Month: March 2013

TVS Motors launched the Apache RTR 180 with Anti-brake locking system exactly two years ago in March 2011. The bike has mostly the same specifications as we noted with the Apache RTR 180 yesterday with this facelift. The ABS technology has sensors that continuously monitors an impending wheel lock and when it does so, enables a smooth deceleration that allows the biker to stay in control of their vehicle even under sudden braking.

Although this is very similar to the Apache RTR 180, we will still take you through the specs one more time. This bike again comes equips with a 4 stroke single cylinder engine with a 177.4cc displacement. The larger displacement ensures a better power that maxes out at 17.3 PS @ 8500RPM. The torque can go up to 15.5 Nm at 6500RPM. The RTR 180 ABS can reach a maximum speed of 124kmph and comes with telescopic fork suspension on the front tyres along with monotube inverted gas filled shox with spring aid on the rear tyres. The bike has a wheelbase of 1326mm and ground clearance of 165mm. The RTR 180 ABS comes with a kerb weight of 139kg at a price of Rs. 84,180 ex-Delhi.

Test Ride and Customer Reviews
The engine and ignition systems on the RTR 180 ABS is not very different from what is available on the regular RTR 180 and so the manufacturer’s claim on fuel consumption has not been different. According to TVS, the RTR 180 ABS can deliver around 56kmpl under standard test road conditions.

However, this is expected to come down on regular city roads, as pointed out by MaxAbout. In their test ride, the website reports a city road economy of 39kmpl that goes as high as 47kmpl on the highways. The reviewer commends the bike on its aggressive styling although points out that the price is on the higher side given that even the Pulsar 220cc comes cheaper than this.

On ProDease, the reviewer calls the RTR 180 ABS a “commuter bike” which I don’t agree with. Their test ride though yields a mileage that cannot be called commuter friendly and understandably so for a 180cc bike. They report 38kmpl overall on their test.

ZigWheels doesn’t seem to have done a test ride of the bike (or maybe I missed it), and so I am not sure if the fuel economy they report was tested by their own staff or through third party reports. They note 44-45 kmpl on the RTR ABS.

There is not a great deal of reviews available on MouthShut for the RTR 180 ABS. The couple of reviews on the site rate the bike 4/5 on fuel consumption. Of the two reviews, one reviewer has not mentioned the mileage while the other reports 40-43 kmpl under city roads.

I have tabulated all mileages as reported by the various sources below. I’ve also put in the numbers for Apache RTR 180 side-by-side for your comparison. Is it worth spending an additional 11,000 for the ABS? You make the decision.

The Apache is one of the most successful motorcycle brands created by TVS Motors. One reason why this is significant is because this helped TVS push its own market positioning from one that targeted just the budget conscious customer to a brand that also has got style. The first Apache rolled out of the factory back in 2007 and today there are three variants of TVS Apache. We have already discussed the RTR 160. Today, we will check out the Apache RTR 180.

The 180cc variant of Apache was launched in 2009. The bike comes equipped with a 177.4cc 4 stroke single cylinder engine that can crank out a maximum power of close to 17PS at 8500RPM and torque maxing out at 15.5Nm at 6500RPM. The RTR 180 has a kerb weight of 139kg with a framework that allows a wheelbase of 1300mm and ground clearance of 165mm. You can hit a maximum speed of 124kmph with the RTR 180. You can buy an Apache RTR 180 at just a couple of thousands over the RTR 160. The ex-showroom price in Delhi is around Rs. 73365.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim
As I’ve often said in my earlier blog posts, if you are someone who is planning to buy a high power bike like RTR 180, you shouldn’t be concerned about the mileage at all. The selling point of most bikes in the category are the power that they offer and this is often at a compromise of the fuel economy. According to TVS Motors, the Apache RTR 180 would return close to 56 kmpl economy under standard testing conditions. As the general disclaimer often goes, these conditions are extremely different from what you are used to on city roads and so that actual mileage you could see on your bike could be pretty lower than this. Let us check out consumer and test ride reviews to see what one could expect from the RTR 180.

Customer Reviews

Let us start with our favourite review place – MaxAbout. The website calls the RTR 180 a “carbon copy” of the RTR 160 with very slight visible changes. However, one aspect where it stands out very visibly is in the ability to go from 0-60 km/hr in just 4.15 seconds. The reviewer pits the mileage of the bike at 38-40 kmpl on city roads and 42-46 kmpl on highways.

BikeAdvice in their comparison of the RTR 180 against Pulsar 180 note that there is little to choose between the two. However, their tests reveal the fuel consumption under city conditions to be in the range of 39-44 kmpl which can increase to 43-48 kmpl on highway roads.

BikeDekho calls the bike ‘unmatchable’ in its segment when it comes to performance. However the review reports a lower mileage as a direct result of this high performance. The average fuel consumption reported by the website is around 35-40 kmpl.

On Team-BHP, one of the largest Indianmotorcycle enthusiasts forum, a user reports that the RTR 180 could deliver around 2kmpl lower than the RTR 160 on city conditions. The user reports 40 kmpl on city roads that goes up to 46-47kmpl on highways.

There are close to 34 reviews of the RTR 180 on the user reviews site, MouthShut.com. These users have together rated the bike 4 out of 5 in terms of fuel consumption. The reviews have been pretty consistent on the mileage front. Most customers report a fuel efficiency of around 40-45 kmpl under city road conditions that reaches 48-53 kmpl on the highways.

Overall, this is how the bike fares on fuel according to the reviews from various sources.

The reported numbers are pretty reasonable for a 180cc bike. As I said earlier, you shouldn’t be looking at this page if you are contemplating a high power machine like the RTR 180 which is expected to have a lower fuel efficiency. In any case, the RTR 180 is a win on the fuel front and definitely gets a thumbs-up from our side.