Apache

The Apache. A bike I have always admired and felt was the best looker this country ever produced. A gorgeous, sculpted piece of art - every line in place, maintaining a flow so outstanding, you have to trace it with your own hands to truly appreciate it. Handling, power and refinement too are top notch and the bike is immense fun to ride. Of course, I'm talking about the 150; the RTR160 takes everything I mentioned up one level! Now, time for a test ride! This is where I either love or hate a bike permanently.

The place: Century TVS. The test track: Wakdewadi road. Distance: 1.4 kms approx.

Looking at the Apache RTR160 head on, you see the magnificent flow and the attention to detail. Even the rubber mounts and covers on the gearshift and rear brake levers have the theme carried on, so to the foot pegs and the rear mud flap. The racing stripe makes it's way across the centre of the bike, and is also present on the tachometer in the console. The hand levers have a nice alloy finish. The split grab rail is comfortable and practical. Overall looks are outstanding, and attention to detail gets 10/10.

Getting on the bike was easy, effortless and exciting. The bike exudes a feel characteristic of a powerful, yet docile beast. It's comfortable, and you kinda fall into place, hands land on the exotic handlebar grips, knees inside the tank's recesses nicely, feet set back on the rear-set foot-pegs. Posture is forward-biased, as it should be, ample arm room to pilot the machine in the direction I wanted it to go (not that I would need it, details follow...) I roll the bike off the pavement and onto the road. The 270mm petal disc feels a lil too bitey at first, and will take some getting used to, but I'll have that covered after a few instances of braking. I thumb the starter and the 159.7cc 15.2bhp 13.1Nm 136kg Apache RTR160 thrums to life. It sounds good, real good; but can it go like it looks and sounds..?

Acceleration is quick, too quick even, the initial jumps are pronounced and you tend to feel like you're going to lose it big time, if you're not careful. Good. Cos now I'll be careful! This is one bike, you should not rip open the throttle on - RTR - Rapid Throttle Response, now I know... Evolution is apparent, from Fiero to F2/FX, from the 5-speed 150cc Apache and now, the 160cc, which has an even better feel to the gearbox.

On the road, the bike feels very powerful, very agile and the response is outstanding. Handling is nothing short of telepathic! It is definitely the best handling bike on offer. Turn in and steering is precise, even the minutest reflex action is immediately translated into deviation from the line you're on, to the line you wish you were, just like that, involuntary movements are picked up quick and the bike handles like a dream. I had a bit of trouble accelerating out of a U-turn from standstill, and a fast approaching Volvo B7R driven by one of our beloved municipality drivers doesn't help matters in any way. But I'm off, comfortably, 6500 revs in 1st and I'm far ahead, then 2nd. Some of the shifts left a ? on my mind, you don't realise that the shift happened from lack of audible feedback, at times, from the box. But I don't mind at all. It's smooth and effective, that's what matters. And I'm on my way back to drop off this fabulous machine.

The bike I rode was red. Awesome. But the yellow just brings out so much more. The black/yellow contrast is too well known and I would rather prefer something I would think of as a Benson & Hedges Jordan TVS Racing machine... The bike certainly handles like it was meant for the track. And from what I hear, TVS will introduce tuning kits for the RTR160 which should drop kerb weight and improve acceleration, if not add a few more horses to the peak power. That would be nice!

My Ratings:

Power: 8/10
Could've been so much more, top end grunt feels a little disappointing

Response: 9/10
Amazing throttle response, but has powerband limitations

Transmission: 8/10
Smooth, but has some feedback issues

Handling: 10/10
"Telepathic" is truly the most apt word

Ride Quality: 9/10
Gas-damped monoshock anyone?

Fuel Economy: 8/10
The more or less standard figure is unknown at this time, expect 40-52kpl depending on riding style

Value For Money: 9/10
Rs.63400 on road, slots perfectly between the Pulsar 150 (62700) and 180 (64300).Also, all the add-on kits, whenever available, will increase the price by a good 10-12K!