The TVS Apache RR 310 is a sport bike made by the TVS Motor Company that was launched in India on December 6, 2017. It uses a 312.2cc single-cylinder, four-stroke, SI, liquid-cooled, DOHC reverse inclined engine.
The RideFast offices are technically in Benoni, although more on the Kempton, Pomona Road side of town. I live in Hartbeespoort, hence the commute isn’t a daily one, although occasional necessities (like not feeling like making my own coffee) do inspire the trek.
By Donovan Fourie Mostly…
On this occasion, it was the need to carry tripods and camera equipment that for some strange reason did not like being soaked by the occasional Highveld downpour that dictated the use of a car. Work continued until 5pm when the urgency shifted to getting home. Or at least the pub next door to home.
Every Thursday night, a group of respectable intellectuals meet at Mulligans, and because we are middle-aged intellectuals, we make use of the 100-inch UHD screen to play PlayStation. More so, because our intellectual level borders on the savant, we play PGA golf. And because we are men, it ultimately turns into a mock-fest with every bunker landing, water splash or death to a member of the animated crowd resulting in the guilty player buying everyone in the game a shooter.
Usually, by hole 13, most participants can’t stand anymore.
It cannot be missed, and because being late for the 6pm tee-off will result in the penalty of a round of shooters, the usual one-and-a-half-hour car drive would need to be reduced to one hour. A motorcycle was necessary.
Luckily, the RideFast offices usually have some of those lying around, in this case, the TVS Apache RR 310.
Would it do? Well, it certainly looks like it. That dark, menacing paint job, those sharp, aggressive lines and the red piping of the frame give it a look of iron-mongered malice.
It’s much the same in the cockpit. It seems as though the engineers were ready to go full MotoGP, however, the TVS accountants no doubt brought forward something called a “budget”, a shackle to any aspiring engineer. Though there clearly is effort and that speaks volumes about TVS.
The TFT dash is mounted vertically with a strange layout. It looks good but at the same time, takes some getting used to. In night mode, a black background is splashed over by a deep blue and looks incredible. The day mode is more different shades of grey that are less incredible. It also means that those with deficient vision might have a hard time seeing the figures.
But there’s no time to dwell on such things. The tee-off time is looming and there’s ground to be covered.
Off we go from Bredell, onto the R21 highway towards Pretoria.
This bike has a superbike appearance but the seating position is a little more sit up which is glorious for those with old joints. The motor is peppy and the single cylinder buzzes away below the tank with all its might doing a commendable job of propelling the bike in a sporty manner.
Going flat out, the speedo saw between 150 and 165km/h with the Max Speed indicator on the dash showing a mighty 171km/h. That’s not bad at all!
This is a 300 after all!
The freeway traffic, even through the roadworks, was dealt with in a jiffy and soon the freeway made way for Pretoria city.
It’s not the shortest bike but it is light. Incredibly light. And narrow enough to swerve through the endless gridlock of Pretoria’s traffic. The peppy motor easily outruns surrounding cars from traffic lights and the brakes easily out-stop taxis and their unpredictable decision-making processes.
Soon, Pretoria was a distant memory and the rural road navigated the Magaliesberg mountains towards Hartbeespoort.
Again, the Apache made light work of dawdling cars blocking the single lane road, swiping through the zig-zags and tearing through the final stages.
I made it with a few minutes to spare. I also made it with a smile. Not only were we celebrating success but the process of doing so was a gas.
The next morning, we had to return to the RideFast offices. There was no tee-off time and no hurry, but we ignored that and redid the race in reverse.
I’ll tell you this. She loves to rev.
About TVS:
TVS Motor Company (commonly known as TVS) is an Indian multinational motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Chennai. According to Google, the company has annual sales of three million units and an annual production capacity of over four million vehicles. TVS Motor Company is also the second largest two-wheeler exporter in India with exports to over 60 countries.
So it’s a pretty serious player in the motorcycle industry.
We spent lots of happy miles on this one – it’s well thought out and fun to ride little sports bike:
Navigating through the rider modes is pretty simple, push the nav button up, release the throttle and it changes quickly between Sport, urban and rain modes.
No quickshifter, but clutch and gear changes are smooth. The ABS works perfectly and that fun little engine howls when you open her up.
The short chassis makes the bike really nimble and we were pleasantly surprised at how the Michelin Road 5 tyres grip in the corners.
At a glance:
Engine: 312.2cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke, single cylinder, 4v, DOHC, reverse inclined.
Suspension: KYB.
Bore / stroke: 80 mm × 62.1 mm.
Fuel capacity: 11 L.
Seat height: 810 mm.
Top speed: 175 km/h.
Weight: 169.5 kg.
Price R81000.00
Once again: The TVS Apache RR 310 is a lot of such good fun…
Get to Linex Sandton and ride it!
