TVS Apache RR 310 Build To Order (BTO) : A closer look

First things first. This is not some fire breathing 150 bhp exotic super bike that will pull wheelies in every gear.

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When Indian automobile enthusiasts talk about offerings from TVS Motors, their conversations usually revolve around the feature packed and sporty RTR motorcycle lineup or the exciting N Torq scooter and sometimes, the discussions even veer towards the unbreakable XL100 moped. Very rarely do you hear about the flagship Apache RR 310 and the reasons arent hard to understand.

A few years ago, TVS and BMW tied up to jointly develop a 312.2 cc platform for motorcycles. To ensure that there was no direct competition between the two partnering companies, they split the offerings based on styling and positioning. BMW got the adventure (GS310) and naked (G310R) variants, while TVS got the faired version. In my books, TVS should have got the naked variant of the 310 platform as it would have built on their successful RTR pedigree. A naked RTR 310 would have been a logical upgrade for the scores of RTR 150, 160, 180 and 200 owners. But history was scripted differently.

Why did TVS partner with BMW at all in the first place? That is something that has been discussed earlier on the forum and it is safe to say that the Hosur based company knew what they were doing. Today they are recognized globally in the motorcycling community as an emerging player, which was something that they did not have prior to their BMW partnership. If you browse through international forums, you will find a lot more mentions of TVS now, than you would have in the past.

TVS Akula concept at the Auto Expo (picture courtesy : Interwebs).

TVS had showcased the faired Akula concept at the Auto Expo 2016 and it generated a lot of interest from the motorcycling community. In December 2017, TVS launched the RR 310 but the initial enthusiasm in the product fizzled out and its sales numbers were subdued right from the start. When all manufacturers were targeting the upper end of the power limitation for A2 license owners, the BMW - TVS engine had only 34 PS at its disposal. This was not a fair battle but the RR 310 clawed back some points with it affordable pricing of Rs 2.05 L (ex showroom). That made it seem like the bike was good value for money as compared to its competition of the Kawasaki Ninja 300 (+5 PS), Yamaha R3 (+8 PS) and the KTM RC390 (+9.5 PS) but there was no getting away from the missing horses. For 10% more money, you could get yourself a RC 390 and that was proper paisa vasool in the Indian motorcycle market.

The RR 310's engine choice was akin to a test cricket captain bumping up a classy middle order batsman to open the innings against a visiting team that had a wide array of marauding pace bowlers. Sure, he would hold his ground and score some runs but he wasn't cut out to be a swashbuckling double centurion.

Add to it dealer apathy and lack of test ride bikes in most cities and really poor service experiences from the few owners of the RR 310, and the road to success for the top of the line offering from TVS was bound to be rocky from day one. I have tried to get a test ride of the Apache RR 310 but the local dealer was least interested in arranging a test ride for me.

Also, if you ask any owner or an enthusiast who has ridden the first gen RR 310, they will say that the bike is a fun bike but it has a vibey engine. You get only one chance to make a first impression and the vibey engine sword hangs over the TVS Apache RR 310 to this day. The word tractor engine was perhaps unfairly tagged to it and it is a legacy that has been hard for TVS to shake off.

Despite the lack of market success and the platform's inherent performance limitations, TVS has invested a lot of time and money to steadily improve the motorcycle and also to build the Apache owners community. The latest offering is the ability for owners to get a custom RR 310 through TVS's Build To Order (BTO) website. This offers customers the option of a Dynamic kit or a Race kit and even allows for race livery to be added on. With only a limited run of bikes per month being made available for the BTO platform, this entire exercise came across as being more of a marketing team's dream rather than a genuine effort to improve sales of what is a very capable bike. The forum discussion on the BTO platform can be found here (TVS Apache RR 310 BTO sold out; bookings reopen on Oct 1).

How good is the latest BS6 version from their BTO series? Thanks to an old friend, I was tossed the keys to a bike and got to ride it for half in a day in a wide variety of conditions in the hills.

Quick Snapshot:

• Fit and finish is top notch and matches that of premium imported motorbikes.
• Ride and handling is extremely confidence inspiring.
• Brilliant TFT dash implementation. Some international manufacturers can learn from TVS.
• Fully adjustable KYB suspension at this price point.
• Attention to the small details.
• Vibrations in the mid range.
• No adjustable levers (the Apache RTR 200 4V gets them!).

Since this did not happen in Cochin, I do not have the luxury of putting the bike through its paces in my regular routes, nor was I able to take sufficient photographs. Hence I have tweaked my closer look formula but if I can get the keys to another bike for a longer period of time in Cochin, then I can do a full fledged closer look or a proper review.

So what are the first 5 things that struck me when I spent some time with the bike?

• Just walking around the parked bike, you get the strong sense that this is a very well built motorcycle. The quality of the plastics, the paint job, the switchgear, the design elements all point to this being a motorcycle that is put together very nicely indeed.

• Sit on the bike and you will be suprised at how comfortable the seating position actually is. Though the motorcycle looks very sporty, the riders triangle is just the opposite! There's some black magic at play here.
• Turn on the bike and the brilliant TFT dash impresses you immediately. There are different riding modes and each mode gets a very logical but different layout. It will take you a few minutes to get used to the vertical layout of the screen, as compared to the de facto horizontal layout that is employed by every other manufacturer.
• On the move, the clutch is light and the riding experience is easy. TVS's mass centralization marketing material isnt hyperbole. You can feel it at work.
• Everything comes together very well indeed. The bike has some very impressive components but as a whole, it is greater than the sum of its parts. TVS's racing pedigree is very evident in this polished motorcycle.

Design:

The Apache RR 310 is a very handsome motorcycle. Period. The proportions are spot on and the more you look at it, you more you have to admire the genius of its design. The RR 310 has an elegant European flair to it without looking like it is a Ducati ripoff. The paint job and stickering is tastefully done as well. Park the now old generation KTM RC 390 next to it and the difference in design detailing is so stark that you will think that the Apache RR 310 is the more expensive motorcycle, by a massive margin.

The bike that I rode came with red wheels and if it was my own bike, I would have opted for the black wheels instead. That said, the red isnt garish and after the first 10 minutes, I didn't even notice it.

Right now you only get a Titanium Black colour (the same as this bike) or a simpler Racing Red colour that is similar to what was originally launched. I only wish that TVS was a bit more bold with their colour schemes. Perhaps the matte blue or the pearl white paint jobs from the RTR 200 4V should make their way onto the RR 310 in the near future?

However, there is a lot more to the Apache RR 310 than just superficial looks. Functional elements have been prioritized when designing and engineering the motorcycle. That ugly chain guard does a fabulous job of shielding the chain from all the slush and rain that we encountered. In our group of 5 different motorcycles from 4 different manufacturers, the Apache RR 310 had the cleanest chain at the end of a solid day's riding in the rain.

Those stylish mirrors that lend the bike sporty credentials? They offer a phenomenal range of view and the vibrations from the bike doesnt unsettle the view through them. These are the most functional rear view mirrors that I have ever experienced on a faired motorcycle.

That sporty seat? It turns out that it offers a lot more room and comfort than what I expected it to provide. The stylish tank is also one of the most useful ones that I have experienced on a bike. I was able to easily grab it with my thighs and eliminate all pressure from my wrists. I have a funny feeling that there is a bunch of test riders in the TVS test team, who share my same height and build. How else could the bike feel like it has been perfectly designed and built around a rider like me?

This is a nitpick from a design perspective that I couldn't unsee after I noticed it. The RR310 logo on the tank reads DIE RR1 when you look at it from the opposite side. If it was my own bike, I would cover it up with a sticker so that my neighbours don't wonder whose RR1 it is.

Engine modes:

The bike comes with 4 riding modes - Urban, Rain, Sport and Track. Since we were in the mountains, I just had to leave the bike in Sport mode, even though the roads were soaked. In Sport and Track mode, the bike gets the full 34 PS and 27.3 NM of torque. The more friendly Urban and Rain modes restrict the power to 25.8 PS and 25 NM of torque. Since my time with the bike wasn't for more than half a day, I couldn't experiment with the different modes and gauge how different they actually felt from each other. After seeing that I was very comfortable with the Sport setting, I was encouraged to switch to the Track mode but I left it as it was. The bike was in a sweet spot and I wanted to enjoy it for as long as I could without changing too much.

Engine:

First things first. This is not some fire breathing 150 bhp exotic superbike that will pull wheelies in every gear. In the past, I have strongly criticized TVS for their decision to offer a sub 40 HP engine on their flagship motorcycle. 34 PS isnt' a lot but in the hills, it didn't really matter all that much. In Sports mode, the bike felt eager to rev and I found myself taking corners in second gear and for wide turns, I was able to take it in third gear. Yes, vibrations do creep in once you get into the mid range but they werent too annoying. That said, it would have been better if these vibrations were further reduced or nearly eliminated.

In the conditions that I got to ride the bike, I was impressed with the engine and the fuelling.

Are there vibes at highway touring speeds? I don't know since I never got to ride the bike at those speeds and rpms, so I cannot say. Has TVS hit the sweet spot with a 34 HP engine that can be your perfect do it all bike? Without riding it on the highway, I am unable to draw a clear conclusion on this. What I can say is that for city riding and weekend riding in the hills, the Apache RR 310 is a very good motorcycle. In comparison, the 373 cc engine from KTM is a riot on highways but personally, I find it a bit too much in city conditions.

Continue reading BHPian neil-jericho's report on the TVS Apache RR 310 Build To Order (BTO) for BHPian comments, insights and more information.