Hi guys,
I have been wanting to buy a 150 cc bike from a while.I checked out the pulsar which in my opinion is a dangerous bike in the handling department.The seating position is awful.I test rode it and it gave me jitters.U cant take sharp turns unless u get used to it .The other reason 4 opting out is that it has become common.Every dude rides one.
The unicorn is smooth like velvet.What I disliked abt it are the looks(very conservative except the back which is awesome).The other thing I dislike is the engine note.Very muted.It dosent give the rider a feeling tht he is riding a powerful bike).The engine felt like it will stall during gear shifts.Dunno the reason.Felt like its been de-tuned ).
So when apache was launched I purchased this bike on the 12th of april. Had a problem with it even b4 I took it out of the showroom.The engine was sounding like it had a sore throat compared to the other bikes there.The manager at the showroom first tried the usual trick ie., the noise will go away on its own which made me wonder if this is a technological advancement ’a self healing bike’. I told him to give me a different bike but since it was registered they cudnt do tht. He then diagonsed the problem saying it is the ignition timing chain and not the engine making the noise.They sent it to the service centre and adjusted the tensioner after which the problem disappeared.Only then did I take delivery. I didnt like the bike in the begining, found the engine rough, vibrations, hard gear shifts, and flat exhaust note.I had half a mind to sack it. I then decided to wait and watch. The timing chain noise reappeared.I took the bike which had done barely 150 kms back to the service centre.They fixed it again(temporarily) as they didnt want to open up the bike cos being new they dont have spares.He promised tht if the problem comes up again he will investigate thoroughly. To my astonishment the problem cropped up again. I wanted to set it alight, tht is how pissed I was.
I have done 375 kms so far and to my surprise the gears have become softer and the vibrations reduced considerably. The only thing tht bothers me is the noise I was mentioning abt and the tappet noise which gets louder as the engine gets hotter.This apparently is a normal characteristic of a four stroke bike.I am told all 4 strokes(including pulsar/unicorn etc) have this.
THE POSITIVES:
Love the seating position, road handling, looks, headlight, pick up.
THE NEGATIVES:
Hate the look from the behind, tappet noise.
It is difficult for some one from a 2 stroke to adjust to a 4 stroke.I also own a suzuki shogun which according to me is the best bike ever in its category made in India.this was the main reason for me to buy a TVS bike.Brand loyalty is an important factor though suzuki has nothing to do with apache.
I hope the guys at TVS fix my problem.Overall it a good bike.A head turner.I give it 4 stars.