TVS Apache RTR 310 Review: Dark horse or game changer?

TVS Apache has been a revolution for the Indian two-wheeler market as the company introduced its racing expertise into street motorcycles. Hence came the inception of the Apache brand in 2005. Then the following four years, TVS launched the Apache RTR 160 and then the Apache RTR 180. In 2013, TVS announced a landmark long-term partnership with BMW to manufacture sub-500cc motorcycles.

Based on the 310cc platform, this has yielded four products — Apache RR 310, BMW G 310 R, G 310 GS and G 310 RR. TVS has now launched the latest member from the 310cc family, the Apache RTR 310, which will grab a lot of attention with its design, features and price. We decode TVS’ flagship naked motorcycle in the streets of Bangkok and a couple of laps on a race track. 

TVS Apache RTR 310 Review: What is it?

TVS may call the new RTR 310 a freestyler, but in all fairness, it is the flagship naked motorcycle in the company’s profile. If you are a fan of Transformers then the angular dual-LED headlamps with body-coloured cowls will remind of you Bumblebee. That itself should explain how awesome the new RTR 310 looks. Let’s get more granular in terms of the design.

The Autobot-like headlight is complemented by golden-coloured upside-down 41mm front forks. The tank is sculpted at a sharp angle with busy character lines along with tank extensions. From the side, the bike looks more muscular with the exposed Trellis frame, the 312cc powertrain and the new aluminium rear subframe, which ensures that the RTR 310 is lighter than its sports tourer sibling.

Based on the kerb weight shared by TVS, the RTR 310 is 5 kg leaner. The street fighter comes standard with a split seat with a fairly wide saddle. If one has to knit pick then maybe TVS could have given the RTR 310 a new sleeker and even more compact exhaust rather than simply borrowing it from RR 310. It does look slightly bulky for a naked motorcycle. The split rear LED lamps come with an additional safety function where the lights start flashing when the brakes are slammed hard in an emergency. Also, the rear looks edgy thanks to its jagged edge design supported by a preload-adjustable monoshock. It comes with a 240mm disc brake and comes standard with dual-channel ABS. 

TVS Apache RTR 310 Review: Fully Loaded Features

TVS has upped the ante as the RTR 310 comes packed with segment-first features. Unlike the portrait-shaped TFT screen on the RR 310, the street fighter sports an all-digital 5-inch landscape instrument cluster. It is a Bluetooth-enabled console that connects both smartphones and GoPro. It also offers connected telematics, TVS SmartXconnect, which has functions like post-ride and race analytics, ride pattern analysis, distance covered, ride pattern and a lot more. 

There are plenty of segment-first features like a tyre pressure monitoring system, a climate control seat that offers both cooling and heating functions and a 6D inertial measurement unit. Due to this, it gets a slew of features like cruise control, cornering cruiser control, cornering ABS, cornering traction control, wheelie control and rear lift-off control. Like the RR 310, which offers a Built To Order feature, the RTR 310 also gets fully adjustable front and rear suspensions to customize the compression and rebound dampening based on your requirements whether it is off or on the track. There are three Built To Order trims — Dynamic Kit, Dynamic Pro Kit and Colour Kit 

TVS Apache RTR 310 Review: Engaging 

Unlike other 310 bikes from the TVS-BMW joint venture like the RR 310 and G 310 R, the RTR 310 is quite spunky from the word go. Simply twist the throttle and it unapologetically snaps back like a certain Austrian-made motorcycle. With shorted ratios, the riding experience was more involving and dynamic. TVS said that they wanted the RTR 310 to retain the typical sporty Apache DNA. Hence, the new bike feels the most free-spirited in the company’s portfolio. 

As it is based on the 310 platform, the RTR 310 retains the 312cc though it now edges out the RR 310 as it has a power output of 35.1 bhp and 28.7Nm of torque. This means that the RTR gets an additional 1.6bhp and 1.4Nm more than RR 310 which churns out 33.5bhp and 27.3Nm of torque. Now all this sounds great on paper, but how does it fare on the road? The 6-speed gearbox’s shorter throws mean that the RTR 310 is always rearing to go. Just to give you an idea of how capable the RTR is, it does 0-60 kmph in 2.81 seconds while the RR manages it in 2.93 seconds. That’s the blistering pace it offers at a twist of a throttle.

With great power comes niggling vibrations that manage to creep in after 5,000 rpm from both the saddle and the handlebars. Speaking of the seat, its height is 810mm identical to the RR 310 and making it very accessible. In hindsight, the saddle lacks additional cushion needed especially on long rides. The seat is also the first of its kind as it comes with a three-level heating or cooling option and we used it in hot and humid weather conditions where it worked like a charm. 

The RTR 310 comes with five ride modes — Urban, Rain, Sports, Track and Supermoto. In Urban and Rain modes, the power cuts off at 8,000rpm while in the rest of the modes, it’s at 10,000rpm. The Supermoto is a new riding mode that switches off the rear ABS to allow riders to drift. 

As we were riding the top trim with Dynamic Pro Kit which comes equipped with adjustable suspensions as a result the ride quality was phenomenal. It gobbled up ditches, ruts and undulations of the road. With the new and lighter rear sub-frame, the RTR 310 felt agile while negotiating slow moving rush hour traffic and also offered more aggressive lean angle on the track with full confidence. Even though the RTR 310 is a street bike, it has that X-factor that will bring a smile on an enthusiast’s face. 

TVS Apache RTR 310 Review: Should You Buy It?

TVS has launched the Apache RTR 310 from Rs 2.43 lakh, ex-showroom, onwards, which basically undercuts all its competitors except the Triumph Speed 400 that’s priced at Rs 2.33 lakh, ex-showroom. The RTR 310 is Rs 29,000 more affordable than the RR 310, while the KTM Duke 390 is available at Rs 2.97 lakh and the BMW G 310 R starts from Rs 2.85 lakh.

Even though on paper, the top RTR 310 models may come across slightly pricey but they do offer class leading features. The engine is more responsive and feels more refined than the RR 310 and the bike as a whole feels agile and easy to maneuver. The RTR 310 is quite an enticing proposition as it ticks off many boxes and offers plenty of mechanical customization and equipment options.