Swaraj Baggonkar Moneycontrol News
TVS Motor Company has confirmed the launch of its most powerful motorcycle scheduled for December 6 in Chennai. Powered by a 310cc engine the Apache RR 310 (codenamed Akula) will finally make its debut after a delay of more than a year.
Developed alongside partner BMW the Apache 310RR will catapult the Chennai-headquartered company into the league of performance motorcycle segment presently dominated by Japanese brands.
The Apache RR 310 will have more than half a dozen competitors, all falling in the 300-400cc engine range having pricing between Rs 1.44 lakh-3.5 lakh. The market is expecting TVS to price its new bike between Rs 1.5-1.6 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
KN Radhakrishnan President & CEO and Sudarshan Venu Joint MD of TVS Motor
The TVS Apache RR 310 will compete against the Bajaj Dominar, Mahindra Mojo, KTM Duke 390, Yamaha R3 (yet to be launched), Benelli TNT 300, Benelli 302R, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Royal Enfield Classic 350.
TVS has not tinkered with the main design and styling of the bike which was first showcased as Akula at the 2016 Auto Expo. TVS has kept performance as the central driving force for the bike keeping in mind the attributes of a race-inspired buyer.
The Akula will be powered by the same water-cooled, single cylinder, four stroke, 313cc engine that is seen on the BMW G 310 GS, which is made by TVS Motor in India for the export markets.
Peak power of bike is expected to be at 34ps which makes it less powerful than the Ninja 300 and the Benelli TNT 300, but on par with the bigger Bajaj Dominar 400.
Top speed of the TVS Apache RR 310 is expected to be slightly over 140kmph and the company may offer anti-lock braking system as standard fitment. The bike may come with a 6-speed gearbox.
TVS and BMW joined hands in 2013 to jointly develop sub-500cc bikes that would cater to India and global markets. The first in the series was to be launched in the Indian market by October-November 2016. However, as per sources the bike could not meet the quality and performance parameters of BMW’s global standards.
Meanwhile, BMW was unable to erect stand-alone dealerships for the BMW 310GS in India which led to the delay in its retail launch. The German company has not yet given a timeline for the India launch. While TVS will price its Apache 310 RR competitively BMW is expected to play a premium game and price its bike slightly above Rs 2 lakh.
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