BBC Top Gear India – July 2019

(singke) #1

TOPGEAR.COM → JULY 2019 013


July I 2019


2019 TVS Apache RR


e love the MMRT – so much
you should’ve gathered over
the years. We feel that it is
the best racetrack to test
most of the new motorcycles that are
made in India. It’s technical, fast and a lot
of fun to ride at. And having raced a fair
bit here, it is also a track that we know
quite well. And when you’re out testing,
the more parameters you can keep

WE SAY: THE ALREADY GREAT
RR310 GETS SOME GOODIES TO
MAKE IT EVEN BETTER

Ashok George

W


VERDICT: The new
update gives the RR
even more prowess out
on the racetrack with
added on-road benefits. 

SPECIFICATION


8
10

2.13 lakh
(ex-showroom, Mumbai)

The new slipper
clutch makes
downshifting into
corners even better!

constant in the testing environment, the
better it is. And that held true with the
new RR 310 this time around.
First, we’re going to tell you what
has changed. Not a lot, actually. In
fact, the only changes are to address
the refinement issues, a new colour
(Phantom Black) and a new assist and
slipper clutch. TVS has made the bar-
end weights heavier and added a rubber
lining to the windscreen which has made
significant improvements in refinement.
They have also retuned the ECU, which
has made the engine run smoother
without changing output. But the slipper
clutch is what has got us most excited.
The biggest change you can feel
is when braking to go into turn 4.
The previous-generation bike, while
well balanced, did tend to hop under
aggressive downshifts unless you were
really good at rev-matching. The new bike
does none of that. Shifting down from
fifth gear to fourth delivers very linear
deceleration, leaving your brain free to
concentrate on the corner ahead. But the
real test of the slipper clutch came when
exiting turn 9.
We made a mistake and managed
to shift down from third gear on the
exit of turn 9 instead of up. While we
were preparing ourselves for inevitable
disaster, what actually happened to
surprise us. The RR merely registered
its protest very loudly and that was it.
The motorcycle didn’t get bent out of
shape or even move from its trajectory. It
merely waited for us to shift back up two

gears and went about its business.
The RR 310 has always had a fantastic
chassis and engine. In its new avatar, it is
a lot more refined and a whole lot more
capable. And the best part is that for
under five thousand bucks, you can have
this additional mechanical capability
added to your older RR 310. That’s right


  • slipper clutch for under five grand!
    Overall, the changes have made the
    RR 310 a friendlier and more well rounded
    package. And for that, the price of `2.
    lakh (ex-Mumbai) is not a lot to pay.


312.2cc, liquid-cooled, single-cyl,
33bhp, 27.3Nm
Fuel tank: 11 litres

PHOTOGRAPHY


: SHASHANK MB

Free download pdf