TVS Apache RR 310 launched in India: Image gallery
The TVS Apache RR 310, launched in India at Rs 2.05 lakh (ex-showroom, pan-India), is a motorcycle developed by the TVS Racing department, as the Apache has tended to be from the start. But it's special for two reasons. First, it marks 35 years of TVS Racing. Second, this is not only the first TVS model to be derived from the cooperation agreement TVS and BMW signed in 2005 but it is also the first taste we are getting of the new platform - the trellis frame and the 34PS/27Nm 310cc engine. This is the engine that as you know, also powers the BMW G 310 R and the G 310 GS models which OVERDRIVE earlier confirmed will be launched in India in the second half of 2018.
To recap the arrangement, BMW and TVS work together on smaller displacement platforms, loosely defined as 200-500c. The 310cc platform is the one that's currently being worked on. Two BMW models and one TVS model are already in production, more will follow. BMW leads the development and quality control functions of this project while TVS manages development for its versions and produces the motorcycle at a special assembly line in Hosur, near Bangalore.
BMW and TVS do not intend to share showrooms or service networks. BMW Motorrad India will sell its models from its dealers while TVS is looking at a selection of dealers within its network to sell and service the new Apache RR 310. As you know, this motorcycle started from the delicious Akula concept shown at the 2016 Auto Expo. But the production model has undergone various changes since the Akula, and here is a detailed look at the new TVS Apache RR 310. [Also see: 2017 TVS Apache RR 310 first ride review.]
A short but intense ride at the Chennai race track on the TVS Apache RR 310 proved to be fun. This is a fast motorcycle which is extremely easy to ride. The handling and composure is wonderful and we can't wait to ride it on the streets!
The TVS Apache RR 310 is positioned as a premium supersport motorcycle and will sit at the top of TVS' current product range
The TVS Apache RR 310 is the first motorcycle from the TVS-BMW arrangement to go on sale in India. It uses the same frame and the 34PS/27Nm 310cc single-cylinder engine as the BMW 310s
The TVS Apache RR 310 was fine-tuned in the wind-tunnel to generate the lowest drag coefficient possible and small things like the air flow from the top of the screen to the helmet visor were tuned precisely. The result is a 169.50kg machine making 34PS that posts a genuine 160kmph according to TVS
We love the design work on the TVS Apache RR 310. The fairing design looks very sleek and smart while the gently outward curves on the fairing panels gives the motorcycle an impression of heft and size
It is only from this angle, if at all, that the TVS Apache RR 310 looks sized as a normal small displacement supersport. It doesn't feel like it when you ride it but it's a substantial machine is dimension and visual presence
The TVS Apache RR 310 is a sculpted machine but the big fairing panels looks very, very smart. And the restraint shown by TVS designers in the decal work makes the motorcycle looks very European in design and feel. Kudos!
From the rear three-quarters view, the TVS Apache RR 310 looks sculpted and stylish, more perhaps than any Indian bike you can name. Note the handlebars, they're clip-ons but they're not set too low
The TVS Apache RR 310 takes inspiration from the the shark and one of the few non-functional body parts is that little 'fin' under the tail section. The only function it serves are aesthetic and some rain water splash protection says TVS
The 150/60-17 rear Michelin Pilot Street and the rear disc is visible in the frame. Note how light and airy the rear-end looks because of the reversed cylinder configuration. The KYB rear monoshock is preload adjustable on the TVS Apache RR 310
Interesting five-spoke allow wheels wear Michelin Pilot Street radial tyres. The upside-down forks are cartridge-style KYB units on the TVS Apache RR 310
It began as the TVS Akula Concept from the 2016 Auto Expo and now it's on sale. The new name is TVS Apache RR 310
The frosted lower half of the screen and the silver TVS logo on the centre stripe set are the two details visible on the TVS Apache RR 310 front fairing
The wide fairing of the TVS Apache RR 310 includes twin LED projector lamps that are both always on - thank god for that. The mirrors - not mounted on this bike - sit on sculpted aluminium stalks and the look is premium, high quality and distinctive
The Indian tricolour appears as a stylised sticker at the top of the TVS Apache RR 310's wind-tunnel tested screen. It always makes us happy to see our colours being used proudly. Good going TVS!
The TVS horse logo appears proudly on the tank as well as in the middle of the nose between the head lights of the TVS Apache RR 310
The stubby tail piece looks very cool! We do wish the TVS Apache RR 310's faux vents were real - it would have made an already classy motorcycle look epic!
The vertical all-digital dash is a compact unit with a lot of information packed in. The speedo is huge and easy to read and you get used to the rev counter that runs up the right edge pretty quickly too
The plastic tank cover on the TVS Apache RR 310 looks very smart both from close up and from a distance. But note the uniform panel gaps. TVS has never been a low or middling quality motorcycle maker but the new 310 is a big step up. This could be - we confirm at the road test - the new quality benchmark for the affordable premium bike class
The top clamp of the TVS Apache RR 310 looks very, very smart thanks to the Italian-style sculpting. The RR 310 badge at the top of the tank though could have been a slight better made
The switch gear on the TVS Apache RR 310 is not a surprise in configuration. But it feels like a huge step up in quality from the norm. And if you switch the digital display into lap timer mode, you use the pass flash toggle to record lap times too
Not only does TVS Racing have a huge role to play in the development all Apaches and especially this one, this sticker on the TVS Apache RR 310 tail unit marks 35 years of TVS Racing. What a way to celebrate!
The tail end of the TVS Apache RR 310 looks very smart with an ornate but stylish LED tail lamp and slick new LED indicators
Just like the BMW G 310 R, the TVS Apache RR 310 also uses the 110/70-17 and 150/60-17 Michelin Pilot Street radial tyres. These proved to be grippy tyres on the track but more importantly, they appear to be a slightly more resilient compound than, say, the Metzelers on the KTM 390s
Under the plastic panels of the TVS Apache RR 310 sits the red trellis frame that is shared with the BMW G 310 R. The bolt-on rear subframe, though, is unique to the TVS and differs in the angle and design
Note the black fins and the silver-grey panel/fin above it on the trailing edge of the TVS Apache RR 310 fairing. The fins direct hot air out from the radiator but the grey fin blocks it from reaching the rider's shins and directs it down and out instead
The footpeg mounting position was a surprise. The ergonomics on the TVS Apache RR 310 prove to be comfortable but sporty. But the flip side of that was that we had more than a few pegs scraping as we lapped the Chennai Track despite hanging off. Pro? Comfortable ergos that might even support long tours if you put your mind to ti. Cons? Harder riders will find cornering clearance will hold the bike back a bit
The exhaust can looks larger but that's only because the reversed engine configuration of the 310cc engine means the exhaust pipe exists straight back and ducks under the swingarm. Finish levels look good but note the heel plate. For sporty rider, TVS will have to make a taller one