very nice write up and nice "mod" there...
and about the pics... well I think u already know how big fan I am of ur photography...(i've got (almost) every pic u posted here on xBhp of ur bike) superb pics...

P.S.- My bike's gonna turn 1 on 29th of this month...(ur bike is 14 days older than mine) And i've planned a few "HH type upgrades"(there I said it) for my Menace... will post the pic on 29 or may be on 30th... can't wait...

P.P.S- Are u serious about that ABS sticker???

Congratulations Swagat...
And YES, those Golden alloys also grasped my eyes yesterday. It's really neat...

Thanks, guys!!



Dude, i have tried it sending again.But it's bouncing back.May be Yahoo is not allowing heavier attachments.Do you have any other mail id?

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Ok, here it is my first ride report of the RTR 180. Most of us here already know the virtues of the bike but this report is from my point of view (which is no different by you guys).But as I have spend quite an amount of time with the bike I have got closer to get to know what the bike really offers and have spotted some exceedingly good things and some minor niggles/grouse of the bike.


Now everybody knows how the RTR looks. Not really an issue here but then this is a 3 year old product which has been constantly refurbished with "functional" and some "cosmetic" upgrades and thankfully there are no shoddy sticker jobs. I have used and ridden couple of previous iterations of the Apache series extensively and never ever I have got noticed in the bike. I know it's not an awesome looker but when I rode the "Pearl White" RTR suddenly I figured out that people are giving a second glance to the bike. The colour "White" gets the people attention. The other colours might get lost in the Apache crowd, though. Styling as we know hasn’t been changed but when it comes to build quality this bike certainly is quite good. No panel gaps (typical Apache), awesome paint quality and finish, beautifully crafted levers and foot pegs and oh so cool petal disc ooze quality and I don’t see any reason why the bike wouldn’t stand the time well. And yeah, the rear fender looks classy from behind and those wide tyres do complement them well.


RTRs have always been known for revvability. Being short stroke in nature the engine tends to present the rider some amount of combustion after-effects (read: vibrations) and that has been a concern to many. And yeah, I agree on that front but then that's the nature of these types of engine. And No I am not saying that everybody enjoys getting a massage while riding. TVS has been working on it and it definitely shows up in the 180. There are absolutely no vibrations from foot pegs, whatsoever. There is only a slight tingle from the handlebar which starts from 3k-4k rpm and remains all throughout the rev-band. I have taken the bike till 112km/hr and i didn’t notice any disconcerting vibrations from any other areas. But the experience and the degree of 'vibrations' vary from bike to bike. My friend (a 180 owner in Bangalore) experiences vibrations from foot pegs but it's a different story in my bike. The other day I was talking with a TVS engineer he said that they are working out on cam profiles but there is an obvious drop in performance with mild setups and they don’t want that to happen as RTR stands for something which most people enjoy to the max i.e. Performance.

I have always liked the A150 for its awesome midrange and low-end torque, the RTR 160 for its top end burst. I always have dreamt of why not all those virtues on a same bike and yo the 180 appears. The first moment i rode the eagerness of the engine at low speeds kept me amazed. But when i whacked the throttle it was a wild frenzy of every shorts. The bike has sling shot acceleration. No waiting to see the tacho to get to know when the power will come, no matter what gear you are on, what speeds you are doing the bike just pulls with such authority that it can even put the bigger Ps to shame. And no I am not even considering the R here. The tickering of the speedo display adding numbers is a treat to watch!! This is no fanboy 'crap' and no exaggeration; I am saying all this with my eyes and ears open. And all this on a bike which only had 600 kms on the odo. I am sure after more mile munching the performance would only improve. The exhaust note and the intake growl(though far off the awesome Fi) would keep you at the edge of your seat. Still, the RTR Fi is one heck of an awesome/fun machine to ride and even if the 180 is convincingly much faster it lacks the involvement of the Fi (may be the exhaust note is the reason). The 180's midrange burst feels as much as that of the P220 Fi and that is a 'big' statement in itself.



Handling and braking has been Apache's forte but then it gets twitchy at most of the times thanks to the mediocre tyres. The 180 has wider footprint and from what i have felt the rubber is slightly better than the 160s. The R15' s rubber are in different galaxy and wish TVS had plonked in similar soft compounds which would have upped the confidence level of the rider. But those tyres are not that bad in 'experienced' hands but they can bite you at wrong places if one goes overboard or on the hands of 'newbies'. The bike feels planted at high speeds and is slightly less flickable than the 160s. Braking is top notch and bike stops without much fanfare.I did ride it aggressively in wet conditions and i didn’t feel anything to crib about be it the handling or the braking. The bike feels light and is a breeze to commute in traffic and the awesome low-end torque even helps a lot.

Riding position remains the same and only the handle bar is li’l bit wider which will take time getting used to.


SURPRISES:

(1) The ride quality has come as a pleasant surprise to me. The Apaches had a stiffer setup and were actually a compromise to get better handling. The devil in the ride quality has been put to rest and the bike handles the bumps and potholes with aplomb and there are no bone jarring tremors. TVS adoption of tubeless 17 inchers has beared fruits in ride quality because of longer travel of rear shock absorbers. Even if the bike feels softly sprung (not exactly) there is no bottoming out when tackling rough roads with a pillion.

(2) Low-end and mid range power is just fantastic.

(3) Less vibrations than previous RTRs.

(4) Rear discs felt better as in comparison to the Fi. The Fi's narrower tyre gives up early when braked hard.

QUEASY BITS:

(1) Tappet noise/Engine refinement: This is a concern for me rather than the vibrations. They are just too intrusive when riding at slower speeds. I wonder when TVS will iron out or lessen any of those. They can mar the riding experience of anybody, the only way to get off them is to whack the throttle wide open and listen to the glorious intake and exhaust note.

The engine also feels quite stressed post 9k rpm where the RTR Fi hits the ceiling without any fuss. I guess some more kms on the odo would open up the engine a bit. The engine loses out in refinement stakes and stands nowhere in front of the likes of the R15 and Unicorn. The R15 gets my vote for the best engine when it comes to refinement.

(2) Tyres could have been better or soft compound for that matter.

And i just can’t ask for more because at 70k it's more 'bike' per 'bike'!!

Current kms on the odo: 1220kms
Mileage Best: 53km/ltr
Worst: 42km/ltr
Varies from 45-50km/ltr for most of the times.

Note for prospective 180 owners: This is an unbiased review and you can rely on what I have mentioned here but then nothing can get any better than a personal experience on a bike. So do take a test ride of the bike before deciding on the bike.

Very nice pics and info..can feel your passion bro..!!! i cant wait to get my hand's on an rtr never ridden one

Thank you!!

RTR turned 2 yesterday!!

Thank you!!

RTR turned 2 yesterday!!