite here. The RCs sell really well.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Not really. If all people want to do with sport bikes is do high speeds on highways, the RR can be called inadequate.

The missing 14 HP with respect to its competition, isnt about doing high speeds on highways. All the features in the world (they are great features no doubt!), cant make up for the 30% power deficit.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

However, seeing what was being offered (quality over quantity), my initial reaction was one of excitement. But on further contemplation, I am not so sure about TVS's strategy with the RR 310.

Ditto, and IMHO it would be the last/second last iteration on the RR. The apache in me is expecting a performance upgrade option on this portal but if they don't do that then its pretty much the last significant update on the RR310. They might keep it around for some more years with different cosmetics till the next bike comes.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

TVS got the short end of the stick when it came to splitting the models with BMW. The German partner got the naked (R) and the offroader (GS) while TVS got the faired equivalent. However, the Apache brand name was built on the broad shoulders of exciting naked bikes. Suddenly going to a faired version while carrying the Apache name, was a bit of a misfit.

Completely agree, had they launched an RTR 310 the story would've been different. Lower sticker price would've slotted it well below the 390 and a perfect upgrade for the upto 200cc buyers in performance and price.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

To me, TVS RR310 is a great bike that is hobbled by its engine. Had it boasted of a 47 HP engine from day 1, it would have sold in bucket loads.

True, I feel that they did it just to get that tech collaboration with BMW Motorrad.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The only way out, is for TVS to accept the fate of the RR 310 and use it, as the launching pad for the twin cylinder RR. As AtheK said here (2021 TVS Apache RR 310 to launch soon) (and what many of us have been saying from the beginning), TVS should use the RR 310 as the foundation to position a 50 - 60 HP, fully faired motorcycle with all the bells and whistles.

Agree and I think they already do. I am not excited about the limited options they have given on the portal but that they have mechanical upgrades too and the concept and platform has been introduced.
Where this will shine isn't on the RR310 but the next RTR, RR and the Raider, if/when they are launched.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

And for all our sakes TVS, do it right the first time. Get it perfect out of the box and watch how the Apache brand will get rejuvenated.

Couldn't agree more, they make good and robust motorcycles but the 310 series for both BMW and TVS are always shy of competition(read KTM) in India or overseas. Apart from the "we already have the engine, let's build on our other areas for the next bike", no other reason makes sense to me.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The original Akula prototype with its carbon fiber bodywork was a real beauty. Now if TVS offered that, then interest would certainly spike up.

Now there's an idea. That would be the wet dream of many I'm sure.

Everything. To give a cricket example, it is like saying my competition is playing in the IPL but I want to skill up to an Inter district cricket tournament standard. When you get matched to the best, the shortfalls become evident. On paper and in the real world.

And who's to say the district level team doesn't have the mettle to match up to the IPL team? Just because they're behind on a few stats, doesn't necessarily mean they can't cohesively step up to the occasion and present a good fight.

Besides, how well a team can perform is also dependent on the coach. I mean, if you're not in a position to make good use of the extra horsepower, what's the point of asking for more? It's like how people were shouting hoarse for adjustable suspension on the KTM Adv390, but as it turned out, a lot weren't even familiar with the basics of riding offroad, leave alone making use of the adventure credentials of the bike and suspension adjustability.

The missing 14 HP with respect to its competition, isnt about doing high speeds on highways. All the features in the world (they are great features no doubt!), cant make up for the 30% power deficit.

No idea where this 14 hp difference you mentioned is coming from. The competition TVS is up against is just the Ninja 300 and the RC390 and both are within 10 hp of the bike and priced quite a bit higher.

In terms of real world usability, I wager TVS would still be head to head with the competition or right on their tails at worst, especially now that TVS has solved the tyres, the footpegs and handlebars for involving riding + added suspension tuning into the mix, all at a price appreciably lower than the competition.

Sure, the parallel twin of the Ninja is classier, the RC makes more grunt, but at the end of the day, thanks to TVS, you have the choice of spending less money for similar levels of excitement as an RC or a Ninja and a lot more live-with-ability if you want a sportbike. Less money may also mean some compromises, but at least the choice is there for people to whom it makes sense.

Reminds me of how Suzuki is happily selling a 24 hp GSX250R in some Asian markets where the competition consists of the 35 hp R25, the 40 hp CBR250RR, and the 4 cylinder 50 hp ZX25R.

And people who buy the suzuki love it for its friendliness. I mean, there's a place for all of these. No need for suzuki to bust its b@lls to make a bike that matches the highly wound up kawasaki.

TVS is a bit similar. It goes above and beyond the call of the average enthusiast while keeping things fairly practical for him.

I mean just look at the NS200 vs RTR200. NS is like, here take this 25 hp but you better keep me on boil and stop complaining about my age and looks. RTR is like, nah, you don't need that, take 20, treat me how you want and I can get you close enough to that guy, maybe even beat him if you're up for it, but I'll keep things interesting and comfortable for you.

[Venkatesh]

TVS Built To Order video, is it the real exhaust note of RR 310 or limited to TVC?

https://youtu.be/QLm8xWyMDoc

[2000rpm]

I am really impressed with TVS. They seem to be the only company in India who are pushing the envelope. Look at the Apache 200 4v, the feature list on that bike is unbelievable.

Also, BTO supply chain model is very very difficult to pull off (actual reason why most auto-makers have failed at it). Kudos to TVS! Keep up the good work.

[hmansari]

An outstanding initiative and out of the box thinking by TVS motors. Their build to order page needs proofreading though as I did find quite a few spelling errors on their page which takes away from the experience of it all a bit. Also the actual page where the customisation is supposed to take place opened once yesterday but haven't been able to get it to open again since then. It just shows the "loading" message. It could be because of a surge in web traffic to that page though I'm not sure.

Originally Posted by GTO

Imagine building a Polo with a custom colour for the rims, a firmer suspension & different kind of steering wheel!

That would definitely be fun and reminiscent of the 'Need for Speed' games. I'm all for it.

hmansari