My Experience with the #Apache 160 RTR
The Bike has completed nearly 2300 Km as of today. My riding has primarily been in the city limits, but the perks of staying near Palm Beach Road and it being my route of choice while commuting to work, means I get the space to open up the engine almost every other day. My daily commute is about to increase from 24 km per day to 70 km per day as I transition to a new job at a different Company. Interestingly, the route has a good mixture of traffic, open roads, twisting around scenic areas which remind me of my childhood.
My experience with the bike in general has been good. The RTR is an excellent partner for my daily commute whilst also helping me recharge my energy levels with the occasional ripping on the roads. The exhaust note is very addictive and I can vouch for it being the USP when I went in for the RTR. I can recollect quite a few rides when I focused solely on the exhaust note and it felt exhilarating. Owning a bike, has set me free. I could never relate to my friends experiences when they said, that they feel very independent after they got the bike up until I got the RTR. A sense of belonging, independence and a close connection with caring for the RTR are what made me realize that.
When Zeroing in on the RTR, I considered quite a few points and one of them was that the Bike should be Sporty but not to an extent where I look ridiculous turning up in it for work related commitments. Another criteria, was that since I would primarily commute to work, the bike should be happy to potter around at city speeds when need me. I did not realize that I was on the lookout for a bike with a dual personality.
When I ride the Apache daily, I sensed that the bike is not a Beast shackled by the city roads nor a Daily commuter marketed as a Sports Bike, it is in fact a bike with a dual personality. The key to switch personalities lay in my mind. When I choose to switch, is when I choose to twist the throttle. It is such a joy to turn up the heat when you feel like it and it is so easy flick the bike around. I am no Bike Expert, but, boy do I cherish every single ride on the Apache RTR.
The RTR came with the industry best petal disc brakes after the first refresh. I opted to go for a dual disc after a lot of thought and comparison with similar bikes. What I have come to realize is that, it is always better to be safe than sorry. All you need to remember is to ride safe and to brake safe in an emergency. I transitioned from riding a TVS Scooty Streak which has drum brakes on both the front and the back wheels. I would ride the Scooty to its limits and but I always would be prepared to anticipate an emergency. This led to me developing pulse braking in emergency situations (All thanks to best friends who are riders). I feel riding lessons in India should start with braking before anything else, because of the unpredictable nature of the Auto-rikshaws and unruly drivers on Indian roads. Driving defensively is the first skill any driver/rider should perfect as per Team-BHP and I am a firm believer.
The bite on the brakes of the RTR are insanely good. According to my cousin from Chennai, they are the first choice for track racers (Yamaha RX-100’s modified for the track). Personally, I believe TVS have the best brakes in class. While the 160 RTR does not have an ABS option, the dual disc brakes are unparalleled in pure performance terms.
Racing Throttle Response aka RTR
There are times when you wonder at some of the crap that automotive companies can feed to the general audience to market their products. At first, I was taken aback when the marketing material read ‘pure racing material’ and ‘racing throttle response’, but my experience since has negated my perception. Make no mistake, the Apache RTR is every bit the Beast advertised and will bite you if you are not careful. It has the every single bit of the panache and the pedigree advertised. The Throttle response is every bit as alive as your imagination, and the acceleration is immediate and spine tingling!
This feature of the RTR is what makes it stand out over every other bike. The always on Daytime Running Light inspired Beast lamps are very enticing in the dark and raise the hair on my back every time I stand back to admire!
Although the bike on the whole is a superb rider, there are some of niggles I have to figure out. There is squeak every time I engage the rear disc brakes. The Carburetor seems to be out of whack, RPM fluctuating and the RTR seems to be stuck in Beast Mode only. Gear shifts are getting harder and false neutrals are on the rise. Nothing a routine service would not fix!
