TVS claims that apache, with a 13.5 bhp powering it, will have the best power-to-weight ratio in its class. Apache promises instant acceleration, wonderful pick-up and a good top speed. The company also says the wide tyres ensure better grip on the road. TVS is also planning to launch an entire set of accessories for the apache, including helmets, gloves, goggles and jackets.
The sporty TVS apache will be available in four colors and sport alloy wheels as standard feature. TVS hopes to gobble up 30% of the premium bike market with the apache. TVS hopes to sell 2 lakh apaches in a year. With the looks that go wit the apache, that does not seem too far-fetched. Around 50,000 premium bikes are sold in the Indian market every year. TVS fiero, another premium bike from TVS has not been doing very well, and the company may decide to phase it out if the apache can grab the volumes.
Design and engineering
The apache looks swell. The new TVS is a macho street fighter, with a short and squat stance. It comes with classy alloy-rims. Attention to detail, paint gloss and overall build quality are good. The apache fairing is distinctive, with the TVS aping the bajaj pulsar’s twin city light format. The apache once again does a pulsar with its silver-coated handlebar, and offers tri-pod instruments. A tachometer and fuel counter is standard fare. Minor observation time: taller riders will find that the apache fly screen can cut the tip of the Speedo console away from view.
Switchgear on the apache is good design and quality. Grips, levers and mirrors are satisfying kit, and everything works and adjusts with a nice feel. Though the new apache makes this next statement understandably debatable, the pulsar retains our vote as best-looking Indian bike. We feel that while the apache is an enthusiast’s delight, the bajaj appeals to a wider audience.
Performance
An air-cooled, alloy single cylinder and dual-valve head equipped engine graces the apache. It deploys industry standard roller bearings on its rocker arms and breathes via cv carburetors. The TVS puts out 147.5cc and is essentially an f2 engine that has received comprehensive tweaks to bring it on par with the competition. It’s an engine tuned towards lean burn character. Induction and exhaust resonators on both sides of the cylinder assist instant throttle response. TVS claims that a high voltage 60 mill joule spark now combusts the cylinder via the apache’s i.d.i. Or inductive digital ignition system.
This potent spark also burns for an extensive period of 1200 micro-seconds instead of 200micro-seconds. The f2’s clutch system has been strengthened for the apache and the gearbox receives a fifth-cog, smoothly shifting in a one-down-four-up pattern. The TVS generates 13.5bhp at 8500rpm with its cable-fed clutch feel adequate. Vibration levels are not cause for complaint. The apache takes 5.70secs to get to 60kph and 22.45s to get past 100kph. It hits a top whack of 107kph.
The apache plants riders into a sporty weight-forward riding position. It chooses a dual down tube frame and sports a perceptibly short wheelbase, with just 1260mm between its rims. Non-adjustable front forks and a rectangular section rear swing arm are present to complement gas shock absorbers. The TVS blends 17inches at front and 18 inches at rear. And though it enjoys the thickest 90/90 section front end and offers the option of a TVS brand 90/90 or thicker 100/80 section rear tyre, the apache would do well to switch to MRF rubber. The apache has a sporty and slightly stiff ride quality.
In a low-speed urban environment, this TVS, thanks to quick handling and that short wheelbase, makes a lethal weapon. Up the speeds to really serious velocities however, and the apache starts to feel a bit out of its element and not as steady as we would have liked. Brake bite is progressive and just right. But an apache in a situation which demands 10/ 10th emergency braking, does not feel as reassuring as it should. This, coupled with its less capable tyre brand, is combined reasons for a long 19.7metre stop-distance from 60kph to zero (brake test carried out with slim rear tyre). Contrary to popular notion, the fleet-footed 150s aren’t all that bad at playing the fuel efficiency game. Riding the apache through the worst possible city conditions, we got 49.6kpl. The highway figure is 53.4kpl.
First Ride
Salivating over the picks? Let’s further the drool factor then by assuring you that the Apache looks even better in the flesh. This new TVS is one handsome-looking motorcycle. Aggressive and macho to the core, it exudes a sporty weight forward stance from tip to toe. There’s fine attention to detail all around, with even the ignition-key showing off a pattern in keeping with the bike’s sporty image. Black five-spoke alloy rims with a partially black brake rotor to match, and gold front-brake caliper will be standard on all Apache variants. The front mudguard starts in an angular peak to run rearwards with a light step. Head on, the tinted fly screen equipped front fairing is unique-twin parking lights twinkling on both sides of a large and painstakingly detailed headlight. The Apache will come with a silver handlebar clamped on to a, sadly, non-alloy triple clamp by a brushed finish alloy piece.
Tri-pod black face instruments read out vital statistics, with a sporty tachometer, trip-equipped speedometer and fuel counter prominent. All-inclusive switches, high mirrors and comfortable grips are present, while the handlebar uses bar end weights. The bike’s fuel tank is smartly creased and stunning from any angle, with effective knee indents on either side. Fuel filling is via a flush alloy lid, and bold Apache decals, among the minimalist graphic details to adorn this sportster, are slashed across its sides. Side panels have been cleverly sculpted and colors-coded to hide their bulk, while the rear fairing tapers smoothly into an integrated brake lamp. Other noticeable details are smart engine cases, a black silencer, gold rear suspension tubes and a deeply stepped seat. The Apache makes itself vocal via piercing dual tone, twin horns.
Fed via a CV-type BS 26 carburetor, the alloy cylinder displaces 147.5cc. Its valve train has roller bearings incorporated on the rocker arms, and TVS has lavished attention on the internals, allowing the cylinder to breathe better. The theme has been to allow lean burn character for crisp throttle response, assisted by an induction and exhaust resonator on either side of the barrel. Inside, a super strong spark now fires the charge, with a claimed 60 mill joules tendered thanks to an inductive digital ignition system, as seen on some Royal Enfield bikes.
Spark duration on the combustion stroke has also increased from 200-1200 micro-seconds, again Helping the motor to dispense quick replies when queried with throttle inputs. TVS has beefed up the smooth working clutch on the Apache. The gearbox is now a positive and well weighted 1-down and 4-up system that uses a heel-and-toe lever. One can safely expect par with the class economy, and instant cold starting character thanks to that fatter spark.
We experienced nippy initial acceleration with a saturated top speed somewhere close to a true 110kph, competently in the region of the Achiever, Unicorn and Pulsar 150. Don’t expect the Apache to be much faster-but it’s surely going to be as quick, if not a little quicker in the lower reaches of its power band. The engine note is a soft throb that builds with quiet composure as the revs rise. There is no drama, no intrusive vibrations, and the Apache always feels forgiving and linear in its power delivery. Among the first things one notice when approaching an Apache is its short wheelbase.
All of 1260mm separates the two rims, the front 17 inches, and the rear 18 inches. Rubber is TVS kit, with a meaty 90/90 section in front, and 90/90 at rear, or a slightly larger 100/80 available as optional. The twin down tube frame has had its stiffness and flexes levels optimized. Twin telescopic forks and adjustable gas charged shocks do duty along with a rectangular swing arm. There’s a forward-biased riding position, with short and low handlebars, that looks uncomfortable. But that’s far from true, sling a leg over and the Apache will allow you to get comfy pretty quick.
Three quick blasts around TVS’s small, but interesting test track were all it took to have us feeling absolutely at home. Neither too sharp a handler nor too soft, the short wheelbase bike feels stupendous in twist and turn situations, ultra flick able yet rock steady, even at speeds around the magical 100kph.The Apache literally threads twisties together and goes through corners like an assassin’s knife. While ride quality and seat comfort felt just right on the smooth factory track surface, we will reserve judgment on these areas till we road-test it. What’s clear up to now is the Apache’s handling is a highlight. Braking on the Apache is reassuring and just as stable as can be expected. TVS’s bikes have always been associated with sound engineering and sweet handling. The one department they failed to raise eyebrows with was lackluster styling. But the Apache has turned that perception on its head. It looks just as potent as it goes.
Comparison
“05 was bit of a let down for performance-minded bikers; not only was there no new pulsar to salivate over but the only new Honda wasn’t really new either, if you know what i mean. Now, as we turn a new page out comes TVS with their long-awaited 150cc challenger, the apache. We pitch it against the best of the 150’s - the bajaj pulsar DTS-i, Honda unicorn and hero Honda achiever - to see if the boys at TVS have done their homework well.”
It had to happen, didn’t it? That it took so long is the surprising bit, not the fact that the fruits of all the waiting have come out so tasty. TVS, after all, have been toiling on the fiero replacement for a bloody long time and it was but a given that their new machine would rewrite the rules in this class. The apache just had to, didn’t it? TVS have been off the enthusiasts’ radar for such a long time that many have forgotten what they are capable of. TVS was the company revered as having the best RandD setup in the country. Forgotten too that this is a company that prides itself on racing (and winning) with their own homegrown bikes. That they floundered in their efforts to tackle the pulsar is common knowledge but forget, we also did, that the fiero (and the subsequent f2 variant) were good enough for it to bag all the major racing titles (super cross, road racing, rally raid etc) on offer.
After all it was not the engineering that let the fiero down; sheer conservatism was her Achilles heel and is something that’s been banished entirely from the apache’s repertoire. Be it style, performance or dynamics, the apache breaks new ground not just for TVS in general but for the 150cc class on the whole. Of course the likes of bajaj auto and the two Honda biggies haven’t been sleeping while TVS were hard at work. Of the three bajaj auto have had it the easiest; the pulsar was so good that it carried through ‘05 without any changes and still maintained its position at the top of the charts. Maintained and grew from strength to strength, comprehensively seeing off the challenge from hmsi’s unicorn.
The latter too soldiered on without any changes save for a new sticker job late last year. The only new entrant in this segment was hero Honda with the achiever, a bike that employed the unicorns mechanicals in existing hero Honda cycle parts and clothed in bodywork from the defunct ambition. Of course as with any bike sporting the Honda badge this was yet another smooth, refined and well built machine, attributes that the apache has to match, and then better, if TVS have any hopes of bagging top honours in the highly competitive 150cc class.
Style and ergonomics: Stunning apache sets a new benchmark
Conservatism has been the underlying theme of all the TVS bikes till date. Be it the moped-like fairing on the first fiero or the mish-mash job on the f2, style is something TVS haven’t been able to get their heads around to. Which, to repeat ourselves, has been the root cause for the lukewarm market response. Now, finally, the boys at hosur have turned a new leaf and in the apache have designed a motorcycle that’s unequivocally the best looking bike on the market today.
Like we said in last month’s road test, nothing looks out of place on this machine and the sheer level of detailing beggars’ disbelief. Just look at the front mudguard, generally a plain-jane item but on the apache it’s intricately styled with slashes, curves and even a central ridge that’s mirrored throughout the bike - in the headlamp, fuel tank and flowing into the seat right up to the tail piece. And then there’s the breathtaking detailing on the tank with its broad shouldered stance, the two-tone side panels with its scallops and ridges, the colored springs of the rear dampers and the fact that the ignition key mirrors the engine crankcase casting. And, oh, forgot to mention the gorgeous split-spoke black alloy rims (17inch front, 18inch rear) and the gold-colored front brake calliper.
If you have to find fault, well, the rear doesn’t really do it for me and why, i ask, do the mirrors have to be spindly units that spoil the flow of the fairing? Overall though the apache is nothing short of brilliant and is finally the bike to challenge reign of the mighty pulsar. Stood on its own though the pulsar is still a gorgeous machine and lest you forget a path-breaking one too. Forget the fact that all the excitement in the 150cc class is down to the pulsar; stylistically the bajaj machine has always broken new ground and pioneered new ideas and themes. Like gas shockers (okay the bullet was the first here), alloy rims, 17inch tyres and even the engine and exhaust finished in black (as seen on the 180), bajaj auto’s designers have laid the template, a template that the apache, when viewed from certain angles, seems to have drawn inspiration from.
However it’s a more modern machine, the apache is, and stood side-by-side the pulsar has to give second best. As for the Honda machines - well style doesn’t seem to be a much of a priority. The unicorn was always a grown-up machine, a bike for the mature 30-plus biker and it continues in the same vein with the addition of an electric starter and graphic package. Which to be honest is a bit garish and overdone for our liking. It’s surprising that while bajaj and TVS have moved to the clean uncluttered look Honda have consciously slapped on stickers on the unicorn to brighten things up. It’s something that would have worked at the turn of the century, on a 100cc machine, but it’s just so passe these days.
It still has an usp in its mono shock rear suspension but what usp does hero Honda have to flaunt? Apart from a new fairing, which again is a tad too much for our tastes and ridiculous pseudo-air scoops under the tank the achiever is all ambition. The tank, side panels, seat, everything is from the defunct ambition while the engine and tranny are from the unicorn. A proper, parts-sharing, cut and paste job which begs the question - why?
Fuel efficiency
As much as we love hooligan engines, fuel efficiency has always been of paramount concern to the buying public. It’s (one of) the reason why the pulsar 180 doesn’t even come close to the 150’s volumes and it’s why the CBZ or even the LML Graptor/beamer could never come close to the pulsar’s volumes.
The newcomers though have done their homework well, hero Honda more so than TVS. Hero Honda’s, traditionally, have always been know for their efficient engines and so it was but a given that the achiever would match the class benchmark but better it, she has, and by a significant margin too. With a best figure of 71.1kmpl and a city figure of 60.3kmpl, her overall efficiency of 63kmpl is way better than the unicorn’s 59.8kmpl that used to be the class benchmark. Even the apache manages to best the unicorn with an overall figure of 61.2kmpl while the pulsar brings up the rear guard with a 58.6kmpl figure.
Ride and handling
Apache’s racing heritage shines through-More than grip, chassis stiffness and weight bias, cornering all about confidence - confidence that the machine instills in you and confidence you, the rider, gets about the bikes abilities. It’s no use having outrageous levels of grip if the machine can’t instill confidence in you to push her to the limits. And that’s where the apache scores - in her ability to make you comfortable right from the off and push her round corners at speeds you wouldn’t dare to on any other bike.
At least not from the word go. TVS talks about incorporating flex in certain sections of the double cradle frame to improve flick ability and cornering properness and it sure seems to work brilliantly with outrageous angles of lean possible on the apache. More than the lean angles it’s the feedback that you get from the 17inch front and 18inch rear that’s truly breathtaking - encouraging you to push and push till the silencer and pegs starts grounding out.
Of all the bikes on test here the apache is physically the smallest (with the shortest wheelbase) and you feel perched on top of the bike. It’s a sporty riding position but without the forward weight bias that can lead to arm aches over a while.
Of course the frame is rigid where it has to be ensuring straight line stability isn’t an issue on the apache. And with twin gas-shocks at the rear ride quality is pretty good too. Sporty too is the riding position of the pulsar though she feels considerably bigger than
The apache. And with the considerable forward weight bias it takes times getting used to the pulsar after a long ride on the apache. Feedback from the front isn’t close to the apaches and on the whole she feels a tad ponderous, all the controls being too heavy requiring more effort. Of course grounding out the pegs is well within her capabilities but it takes more commitment and balls from the rider.
Sporty isn’t a term you’d use with either Honda’s. Both are calm, sedate machines and their characters reflect their underlying themes. While the unicorn uses a monoshock at the rear, the achiever uses twin rear dampers and this possibly gives it the edge as far as ride quality is concerned - the edge over all the bikes in this test. The unicorn isn’t far behind either and in terms of handling there isn’t much to separate the two - both being highly accomplished and composed handlers.
However it’s their commuter-oriented riding position that won’t enthuse the young blooded and neither will it encourage corner carving tendencies? For that you need the apache, the new king of the corner-carving hill. That said, at the end of this test, after long hard days riding guess which bikes was most in demand for the final leg back to the office? The unicorn. Must be said, there is still a strong argument in favors of a for a comfortable, spacious and well-damped motorcycle.
Final analysis
I’m sure you’re wondering why we haven’t bothered to include the CBZ or either of the LML’s in this test. Well, it’s high time the CBZ was give an honorable 12-gun salute while neither the Graptor nor the beamer are anywhere close to the four bikes we have on test here. So why bother?
And so for our candidates for 150cc class honors and first to be shown the door is the achiever. Mind you, as with all Hero Honda’s the achiever is a class product. It has the smoothes and most refined motor on test, is second only to the apache on the performance front and is the most fuel efficient of the lot. And it’s incredibly refined and comfortable too. So why the thumbs down? The achievers problem is it does everything well but nothing brilliantly. It has no usp to speak of and it breaks no new ground in either styling or engineering. In the six years since hero Honda gave birth to the 150cc segment with the CBZ other players have taken mighty steps forward both on design and engineering. So much so that today hero Honda is left to play catch-up and with the achiever, i fear, that too will be a tough ask.
At least the unicorn can still play its twin trump cards - the winged Honda logo on the tank and the monoshock rear suspension. Compared to the other bikes the unicorn is as fast and as efficient but has a more relaxed unhurried manner that will appeal to the mature biker. Heck, after long hard days riding it was the unicorn’s keys that we all fought over - she’s that good.
But it’s the very same relaxed behavior that won’t appeal to the young folk - the folk who’ve been driving pulsar sales through the roof. For them the pulsar still makes a lot of sense - it looks great, goes well, has the most involving motor and is the hooligan bike of choice. However the game has finally moved on and TVS have caught up with what was once the standard bearer. Today, the apache has not only moved the game on it terms of styling but she’s also quicker, more efficient and has far better dynamics as well. And having finally trumped bajaj at its own game, namely pricing, TVS finally have a winner on their hands.