Hi guys . Here I am with my report of TVS Apache “Its now or never” after 40,000 km. First of all for all those guys who beat their chest talking about Pulsars, CBZs etc my report must be an eye opener! Even after four years of ownership my bike rock is solid (what is it that they say about Hero Honda’s longevity) I pity those who have a Pulsar because they constantly keep on complaining about their toy.
ENGINE: A lot was written about the engine being noisy and causing vibrations. But the fact is otherwise. Yes vibrations do occur at an early level around 58kmhr but then you cross that speed everything is rock steady even at 100kmhr (Take any pulsar and try crossing 100kmhr it shakes like a snake. Am not talking about vibrations but the whole front part shakes). Talking about the noise, tell me which engine does not make noise.
There is absolutely no need to worry about the engine Quality, mind you it is a SUZUKI engine!. It gives the same performance as it did 4 years back. The only negative point it has is that the engine is not as smooth as it was on FIERO but the “rev peppy” nature makes for it.
HANDLING: As you all know handling is at its best on an APACHE. I love the way it handles itself. You can cut through any small passage you have on the road. The lesser wheel base and lighter weight aid the handling very much.
I had to change the parts related to handle and shock absorbers(just oil seals) only once during all these years. Of course the front suspension is a bit on the stiffer side but you know it is justified for sharper braking.
PERFORMANCE: I have never lost a RACE in the city and outskirts of a city even once. That pretty much tells you how the performance is! I am not saying that it is the fastest or that it goes from 0-100 in such and such seconds but all am saying is that it has the right combination of power and weight coupled with excellent handling and braking. Of couse all this vanishes if there is a pillion rider because of high power to weight ratio but it is pretty good even then.
DESIGN: Here first let me tell you what I don’t like – the headlamp design. But I have made up something myself to compensate it. You can see it in the photos. It was the first bike to be introduced with gas shocks, black alloy wheels and so on back then but it’s ridiculous to mention it now.
Talking about the seating position, Its true, you will face problems if you don’t seat yourself as supposed to. That I can say is a major fault but it’s rectified now.
Now, all those things that I had to change during my ownership were:
- Oil seals on front shocks (1 time)
- Handle related parts (1 time)
- Brake pads(disc pads- 1 time, drum pads- 2 times)
- Back tyre.
- Disc oil a few times.
This is not much of a cost of ownership. I wanted to share this with you because if an APACHE is such a good thing u need not worry about all those stupid doubts many raise about buying an APACHE RTR.
Verdict : While looking for an international standard bike in terms of design, performance and quality combined consider only YAMAHA FZ or R15 as of now (performance of FZ is a bit low but not bad ) apart from “APACHE RTR” as of now!
– Prince
