I agree with everything else but this upgrade is not even remotely like Pulsar 150 UG1 - UG2 - UG3 - UG4 - UG4.5 - With Speedlines

Each one of the proper UGs was a slight bump in peak power and always backed by an overall smoother product.

RTR was an all new product after the old Apache 150 which was launched in late 2008-early 2009. Lets call it Classic.
Hyper-Edge was a mid-life upgrade and there was no bump in power. This was launched in 2011. Fair enough, lets call this UG1. (BTW, Pulsar got a DTSi treatment in UG1, with a 1 bhp bump alongwith increased FE, and an improved gearbox.)
New upgrade is also a mid-life upgrade, no upgrade in horsepower / torque again. BUT, after just 1 year of a mid life upgrade, why did they want to launch another 'non upgrade' with so much fanfare? Lets call it UG2 (Or is it UG1.5?). (BTW, with UG2, Pulsar 150 got an industry first feature: Digital Instrumentation console AND a 0.5 bhp bump)

Clearly, the general public has been spoilt by the way BAL goes about upgrading products. The only BAL bikes which got teasers were the 135LS and 200NS, which are 'ALL NEW' products. Just because other people are giving teasers doesn't mean you should too. They have invested enough in RnD to be able to give worthwhile teasers which do not end in disappointment like this. If you compare the current upgrade to the Speedlines, Speedlines edition never got teasers, neither did Black-Orange combo Pulsars.

What the Fcuk is wrong with TVS !
What is this ? !
I always thought ZMR is the worst looking motorcycle on sale in India today.
This new RTR just made it 'was'.

Old RTR with new color scheme would look so much better than this.

Its a PR Nightmare now.. a glance at the brickbats that fans are hurling on the Apache RTR Fanpage would dampen the spirits of the marketing guys at TVS.

The quality could be very good and so could be the fit and finish. After all no one has seen the product in flesh till now.

But automobile design is about proportions.. and the proportions of the bike is awkward to say the least. The DESIGNER who penned the design of this upgrade is definitely NOT A BIKE GUY.

Another reason why I said that its a PR managers disaster!
The idea of a teaser is to tease an audience for a new product. To catch attention, arouse Interest, create a desire and prompt him to ACT in terms of viraling the info or buying the bike. Little did the PR agency knew that the audience have already been teased long enough. Happens when the PR chaps have little understanding of what the audience really wants!

In my view the campaign could have been brilliant had a few basic things been done right. Sadly, its late. Not saying that they cant fix it.

Great to know that the engine is not different... I love the Apache ride and feel and it really required some racy styling. Hope TVS has done just that.

found this on FB

I love reading these blogs. Provides a much needed humor on a tiring day.

LMFAO. Very well put Satyen.

Agreed. What went wrong IMHO is the fact that they went a bit overboard with a mid-life product upgrade publicity with teaser pics/vids et al. And THAT raised the appetite.

by seeing where Indian biking market is going, we seriously expected an upgradation in RTR series..not just a same speedline with an uplift

Yes agreed, wrt R15 they gave what customers wanted(big fat tire + LED tail lights) EOD everyone happy.
Shouldnt TVS have done the same ?

Actually the problem is JUST the Super cool blogs which go berserk in reporting such stories. The pictures were quite evidently of pilot lamps, if you saw it as something else then I guess you were seeing it with delusion and wet fantasies of Panigale. Heck thats like finding resemblance of a certain Jessica Alba in Jassi Shah!

Sadly things didnt stop there, wet fantasies of Jassi having surgical implants were used to ensure suckers (like you and me) glue on to the website! How the hell does a pic of pilot lamp suggest that the bike is a 250CC? It doesnt. What it suggests is the attention whore attitude of the blogs which uses your deep dark fantasies against you, and then CREATE and deliver what we call a KLPD.


Think about it this way.
Apache - RTR - RTR Hyper Edge - RTR whatever this crap is named

Isnt it like
P150 UG1 - UG2 - UG3 - UG4 - UG5 - With Speedlines

or R15, Colour Scheme, R15V2
or FZ s - FZs limited edition , New Colour scheme

Heck the things that have changed in the Apache as compared to the New Whatever it is is a LOT more than the things changed in Pulsar with speedlines.


What TVS is dealing with is a PR managers disaster.
What we are dealing with is a crack infested trigger happy blogs and PMS.

sadly this "NEW" Apache won't be in league of these bikes at all

No joke. It resembles a taxi...with eyebrows.

There may be some good/attractive features, but overall, its looking bad, considering this is the latest among R15v2, CBR150, Duke, P200NS.

You guys must be joking about the paintjob. thats an awesome colour scheme! Perfect for a bike like the rtr (in my books atleast).....just that the new curvy body silhouette apparently doesnt suit the colours too well. The sharper lines of the old rtr were better. This one's been blunted everywhere.....tank, headlight cowl, tank and lower scoops. They also goofed up a bit by switching to a glossy paint from the earlier matte paint.

From the looks of the rear footpeg mounts, they've made some change to the frame as well. Weight reduction?

I'm willing to bet it'll probably look better in person than in pictures.

Now motorbeam has brought up another new news.Probably they have sixth sense
Here is the news.
Rumours suggest that the power output of the Apache RTR 180 could be boosted to 19 PS from the current 17 PS but we will take that with a pinch of salt. A price hike of Rs. 5000/- is likely on this facelift.