Words: Aninda Sardar
I was disappointed. Sorely disappointed, when Sirish asked me to go and ride TVS’ new flagship at the MMRT and I had to pass it up because of personal reasons. It was a bike that I had been looking forward to since I laid eyes on the Akula 33 concept that TVS Motors showcased at a now distant Auto Expo 2016. And when TVS was kind enough to send a spanking fresh-out-of-the-crate new example of the Apache RR 310 for a long term test, I decided to pull rank and make it my own.
It’s been two months since and I’ve managed to put on a modest 821km on the bike. Virtually all of those 821 were clocked on Pune’s roads, cutting through traffic. Only a couple of rides to Lavasa have been the exception. I know, shame on me right? But riding around that many kilometres in what will be the primary environment for the RR 310 revealed just how fabulous the bike is in the real world, away from the racetrack.
First up, that tractability that I had found endearing when I had done the comparison test with the KTM RC twins, feels even more endearing as I filter through traffic. It doesn’t make you work hard, rather it’s the kind of motorcycle that pampers you by taking some of the load of riding through traffic off your shoulders. It’s perfect for lazy bones me because I don’t like to constantly sift through the ’box looking for drive. I’ve seen a lot of written material about vibrations, but honestly, do you really expect a 300-plus cee cee single cylinder to be vibe-free? C’mon!
Then there’s the riding posture. Sure, it’s more committed than an average naked streetfighter and you will have to crouch to get to the handlebar. But I like the fact that TVS managed to strike a balance. With practically no scope of scraping footpegs anywhere in the cities, the slightly lowered footpegs are a boon in the real world.
Frankly, the only glitch I’ve come across thus far is that the starter button seems to be of delayed action. You thumb the starter and then have to wait a second for the motor to start. It’s not immediate. So be prepared to listen to honks if you haven’t started the bike a couple of seconds before the signal goes green. Also, the LED projector headlamp is fantastic but needs to be aligned. It’s almost time for the bike’s first service and I’m hoping to get both issues sorted.
Date acquired : February 2017
Duration of test : 2 months
Total mileage :1350km
Mileage this month :276km
Overall kmpl :29kmpl
Costs this month : Nil