2021 TVS Apache RR 310 BTO Review: Likes And Dislikes

How do the BTO updates affect the Apache’s real-world rideability?

Just a couple of months ago, we were invited to have a go on the updated TVS Apache RR 310 BTO around the MMRT. The updates felt brilliant on the track, amplifying the RR’s natural abilities. But while the Apache felt right at home at the track, would these updates also help enhance its real-world appeal? And to what extent?

Likes

Range Of Adjustability

Via the Built To Order (BTO) service, new RR 310 owners can pay just Rs 12,000 and avail the Dynamic kit, which I believe is an absolute must-have for the bike. The adjustable USD fork and monoshock allow you to fine-tune the ride perfectly for your weight, your riding style and your environment. You will require a 14mm wrench to adjust the front preload but a flathead screwdriver and the special toothed wrench is provided within the bike’s toolkit itself. 

The factory settings were nice and supple for most riding scenarios, especially for city riding. I did try and experiment a fair bit with the compression and rebound, after finding the right preload setting for my 90kg frame, that is, for different riding scenarios. Once I did find out my preferred settings for the city, highway and sport riding, switching between them took nothing more than a minute. Easy peasy. If you want to read about how to set up the suspension perfectly for your style, head over to ZigWheels as we have a detailed story about tuning the suspension. 

Improved Cornering Abilities

There’s also the Race kit, which is priced at Rs 5000 via BTO. The raised footpegs improve cornering clearance by a great margin. With the ride perfectly set up, you will appreciate just how much lean you can carry into corners. The stock footpegs limited the cornering potential of the RR 310 as they ended up grazing the tarmac quite easily, especially with the 2020 updates, which received the brilliant Michelin Road 5 tyres. 

No Change In Performance

We are glad to say that the RR 310 maintains its same thrilling performance from 2020. There’s no change to the way it delivers its power, the ride modes help you select how easy or frantic you want the motor to be and it remains just as fun. Even our VBox test figures returned identical times as the 2020 model.

Dislikes

No Span-adjustable Levers

What is still a big miss on the RR 310 are span-adjustable levers. Despite wearing size L gloves, I found the gap between the levers and bars far too much. This small feature would’ve made a world of difference. And it isn’t that TVS isn’t offering it on other motorcycles. Both the Apache RTR 200 4V and the top trim of the RTR 160 4V have adjustable levers. Even the BMW G 310s have this feature,  so offering them on the RR 310 would, and should, have been a no-brainer. 

Somewhat Strenuous Riding Posture

While the sporty riding posture is great for, er, sport riding, it does put quite a bit of stress on your body when commuting and even touring. And it has primarily to do with the bars rather than the raised pegs. By pulling the controls inwards, you end putting a lot of pressure on your wrists, which rest on the thick bar-ends. Now, this starts hurting a bit when spending long hours in the saddle, which didn’t happen on the stock bars. However, over prolonged usage, perhaps this pain would go away as your body adjusts itself to it.

Verdict

TVS has nailed it with the Dynamic kit and even the Race kit makes a good case for itself. Considering the starting price of almost Rs 2.60 lakh, spending an additional Rs 12,000 and Rs 5,000 doesn’t seem like much. And that’s the best bit about the RR 310 BTO, as we do not think there’s any other supersport that offers such levels of adjustability at such low prices, and you won’t find such scope of personalisation even in a segment higher. Moreover, even when the 2022 KTM RC 390 does arrive, it won’t be able to match up to the RR’s value-for-money quotient. So, the TVS Apache RR 310 BTO makes for a great buy, and one we recommend wholeheartedly.