A Test Ride Report - RTR 180, by Samarth 619.
Guys, 15 days ago I tested the RTR 160 and what a damn fast bike it was, quite close to my Pulsar 180 UG3 ... & an hour before, I was test riding the brand NEW
Apache RTR 180 on the Ajmer Dholabhata Fly overs, with my younger sister...
I tried noticing every aspect of the bike in detail. Firstly, the showroom guy wanted to be with me. I refused and decided to go with my sister.
After my Pulsar 180, what a feeling it was to ride the RTR. Sharp Pointed RV Mirrors, Rear Set Footpegs, Close Clipons, small size, tank extensions and the racy white tachometer, all reminded me of the R15 Test a few months back, and literally dragged me into a mood to race! But, this was road, so I set off slowly...
The machine is very punchy and the gears are well spaced. The Silencer grunt is similar to RTR 160 (read punchy). I noticed that upto 4000 rpm, it behaved like a damn smooth machine...
Beyond 4000, vibrations started creeping in slowly to the handlebars & footpegs, right all the way upto 7000 rpm. However, these were
quite improved compared to the RTR 160 I ridden earlier (160 was a real vibrational Attyachaar! Even more vibrations than my Pulsar I'm sure)
Also, I was surprised to see that around 5000-6000 rpm, the tacho itself began to vibrate slowly. The good news is that the vibrations ended at 7000 rpm. However, let me tell you that I took it upto 7500 rpm only...
Still, RTR vibrates noticeably less than my Pulsar180 UG3. Just a mild tingling in 4-7 krpm zone, and you can live with it easily.
Frankly speaking, this machine is not meant for low end punch. And it has not improved noticeably over 160 in this aspect, maybe a little but that's about it.
However, the mid range did seem stronger, and this bike is damn eager to raise hell, with the mid end!
Speedo-meter was very responsive, It updated like 3-4 times per second or so.
Tyres are NOT grippier guys, not even comparable to my Pulsar's stock MRF. Maybe, they are a bit better than RTR 160, but that's it! Some serious MRF's will give you courage to lean hard, as the suspension and chassis seem quite planted compared to my Pulsar. Believe me guys, a new set of tyres will unleash this bike's braking, cornering, etc. by a huge margin. What good is that 270 mm disc without grippy tyres, I ask?
Halfway through the ride, the fuel was empty, and before my sister could lay some girly abuses to my sorry face,
I took the bike immediately to a nearby petrol pump, and filled Rs. 30 worth of petrol, and took it back to Service Station.
In all, This machine is going to face tough competition from Pulsar 180, and I DARE SAY the new Pulsar 220 too ... I mean, RTR's ex-showroom is 65900, barely Rs. 4000 away from 220cc bike which is now much better than its iteration... What makes more "VFM & Performance" sense? RTR 180 (66k) or P220 (70k)? You answer that ...
Finally, if I had to say something to the RTR 180, it would be "Dear RTR, I salute your fighting spirit. Still, Wishing you the Best of luck, as seriously, you're going to need it! For sure" ... Thanks guys for reading.
Any Comments?