The TVS Raider marks the bike maker's return to the 125cc segment, as the last time TVS had a 125cc motorcycle on sale was the Phoenix commuter which could not find many buyers. Despite all speculations, the Fiero has not been resurrected, as TVS has built the Raider completely from the ground-up with a brand-new engine.
The TVS Raider is a sporty naked commuter by design, and it has its own character despite bearing slight resemblance to the Apache RTR series. The headlamp is an all-LED unit with DRLs surrounded by a small plastic casing. It gets four colours on offer, starting with the Fiery Yellow which resembles the one on the Ntorq 125, along with a Striking Red, Blazing Blue, and Wicked Black. The TVS Raider also gets split seats, an engine cowl, an upswept exhaust, and 17-inch alloy wheels.
Speaking of the brand-new engine, it is an all-new 124.8cc oil-cooled unit with a three-valve setup, which produces 11.2bhp at 7500rpm and 11.2Nm of torque at 6000rpm. This engine is paired to a 5-speed gearbox. TVS claims the Raider will complete a 0-60kmph run in 5.9 seconds, maxing out at 99kmph.
In terms of suspension, the Raider uses a 30mm telescopic fork in the front and a monoshock at the rear. Braking comes courtesy of a 240mm disc at the front and a 130mm drum setup at the rear. The drum brake variant will be available with a 130mm drum at both ends. The Raider has an accessible seat height of 780mm and with its 10-litre fuel tank fully topped up, it tips the scales at 123kg.
The TVS Raider comes with a fat equipment list, starting with the two ride modes on offer — Eco and Power. There is also a negative-lit LCD instrument cluster, which displays all the necessary information, along with a side stand indicator with cutoff function, and stop-start function based on TVS’ intelliGo technology. There will also be a variant with a 5-inch TFT cluster with TVS’ SmartXonnect, navigation and voice commands.
The TVS Raider goes up against the Bajaj Pulsar 125, Hero Glamour, and the Honda Shine. TVS will offer the bike in a drum variant and a disc variant, with prices starting from Rs 77,500 (ex-showroom, Delhi).