Has anyone of you wondered that amidst all the hoglight that is often stolen by Honda, Bajaj etc, TVS is upto something big silently. Apart from the BMW G310R equivalent, they are also venturing into Bajaj’s strongly dominated territory – the 200 cc domain with the new Apache 200! The motorcycle, revealed to be developed with inputs from partner BMW (link to article), has been spotted quite a number of times earlier but this time we have it on tape and in motion with interesting claims…
S Suman Stanley, in his car spotted the Apache 200 on the Chennai-Bangalore highway and made a video of it. The Apache 200 mule was claimed to be doing 110-120 kmph relatively easily and this was proved when Suman shows us his car’s speedometer with the needle hovering between 100 and 120 kmph (he wasn’t wearing seat belts is another debate for some other day)! The spy video which can be watched at Maquinas TVS Racing Colombia (RTR), showcases a mule with disc brakes and new alloy wheels along with monoshock at the rear, which will be a first for TVS among production motorcycles!
The Apache brand, with the current RTR 160 and RTR 180, is doing really well in terms of sales, despite their age. Apaches have been known for their nimble performance and the flagship 200 is expected to take this to a new level. Decent cruising speeds of this test mule further strengthen our belief in the upcoming motorcycle.
Bajaj has so far enjoyed dominance partially because of the value for money products they offer and more importantly due to little or no products by the competition around this segment. But that will change with the Apache 200 which is, like Bajaj, expected to spawn many models based on the same platform including faired sports like the RS200.
TVS will most probably unveil the new Apache 200 at the upcoming Auto Expo in February and a launch thereafter should be on the cards…
