Re: RTR200 bike advice

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I have found both the Gixxer and NS better suited to taller riders. The Apache 200 is a bit cramped. Though others seem to find it comfortable enough. I would suggest to take a longer test ride to figure out comfort.

Any of the three bikes are good for a first time owner.

Fi is not for high speed! Throttle response is much smoother, especially on a cold engine. Though the carb gets the job done as well.

Re: RTR200 bike advice

Yes.
NS160 spotted testing.

Re: RTR200 bike advice

Hey mate,

My cents:

1. Is it practical enough for a first time buyer? -
First timers buy Enfields and what not, so there's nothing wrong in choosing RTR 200 as your first ride so don't be intimidated by the bike and its power.

2. Is it as comfortable to manuevre in city, as say the Gixxer? Heard wide steering radius and heavy front end.
Yes it is. Though compared with Gixxer the RTR200 is a little difficult to maneuver, it should be a piece of cake maneuvering the Apache once you're used to it. So don't worry here.

3. Can the gear lever be lowered? I am 6"1'. If not, is the gixxer much more comfortable for a tall rider?
I'm 6"3 so I can pitch in here, I'm not sure about lowering gear lever but you'll get used to both the bikes over the time. In a single TD you'll find the Apache a little bit forward biased but don't let it deter you from buying it. Just take a couple of long TDs and decide.

5. Should I get FI, considering it's about 12K more? I won't be doing high speeds frequently.
Hope you're talking about the Gixxer FI, the FI variant will be a tad bit smoother and its throttle response will be a teensy bit crisp. I had a back to back long TD on the Carb variant and the FI variant and the difference in power delivery was very much obvious in the FI. Not to mention there "might" be slight improvement in FE too. So is going to be purely your personal choice considering your constraints.

6. Any news on RTR 160 facelift? NS150?
My suggestion, if you're gonna choose one in 150cc segment, then Gixxer is a good choice. Don't wait for other bikes.

Apart from looks I think the other big factor of confusion in choosing between these 2 bikes will be the FE. So if you're fine with looks and FE of RTR then you can go ahead without any confusion.

RTR is one of the underrated bikes currently available in India and I seriously wonder what the folks at TVS are doing while a very good opportunity is slid away from their hands.

If you can bump up your budget, the FZ25 may also be worth considering.

Cheers!

Re: RTR200 bike advice

Hi,
I am considering Gixxer SF FI, and RTR Carb. I've read about the FI in gixxer making significant gains, so that's a no-brainer, especially at 6K. Don't think the same about RTR at 12K!
Have you ridde both RTR200 Carb and FI back to back?
Rejected FZ25 mainly because of the stiff suspension. I'll mainly be driving in city roads. By the way, is RTR much better in handling bad roads than the gixxer?

Re: RTR200 bike advice

The RTR FI is available! Wow, that's some news to me. When I went to TD the RTR a couple of months back , the showroom guys had no idea about the availability of FI variant and the ABS one. Since I recently saw some posts on the non availability of FI, I was under the impression that RTR FI hasn't hit the market. So yeah, I have no idea about RTR FI. Will take a TD soon. Thanks for the info mate.

Cheers!

Re: RTR200 bike advice

Hi,
No No bro, even I've not heard about the FI of RTR 200. Heard it wont be out before Sept or something. I just wrote in the flow.
Sorry for the confusion. :/

Re: RTR200 bike advice

Ahh, just returned after TDing the Apache for the nth time. The showroom folks have no concrete idea on when the FI and ABS versions are going to be released. Even they're tired of TVS not giving them a concrete date for the same.

I'm not sure about other cities, here in Chennai a SVC guy always accompanies us in our TDs. This time I requested no one accompany me on the TD and luckily the manager was kind enough to let me go alone for the TD.

This is the 1st time I was all alone on the Apache and the bike felt even more brisk. Drove for close to 7-8kms, on all practical roads, and I couldn't find any complaints on the bike. The bike is free from all vibes and easily revs till 8k RPM without a fuss. The brakes were good and though the the ride quality was not plush, it was commendable. Handling was top notch for it has always been Apache's forte. The OTR was 1.10 lakhs for the normal model and 1.14 for the one snapped with Pirellis. I don't see anything against picking the RTR200 unless you're concerned about the FE.

Cheers!