I am Nitin from vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. I am 23 years of age and am passionate for bikes since 2 years. But I had learnt riding on motorcycle just 6 months back on my brand new rtr 160 !!!!!!! Now I will tell you, why I had taken rtr 160 and also the performance, mileage and my verdict.
1) why I took rtr 160 : Honestly when I was searching for new bike, I just bothered about the looks and wether the bike suits me or not. I checked all the available 150 cc bikes and found out rtr 160 and yamaha fz suits me well. I am average build person and my height is 5.5". So out of all 150cc, these two bikes suited me most. But I choosed rtr 160 over fz because I hardly had budget for rtr 160 and cannot extend it for fz.
2) Worst running-in period !! : I did’nt know riding bike but I took rtr 160 because of its looks and also due to my intrest in performance bikes. I had learnt releasing clutch on brand new rtr 160 and thereafter many times the engine got shut off due to mistake in clutch release and many times gear lever got stuck in between gears. Addition to this, I had learnt some time on hill with increasing rpm and frequent engine shut off !!!! The mileage followed my worst driving and it returned 30 kmpl during running in period. During this time, I had two minor accidents. This is the pathetic period in my rtr’s life !!!
3) After I learnt riding : After learning, slowly I understand my bike’s performance and thereafter I had more fun on my bike.
Handling: The bike feels little bit heavy when it is not started. But once you turn on the ignition and start the bike, you will never feel the weight of the bike. It feels like very nimble and it is very easy to handle even in bumper traffic.
Cornering: Cornering is the main strength of rtr. Just push the tank with the outer knee and control by the inner knee, you will be surprised by the angle you lean in. It is just awesome and you feel like gaming in corners and heavy traffic.
Braking: Braking is spot on. Rare drum is just ok but front discs are razor sharp. Braking is very good and is apt for such a power house.
Comfort: The shocks are ok but cannot give smooth experience on average sized potholes. Seat is well cushioned but rear part is little but still big than yamaha fz. Mainly the rider has to get adjusted with the crouched position. After riding 1 week, you will not feel any back pain. This is not a con but its an issue with every sporty bike !!!
pick up: This is just awesome. The name racing throttle response is just apt. Be it in any gear, any speed and any rpm, the bike always respond very crazy to the throttle. Once I was at 110 kmph speed and started overtaking a car running more or less the same speed. When I twisted the throttle to its last bit, the speed just shoot upto 120 kmph and is still increasing !!! May be a speedo error creeped, but still it can touch its top speed by crazily acting to the throttle.
Looks : I kept this part last because it varies upon different eyes. I love its model and mainly the tail part with the beautiful led rocks. The digital speedo has many gadjets and tachometer is awesome. The orange lit light looks amazing and it is blue in case of rtr 180 and 160 fi. My rtr model got front scoops just like 180 and 160 fi and the bike looks macho from the front with its powerful head lamp. Head lamp light is very good in cities and highways.
Mileage : It keeps on varying with the riding style. When I shift gears at correct rpm i.e; at 3000 to 4000 rpm,
at 40 to 60 kmph, mileage is 50 to 55 kmpl and within 80 to 100 kmph, mileage is 40 to 45 kmpl.
When I rashed my bike i.e; shifting gears at higher rpm and with frequent braking, around 70 kmph, milage dropped to 40 kmpl.
After 3rd service, my bike is tuned for mileage with some sacrifice of pickup and with proper gear shifting and maintaining speed around 60 kmph, I got mileage of 57 kmpl in city conditions !!!!
4) Cons : No product is perfect and the flaws of apache are
The main con is vibration. Vibration starts at 55 kmph and is maximum at 60 kmph and completely vanishes thereafter and re appears at 110 kmph. Every bike has mild to strong vibration at 55 to 60 kmph speeds and in apache its more.
Spare parts availability is scarce. Regular spares are easily available but other spares are scarce.
Tvs tyres suck. Its good on tar but on wet surfaces, it behaves odd compared to other company tyres.
Uncomfortable for people of 6 feet height and above.
5) Service centres : Maximum service centres for any company in India are not good. If you find a good one, then you are quite lucky. But we can get good service in bad service centres by giving our bike only to one mechanic there and make him friend. Give some rupees to him and he will take care of your bike. Always call him before taking the bike to service and give it to him. Some times he may service badly and may ask extra rupees, then ask him to rectify the problems and tell him you will give money in next service. During free service, cost will be incurred on oil change and some other item which I forgot and costs you around 300 rupees.
6) Reliability : Many people say bajaj and tvs products are less reliable compared to honda and yamaha. But my friend is having tvs fiero f2 bike which is a flop but it is still running 78000 kms on odo without any major repairs and is still returning him 55 kmpl !!!! So its all about how you maintain the bike.
7) My verdict : With worst running in period, my bike still manage to give me great mileage and awesome pickup. With the best cornering, I am having fun while commuting. You will easily forget the main con i.e; vibration because of the fun the bike is offering and also pocket friendly maintenance. So I recommend this bike to anybody who is under 6 feet height.