A Sunday morning ride on the highway is a great experience, particularly with some of Bengaluru’s coolest motorbikes being put through their paces. And being on one, it was the sense of freedom and enthralling ‘wind-in-the-face’ feeling.
It was the same feeling of ecstasy as we tested the 2019 TVS Apache RR 310, the Indian manufacturer’s flagship model and has been developed in collaboration with BMW Motorrad. The first impression of riding the bike is the ease of riding. TVS says this bike is the product of several years of their involvement in racing. And it would not be wrong to say that they have got it right.
Body styling
Before we get into detail on its performance, a few words must be said about the styling of this sports bike. Without doubt, TVS Motor Company has done a great job with the looks.
TVS has put in the hours as far as the styling is concerned and it would be fair to say that they have brought out a stunner.
The front has what TVS calls the bi-LED twin projector headlamps, a visor that helps with the aerodynamics and sleek LED turn indicators.
Over to the sides, there are large and classy looking fairings. On the right side is the exhaust that sweeps up. The rear has good looking LED brake and turn indicator lamps. There is also a grab handle on the right for the pillion rider.
The fuel tank has been designed attractively and is chunky.
The latest model is available in two colours – Racing Red and Phantom Black, a new introduction.
One interesting safety feature is that the engine will shut off if the bike is in any gear and the side stand is engaged.
The instrument console gives out a lot of information, including the gear, range with remaining fuel, etc. There are small lamps that indicate things like neutral, low fuel, turn indicator, side stand engaged et al.
Seating position
The RR 310 gets a two-step seating setup and the rider seat is comfortable. The fuel tank is big but does not feel uncomfortable. The rider’s legs will not feel tired on long rides, thanks to the well-designed fuel tank and not feel uncomfortable.
The handlebar has been positioned nicely and the rider does not have to lean forward too much. However, riders who aren’t very tall might have a slight issue.
Riding performance
The bike is powered by a 312.2 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that puts out 34 ps of power at 9700 rpm and a peak torque figure of 27.3 Nm at 7700 rpm. This engine, the same one that powers the BMW G 310 R, has been mated to a six-speed gearbox. All this is housed in a Trellis frame.
TVS says that the RR 310 has the best-in-class power to weight ratio.
Now, to real-world performance. As mentioned earlier, the RR 310 is very easy to ride. The acceleration does not feel very brute and this will be particularly helpful if it is going to be used for city riding and in heavy traffic. Working your way through the gears is a smooth affair and opening the throttle will give an instant response from the power plant.
The RR 310 has a top speed of 160 Kmph, while it will hit the 60 mark in 2.93 seconds. Hitting the 100 Kmph mark is a breeze and there isn’t too much vibration that will make you want to back off on the throttle. The top speed is 160 Kmph.
Vibration has been kept in check thanks to some upgrades TVS has made in the 2019 model. For instance, the latest release gets heavier bar-ends and that appears to be doing the job well.
Another important upgrade on the latest version is the inclusion of a slipper clutch, something that will allow for rapid gear downshifting without the risk of the rear wheel hopping and engine braking leading to instability. Compared to bikes without a slipper clutch in similar bikes, its presence in the RR 310 appears to be helping. The clutch is light and it aids in effortless gear shifts.
Word has it that work has gone into the ECU as well to get better performance from the engine.
Road grip and stability
The RR 310 felt stable even at higher speeds and around corners as well. The machine gets Michelin Pilot Street tyres.
The front is a USD suspension is from and the bike gets a monoshock at the rear, both from KYB.
As far as the braking system is concerned, the machine is fitted with Bybre system (from Brembo) with dual-channel ABS. The front brake is a 300mm petal disc, while the rear is a 240mm petal disc.
Competitors
The RR 310 (Rs 2.27 lakh, ex-showroom) competes with the BMW G 310 R (Rs 2.99 lakh, ex-showroom), Honda CB300R (Rs 2.41 lakh, ex-showroom), Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Rs 2.98 lakh, ex-showroom) and KTM 390 Duke (Rs 2.48 lakh, ex-showroom).
Overall impressions
TVS has done a very good job in putting together a great package in the RR 310. The build quality is good, it is very much useable in city traffic conditions and ride quality is good.
This is a set of wheels to be seriously considered.
