When I decided to purchase a bike, I had three options in my mind - apache rtr 200 4v, pulsar ns200, xtreme 200s/ xpulse 200. I rejected ns because for touring, i needed that Bluetooth connectivity and for the daily commute, I needed efficiency. Ns 200 is not appreciated for its fuel efficiency. The second one bike to get rejected was xtreme 200s because of its performance and single-channel abs. Xpulse was my dream bike but i was afraid of puncture. So the best all-rounder existing in the market was apache, the king. Tvs people are helpful, I purchased this on Sunday without any issue. Then let me tell the readers about performance and mileage. I ride in newtown kolkata daily from chiner park to unitech. I obey two simple principles- 1) use urban mode, ride in 5th gear as long as possible at less than 4000 rpm with light throttle. I keep my speed within 60kmph and my performance is more than adequate for city usage. 2) always use engine cut-off at signals. By following these two methods, I got tank to tank fuel efficiency of 52 kmpl and it's not a joke. For highway, I switch to the sports mode and my top speed is 134 kmph. I weigh around 90 kgs, so a rider of 60-70 kgs may race at around 140 kmph. The fuel efficiency was around 47 kmpl. Let's talk about vibrations- it has some vibrations at low speeds. Ride at 45 kmph, 5th gear- butter smooth. After 90 kmph, you can feel some vibration in the handlebar but that's not an issue at all. The best part is you will never feel a lack of power when you give throttle at 130 kmph. But you will feel your hands are tingling after 1 hour of a ride with an average speed of 90 kmph. Now looks is a very subjective topic. I do like it. But one thing is clear seats are not suited for more than 200 kmph rides. Ok, let me share with you my experience of 320 km ride with it on a very hot day. I was riding a rented avenger 220 cruise and my colleague was riding my bike. He was riding at 80-90 kmph on a very bad road and the bike never got skidded ( thanks to dual-channel abs). I got skidded in front of a loaded ashok leyland truck at 50 kmph just because of useless brakes. Apache also fell from a standstill from 8 feet above the ground but there was no scratch on it. 5 stars for strong build quality and performance. Maintainance is o.K, not that cheap. It costs around 800 in 3rd service. Servicing interval is 3000 kms or 6 months. Now pros-1) performance 2) fuel efficiency 3) comfort 4) connectivity 5) quality 6) reliability Cons:- 1) headlight is adequate but for better performance, use additional fog lamps. 2) for touring, use air seats or modify existing seats. Nothing else. Thank you and best of luck.
Visual Appeal
Reliability
Performance
Comfort
Service Experience
197.75 cc
20.54 bhp
152 kg
38 kmpl
