TVS Motor Company has launched the BS-VI compliant version of the Apache RR 310 and with the new norms. The company has also taken the liberty to give the bike some significant changes. The 2020 Apache RR 310 gets a price of Rs 2.4 lakh and with that competes with the likes of the KTM RC390. Of course, the bike can also go up against the Ninja 300, but the arrival of the BS-VI compliant bike from Kawasaki isn't expected till 2021, so we are going to leave that out of the comparison too.
Let's gets the obvious details out of the way first. Both bikes have been upgraded to comply with the upcoming BS-VI emission norms and while the changes in the output and size of each bike's motor hasn't changed there is a significant difference. The Apache RR 310 gets a 312.2cc engine that is capable of churning out 34 PS power and 27.3 Nm of torque. The KTM RC390 on the other hand features a 44 PS power output with a 36 Nm peak torque output – giving this round of the competition to KTM.
Now, in terms of design, the differences are obvious. The Apache gets a more flowy concept baked into it. With the wind tunnel testing that the RR 310 goes through, the bike was designed off of the Akula concept and hasn't changed much. It gets a split headlamp setup and a truly race inspired tail section too. In contrast to that, the RC390 gets sharper styling with sharp lines running throughout the bike.
While the headlamp unit isn't a split unit, it does have a quirky side to it with two bulbs set inside the cluster. The KTM is more compact overall and the riding stance too is more track oriented when compared to the Apache's slightly upright posture. The seat on tail of the KTM, a feature that everybody adored, is designed to look like a cowl rather than a conventional seat.
Getting down to the features. This is where TVS has KTM beat by a big margin. When the RR 310 was first launched it received a conventional LCD instrument cluster, and apart from being vertically stacked, it displayed almost everything the RC390 had to offer and maybe a little bit more.
Now, while the same orange LCD panel has been taken forward on the KTM, the Apache gets a full colour TFT instrument panel flush with Bluetooth connectivity and ride statistics. The apache comes with TVS' Smart Xconnect app that allows you to pair your phone with the bike's console. This allows for, in addition to the accepting and rejecting calls, the ability to show turn-by-turn navigation, show vehicle health status, phone status and ride statistics sharing.
The Apache RR 310 just like the RC 390 gets ride-by-wire throttle, but the Apache also gets four riding modes, namely Rain, Urban, Sport and Track and this is a first in the segment.
Getting down to price, while the TVS Apache RR 310 comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs 2.4 lakh, the KTM RC390 gets a similar Rs 2.48 lakh price tag. In conclusion, the RC390 definitely gets an advantage in terms of pure power and torque, but the RR 310 leads in terms of technology. So, it all boils down to what you would desire more in that price.
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