When I first tested the TVS Apache RTX in October last year in Shimla – immediately after its launch – the headline of my review was “Racing spirit, touring soul.”
After riding it for days in Delhi’s heat as a daily commuter, I think “Urban warrior, highway soul” is a better description of this bike.
Riding in Delhi
The first thing people notice about the RTX in the city is its sheer size and muscular styling. Even when parked next to heavyweight adventure bikes like a Triumph Tiger or a BMW GS, the RTX looks substantial. It routinely turns heads, with people asking, “What bike is this?”
But despite its size, it’s easy to ride in dense traffic. Weighing just 180 kg, the bike feels light, and navigating narrow streets is a breeze.
I experienced this agility during a coffee run with a friend who rides a Tiger. While he spent ages using his feet to manually reverse his heavy machine out of a parking spot, I was able to flick the lightweight RTX around in half the time. By the time he shifted into first gear, I was already half a kilometre down the road.
The bike returned real-world fuel efficiency of 35 km/litre in city traffic.
The Delhi commuter test
While it handles like a lightweight, it has the stature of a proper ADV. The seat is tall at 835 mm, and gives you a commanding view of the road, but getting on the bike can be a challenge for shorter riders.
For example, when I handed the keys to my father, he refused to ride it due to the height. A friend who stands at 5’4” managed to mount the seat, but said it was not easy. But once you start riding, the upright position forms a comfortable 90-degree angle at the hips and knees.
The fit & finish is world-class; the neat paint quality, firm plastics, solid controls, and wiring match the best in the world. But the 5-inch TFT screen looks a bit small relative to the bike’s size.
Leaving Delhi behind
Powered by a 299.1-cc engine (36 PS, 28.5 Nm), the RTX accelerates smoothly. In Delhi’s stop-and-go traffic, the bidirectional quickshifter works like a dream, letting you change gears without using the clutch.
On the highway, the RTX shows off its touring DNA. In the 80-100 km/h range, the wind protection from the windscreen ensures zero wind blast. The engine doesn’t feel stressed till 100 km/h, but as you touch 120 km/h, while the chassis remains rock-solid, engine vibrations start bothering you. But riding above 120 km/h is anyway illegal in India, and I would like to test this bike to its limits on higher-speed European roads, or a long ride across the Himalayas.
Whom is it for?
Starting at just Rs 1.99 lakh, ex-showroom, and Rs 2.29 lakh, on-road, the RTX is a steal. Its low-end grunt is average and its Eurogrip tyres lack the off-road bite, but if you want an elite daily commuter that is also an efficient and comfortable mile-muncher, the RTX is unbeatable for the price.
(The bike in the photos here is the Built To Order variant in Viper Green shade, and costs Rs 2.34 lakh – around Rs 2.65 lakh, on-road.)
