Fully Faired TVS Apache Unveiled In Indonesia

TVS Motors, the Hosur based bike company that has made waves in the sport biking culture of India with its model, the Apache RTR is now all set to launch the same model but with full fairings! The Apache RTR offered in India is offered in the 160 and the 180 cubic displacement variants. The TVS Apache RTR 160 is a tough competitor to the very popular Yamaha R15 and the Bajaj Pulsar 150. A new version of the 160 is due to be launched in India and expectations have been riding very high on this face-lift. It is expected to be showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo to be held in January.

However, the expensive spares, vibrating mudguard, uncomfortable seats etc makes the bike not fairing very good at the reliability and build quality factor. Hopefully, TVS should resolve these glitches when they come out with the revised model. The TVS Apache with full fairings was showcased recently in Indonesia. The bike is definitely a looker and looks at first glance looks no less than a proper sports bike. The long headlights, full fairings and the thick tires make the bike look quite masculine too. The bike is definitely make waves in the Indian market once launched. We are eagerly waiting for this latest mean machine to come to India. Will this bike take the bike market by storm? What is your opinion?

JDM Suzuki Alto Spied In India

Maruti Suzuki’s market share in India has declined after the entrance of new competitors. The recent and most brutal attack to Maruti’ Suzuki’s small car dominance is undoubtedly the Hyundai Eon. The company’s bread and butter model, the Alto looks atleast two decades old infront of the entry level Hyundai. To counter the Korean automaker, Maruti is planning to launch smaller cars in India, which will be high on fuel efficiency. One such model could be the JDM (Japanese Domestic Model) Suzuki Alto, the same one which uses a 660cc motor and delivers 32 kmpl. The aforementioned car was spotted on test in Gurgaon and will mostly be shown at the 2012 Auto Expo. The company will try to evaluate customer response to conclude if its feasible to launch this car in India.

As can be seen in the pictures, the JDM Suzuki Alto looks very similar to the A-Star at the front (the A-Star is actually the new Alto globally). There were absolutely no badges on the car, expect the Suzuki logo and the Alto badge at the tail gate. Two small stickers (written in Japanese) were present on the rear windshield. The tyres were 145/13 in size but Maruti might reduce them to boost fuel economy. HR26 registration confirms its a Maruti Suzuki registered car. The front number plate is not mounted in the center, while the car is quite big for a small car and has intelligent maxisation of space. Infact this Alto can easily be as spacious as the WagonR and can give the A-Star and Eon some complex. We feel Maruti Suzuki can launch this Alto as the new A-Star, as the A-Star has failed to sell in decent numbers.

Mahindra Mojo All Set For A 2012 Launch

The Mahindra Mojo was announced last year and everybody got so excited that they couldn’t wait to get their hands on one. But alas, Mahindra 2 Wheelers never ended launching one and the wait for the Mojo continues. However the wait will soon end as Mahindra is finally planning to launch the Mojo in 2012. The Mahindra Mojo’s launch was postponed as the company did not want to take risk with a high performance machine. The precision for a class of this vehicle is higher and Mahindra wants to ensure it has thoroughly tested the bike before launching it. This is a good move as pulling a bike from the market due to glitches is not a good idea, rather its best to get it right the first time around.

The Mahindra Mojo project is on at the company’s R&D facility, wherein extensive tests are being carried out to ensure the Mojo lives up to all the hype. The Mahindra Mojo is powered by a 300cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 4-valve motor which produces 26 hp of power at 8500 RPM and 24 Nm of torque at 7000 RPM. Mated to a 6-speed gearbox, the Mojo features front and rear disc brakes and weighs 160 kgs. At the front there are 100 section tyres, while the rear get wider 150 section rubber. The Mojo uses an electronic ignition system and looks like a very promising performance motorcycle on paper.

 

 

KTM Duke 200 Initial Ride Impressions

Bike tested: 2011 KTM Duke 125

Price: €3695

The KTM Duke 125 might not make it to India any time soon but the next generation Bajaj Pulsar will definitely borrow heavily from the Duke 125. Bajaj Auto might even use the 125cc motor from the Duke 125 on the Pulsar 125 and Pulsar 150 (using the same block). KTM is famous for making off-road racing and street bikes, but does the Duke 125 live up to the KTM name? Its time for a road test to find out how it fares and whether the next generation Pulsar borrowing KTM parts is any good news.

Styling – Motorcycles are being downsized nowadays but its quite the opposite with the Duke 125. The bike looks larger than it actually is. The bold stickers, corporate orange colours, striking alloys sporting particularly wide tyres are the highlights of the bike. But KTM engineers have not spared anything and there is some bling too with LED indicators, tail lamp and license plate.

There’s a bit of bling tailored in to the package such as LED indicators and tail lamp and licence plate. The mid mounted, under belly stainless steel exhaust is note worthy and is placed right between the swingarm and the engine. KTM has even patented this unique exhaust system, which has a unique three chamber with a catalytic converter. The bike weighs just 118 kgs (unladen) but looks much heavier thanks to the beefy looks..

Instrument Cluster and Switch Gear – Knowing your talking about a KTM bike, there can be nothing wrong with the switch gear quality and the Duke 125 lives upto that statement. The instrument cluster is one of the best in terms of functions and information. The fully digital unit showcases a plethora of details including speed, tachometer, time, two trip meters, fuel gaude, fuel efficiency, journey time, total kilometers travelled, distance to empty and service interval time. The display falls right in view of the rider but can be little difficult to read on the move.


Performance and Gearbox – The Duke 125 is powered by a 125cc, 4-valve, liquid-cooled engine with two overhead cams. A balancer shaft along with Bosch fuel injection are part of this small motor, helping it to produce 15 HP of peak power at 10500 RPM and 12 Nm of peak torque at 8000 RPM. The final drive is chain and the reason for the small engine is due to strict EU norms for beginners. One needs to revv the engine hard and keep it above 7000 RPM to get the best out of it. The bike starts feeling breathless at 90 kmph and reaches a top speed of 110 kmph before the engine runs out of steam. One can’t really blame the engine but the small displacement for this sort of performance.


Ride, Handling and Braking – Sit on the Duke 125 and you don’t feel your sitting on a small entry level bike. This motorcycle produces a large bike feel and unless you are riding it, you feel your on a much bigger machine. The flat seats and deeply sculpted tank ensure a comfortable riding seat, while the 750 mm wide handlebars ensure an upright position which is good for long rides. The Trellis and forged oval steel tube chassis is very light, yet extremely strong. The inverted cartridge used for the front suspension is very rate for a 125cc bike. The overall design suggests mass concentration and the short wheel base just confirms the same. KTM has designed the Duke 125 for beginners and ride stability is evidently a priority. Disc brakes are from Bybre to achieve cost reduction.

KTM Duke 125 Test Ride photo


Whats Cool

* Stunning looks
* Handling
* Multi-info display
* Brakes

Whats Not So Cool

* Mediocre engine performance
* Instrument cluster difficult to read on the move