[kd_r16]

This is an experience.

The year is 2008, I learned to drive our house moped it was a Bajaj Spirit, then within a couple of years I wanted a Honda Activa which was the pride of mopeds back then, a series of arguments and delay of two years I was certain I do not wish to own a moped I want a full blown motorcycle, sports bike to be precise and like every teenager back then I was smitten by the Yamaha R15 there was and still there is nothing like that motorcycle in the Indian market I precisely remember the only reason that I was not allowed to own it was its sporty look, my parents were in disbelief that such a motorcycle can exist in this category, they were afraid that the R15 will be disastrous for me, I was denied of it and then the HONDA CBR 250R was launched which was better than the R15 in every sense and so was I, there existed no timeline wherein I could get one so never ever thought of it. I was sure of one thing that I want a sports bike, TVS Apache was known to me but I never thought of getting one, one day while visiting the mall with my parents my dad pointed out towards an Apache, he suggested that I should consider this bike as it was not as sporty as the R15 and not dull as a regular commuter, he was totally unaware of the fact of what a hoot machine it was , he became a classic victim of "don't judge a book by its cover" I was kind-of happy so I immediately jumped upon the opportunity and we were at the dealership the next day, it’s this place where my dad got to know about the real nature of the bike, as the owner of the showroom was a friend of my dad he himself was against getting the Apache series , the 180 being beyond the ask, more arguments later the keys of the TVS APACHE RTR 180 were in my hands.






It is a pure beast the rawness of the engine delivering power is so addicting that even 12 years down I am enjoying it. These 12 years have been like a typical rom-com where there is everything love, action, comedy, and drama. The first couple of months was full of adrenaline rush through the raw power of the engine and the loudness of the exhaust. Six months went by and on that mark I met with a horrible accident where in leaving the engine and fuel tank everything was damaged, I was lucky enough to escape from the accident with a hairline fracture in my ankle and a small brain injury, my head was saved only because I was wearing a helmet otherwise things would have been very bad.
LESSON ONE “NO RIDING THE BIKE WITHOUT PROPER SLEEP” – the culprit for the accident was that I dozed off while riding as the night before I slept only for three hours.




The recovery period was quite dull, and the month required for recovery was the longest I have had till date. Good times were on, for the next two years I & my group of friends explored every part of Nashik district, Nashik during monsoon and winters is a paradise. So much fun so many fond memories which I still cherish.
The bike’s air-cooled engine loved the weather, it always gave peak performance, the quick acceleration and agile handling led to an out of the world experience, and the disc brakes on both ends were a huge plus compared to the front disc only option on the 160CC variant. The bike lacks ABS which was never a problem back then but now a decade later I do realize the importance of it and how lucky/stupid I was to ride it the way I did back then, one funny incident which happened during the first/second year of ownership where I read somewhere that oil level of disc brakes should also be checked I didn’t think much of it and directly applied oil on the actual disc, luckily I encountered the problem soon at lower speeds when both the brakes were not stopping the bike I don’t quite remember what I did to wash off oil but I remember it was laborious effort.
LESSON TWO “NEVER JUMP THE GUN. FIRST THINK, UNDERSTAND THEN ACT.”



Apache has been my constant companion, four years into ownership I shifted to Pune by then I was too comfortable with the bike, six months into Pune traffic my bike encountered its first major problem it lost its power the bike’s performance took a nose dive the ASC recommended change of piston as there was crack on its head and heavy carbonization inside engine, I was confused as to how the piston can get damaged then I remembered I had changed the gasket at local garage an year ago that’s when it must have got damaged, it was a costly mistake but things got back to normal. It was time to explore Pune and it did not disappoint.










During this time my girlfriend shifted to Mumbai for her MBA and every weekend I was traveling to Mumbai on my “BLACK BEAST” yes, I forgot to introduce her name. Those two years were among the best rides of my life, There is a highway patch between Khandala and Khopoli bypass where two wheelers are required to use the expressway the first time on it, I was extremely thrilled and scared, few trips later I became very eager to ride on that patch as I had found one beautiful spot on the expressway itself where I was able to sneak my bike behind the steel barricade and enjoy the beautiful view of the valley it was breathtaking in monsoon, now sadly that patch is sealed off. Late night rides on marine drive and that tasteless coffee sold by vendors are the next best highlight of my rides.
LESSON THREE “CHEAP THRILLS LEADS TO EXPENSIVE DESPAIRS”



Apache by this time has turned 7/8 and started showing its age as one by one many parts started failing specifically the electronics barring speedometer & indicators, I had to replace every electronic part on the bike, the starter motor had failed twice, shock absorbers twice, three sets of tyres, four/five sets of chain sprocket and countless number of oil change. The bike was still going strong and it did not show its age I am a firm believer in being a user of product whatever I buy I use it to its full potential and beyond I take the standard required care and basic precaution that must be made.






The bike has lost almost 30% of its power but is still fun to drive and sounds amazing. Then the lockdown hit and apache was standstill for almost six months as I shifted back to my hometown, two years went by apache was ridden sparingly, 2021 in the month of February the engine made a loud noise and then started sounding like something major has broken off, I took the bike to TVS wherein I was quoted a bill of Rs 19000, I took it to another service centre where I was quoted Rs 23000, I had decided that I was done and not spending anything on the bike, I parked it for few months, sometime in August my friend suggested trying out our local garage who we frequented for minor repairs, I said I won’t be spending anything upwards of Rs 3000, I was sure it was not possible to get it repaired but behold the unthinkable happened when the engine was opened it turned out only few bearings were broken and everything else was intact so with a final bill of Rs 2800 the Black Beast was back, after pandemic car became my primary mode of transport so the bike was sparingly used it got a new lease of life as my brother shifted to Mumbai for his MBA and abused to its fullest for next 1.5 years but the bike still didn’t even sweat just an oil change and few adjustment the bike was back ready to race, as of today the Black Beast is in Mumbai being used sparingly as my brother uses a car for his office commute, I intend to keep the beast for as long as possible.



It has been my trustworthy partner for the past decade.
Thank you.