Apache RR 310

The TVS Apache RR 310 is a sportsbike 🏍 that is based on the same engine and frame that the BMW G310 R 🔥uses.... TVS 🏍 had us really scared😲 with all this ominous talk of premium pricing. But ultimately, the price, Rs 2.05 lakh ex-showroom is good for the motorcycle🏍. 
            

Not that TVS wasn't making quality motorcycles already, but this is another step altogether. TVS has clearly picked up something from BMW Motorrad in terms how quality is created, deployed and then perceived. And the results absolutely gleam. I think there are two parts to it. The first is finish. And the Apache RR 310 is going to be a benchmark on that front. Each and every panel, metal form or aggregate seems to have been finished with the utmost care. Even the smallest of mold edges seem to have been eliminated. This makes the motorcycle look absolutely top notch. The second is detail design. This is a very Italian thing to do, but TVS has paid attention to the design of some of the crucial smaller elements that pay huge dividends in perceived quality. This is exactly what Triumph has done with its latest models as well. On the TVS Apache RR 310, the top triple clamps, the surround plastic on the fairing, the switch cubes etc are all carefully designed and well-made and it elevates your sense of how expensive the motorcycle is.

The engine, a fuel-injected 4-valve DOHC single is also identical to the BMW G 310 R in design, hardware and gearbox. But TVS uses its own ECU with custom maps for greater response and has add an extra tooth to the rear sprocket as well. The gearing and the slippery fairing - TVS claims the lowest drag coefficient in class thanks to extensive wind tunnel time - allow the 160kmph top speed, a surprise for a 34PS/27Nm/169.5kg motorcycle. 

The Akula has superb lines and much of the lines have carried forward into the RR 310. The design team told us that the first prototypes were sleeker and skinner but in time, the aero-efficiency requirements caused the surfaces to become slightly more curved. That said, the little 'fin' under the tail apart, TVS says that every single surface is a result of aero-sculpting or has a functional purpose. The result is a proportionate motorcycle that feels good to ride and looks substantial to the eye - a good combination, I think, for the new Indian sportsbike buyer.