overall the new 180 is not bad...... good with single tone colours...

only those 160 dual colors look hideous.......

Tru dat !
Except for tank scoops even 180 looks "ok"
But they ruined 160 yellow bike
Hope they continue old mono tone colors in 160 like FZ and FZ-s

totally agree with you...i think tvs has done this to make it look muscular and big in size as previous apache looks a bit small in comparison to competition and it will take some time to settle our eyes on it, according to me headlamp is cool, different and muscular....scoops are good but but they are little big in size...tail is sharper now which is a welcome change but console is not looking good in pictures....infact they have killed the neat n uncluttered look of console by adding so cdlled carbon look....

yup.... they tried to make it look bigger with bigger headlamps and tank scoops.. but the headlamps look good only when pilot lamps are on... and the discover like visor looks cheap.... and those split foot pegs didnt fit the ride well since its not mono... but its a economical upgrade by tvs to make the RTR bigger like its competitors...

p.s: IMO Tvs may have a bigger plan in coming years thats why they dont want to make a bigger change in rtr.....

This very 'cosmetic' upgrade seems like a contradiction to the earlier approach for RTR series by TVS. And i think this upgrade is purely a marketing dept's 'call' to give certain boost to the cash registers for the RTR.This is for the first time TVS seems to be have done an upward revision in the target for RTR series as along with the Scooty Pep/Streak models, RTR series fetch the highest margin(read: profits) for TVS.

And to gain maximum sales, they have to catch the fancy of the general public(read:non-enthusiasts to some extent) by splashing dual-tone colour schemes and other garish stuff.

Bottomline: Kill two birds in one stone.
1. Get more customers.
2. Fool the competition-by creating a misdirection(you know what i am talking about!! )

Good one, Satyen!!

Exactly!!

If you ask me, the side profile looks weird to me, but somehow i feel the design will grow upon us in due course of time. The only saving grace is the 'dynamite' of the mill which the duo possess. The intake and exhaust roar, the raw appeal is still unmatched!!

Really hope so that TVS has a bigger Apache on cards soon!

+1000 times!

That's what makes a person mad in his love towards the RTR!

The head-unit/fairing looks good, but, it doesn't gel well with the overall design. It's in a complete new and different dimensional space in this bike; like a kid sticking his neck out of malnourishment. While the general consensus suggests that lowering the height of the fairing will make it more attractive and beasty, I have my doubts if TVS will do that, ever. The new bikes have already being dispatched and it'd need'em to rework the whole front. Highly unlikely that they'd take the trouble of doing all that... And even if they plan to do that, the first lot owners of this so-called 2012 series are definitively not gonna like it.

The front looks brash on its face but from where the rider sees it it is more like being on a Mickey Mouse!

Overall, I feel the bike has some niceties too. New speedo, foot-pegs, tail-piece, head-lamp et al; everything has gone edgier, and that's good. But again, somehow it seems that the designers had no clue where these panels were going to fit. Every panel seems to have come from different designing house. Of course, as Chicane pointed out, it will grow on us in due time, but the bike has lost it's subtlety and understated elegance, which me and I presume many other bikers loved it for...

The engine definitely is responsible for most of the thrill factor of riding a bike. But it is also the styling/appeal of a bike which pulls the stings of the heart.

There is a saying that "One can't make a delicious meal even if one has the best ingredients; if the proportions of adding/mixing them is not right".

Automobile design is about getting the "proportions" right (didn't the slim rear of the original R15 look out of place).. secondly the lines of the vehicle defines its "stance" which make the vehicle dynamic even when stationary.

Just adding fancy features and cycle parts doesn't garuantee a knock out design. Best example: Mojo has a Liquid cooled engine, Monoshock suspension, Pirelli Tyres, Fuel Injection, Upside down forks (best ingredients).. but totally awkward proportions and a confused stance (= no image/appeal).

The dispropotionate tank flaps and the raised "head" makes the 2012 RTR (from the side) look like "a bird flapping it wings".

The white one is looking cool. Guess the dual tone work and graphics is not done properly. And as noted by someone if the rear head is lowered would give it a cool look. Only the side panels are flamish which spoil the overall look. The upgrade is ok but not worth 5k more.

Very unlikely, Honda & Bajaj are going full throttle in the performance biking scene. Bajaj has already announced that there is a Duke 350 coming, which by default implies that a P350 is on the cards. It only indicates that TVS needs more time to answer competition, they are just buying sometime with these cosmetic updates.

I've learnt from experience that an extra pair of hands is essential when messing with the fuel filter!

Holy mother! Somebody call guiness! 16 times...

This is another point of difference, while the switches do make poor contact after a monsoon or two, it's nothing a good dose of wd40 won't fix. I think the real problem is that there isn't any consistency to TVSs problems!



Wasn't the fat-a$$ mudguard that actually spoiled the rear?

Agreed !

This thing must be 80-85 on road now I believe.
And going by the books 90% or may be more buyers opt for loan, and I still think that opting for Duke and slapping 2000-3000 per month more on the EMI makes bloody good sense.

Blame it on the cheap price !

Absolutely !

I wont go and buy a motorcyle which has engine of a Duke and body of a ZMR, even if its priced at 95000 on road.

__________________________________________________ _____________

And coming back to the new RTR design, Do we really need scoops on tank ?
This trend was started way back in 1999 with CBZ and later followed by Fiero.
RTR with scoops removed will look much better, both old and new models.

I don't find it sensible to be honest. If this comes at say 82K on-road and the Duke comes 138K on-road. There is a hefty price difference between both. And who is gonna own this bike would never go for Duke whether you slap him an EMI 3K more for 5years or you give him 10 slaps

Which motorcyle you ride ?

You can PM me for those off-topic disucssions