New TVS Victor: First Ride

Revoking an established brand is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do, considering not only does one have to surpass the predecessor but also make sure that the current product is better. The TVS Victor was a huge success when it came out offering everything that the commuter needed and clocked as many as 40,000 units a month. However that was over a decade ago. Market needs today are completely different and TVS with the all-new Victor thinks it has all the answers. We take it for a quick spin to tell you what the new bike is all about!

The Pros: Superb braking(disc variant), very comfortable seat.

The Cons: Low top end grunt.

The Crux: This is a big upgrade from the old Victor and TVS have done a great job on this motorcycle.

Rating:

Design and Features

Fresh is what comes to your mind the moment you set your eyes on the new Victor. What still remains the same is the headlamp which at 55W is the brightest in the segment still looks way bigger than the tank which was also the case with the original Victor, only here; the new headlamp and bikini fairing boast a stylish new design.

The whole bike is full of curves and creases with a slightly sporty upswept exhaust adding a sporty touch. It’s a good-looking bike the new Victor, but there’s nothing ground breaking about it either. TVS has made sure that no one will hate the new design of the bike.

Swing a leg over the bike you realize that TVS have put a lot of thought in making the ergonomics as comfortable as possible. In fact TVS are marketing this bike as a ‘family’ oriented commuter and as a result have paid maximum attention in making the bike as comfortable as possible. The small tank makes way for a longer seat which helps in two people sitting comfortably and also when the lady pillion rider wants to sit sideways. The instrument console is feature rich too and gets a tachometer, a digital speedo, and two tripmeters along with the odometer. The big red switch, which is usually, an engine kill switch, is actually a hazard warning light switch, which is quite a nifty feature to be offered.

Engine and Performance

A bike as a commuter needs to have 2 things, which are of utmost importance. Great fuel efficiency and good drivability and TVS seem to have paid a lot of attention there. The Victor now gets a 110cc, 3-valve Ecothrust engine that pushes out a class leading 9.6PS @ 8000 rpm and 9.4 Nm of torque @ 6000 rpm which is more than the Honda Livo and the Hero Passion Xpro. What TVS say is that they wanted the Victor to feel more like a 125cc bike rather than a 110cc bike. The engine gets a CV carburetor, a large capacity air filter and also an oil cooled combustion chamber that keeps the engine cooler at higher temperatures.

On the go, the refinement comes to the fore. Even over 65 km/h there are no intrusive vibes creeping in. The 4-speed gearbox shifts just fine with excellent ratios for in town ride ability. Riding around the track, the Victor could pull from speeds as low as 18 km/h to its indicated max speed of around 95 km/h in 4^th gear. So basically 3^rd and 4^th is all you will need going around town. TVS also claims an efficiency of 76 kmpl under standard test conditions, which we will be testing soon.

Ride, Handling and Braking

As mentioned before, the Victor’s top priority is commuter comfort and better maneuverability over razor sharp handling. TVS have given the bike an all-new single cradle tubular frame. Suspension duties are handled by telescopic forks up front and 5-step adjustable shock absorbers at the rear. Ride quality on the Victor is pretty comfortable and going over rough sections of the test track, the Victor took bumps in its stride quite well. But it is slightly on the stiffer side. We can only comment further once we ride it around the city.

Handling is something we can vouch for since we did manage to push the Victor around the corners. The Victor now comes equipped with low rolling resistance TVS Remora tyres that felt great as we pushed the bike around corners. 1260 mm of wheelbase coupled with good tyres, the Victor feels extremely confident.

The bike also gets a disc brake option in the front, which we absolutely loved. The bite is pretty strong and progressive as well and helps to shed speed instantly. In fact we would strongly suggest the disc variant if you are considering the Victor.

Verdict

A day of riding around the TVS test track, the new Victor seems to be a great effort from the Hosur based company. It not only has the potential but also the firepower to take on the horde of competition in this segment. It’s refined, peppy and has plenty of features to boast. Yes TVS could have done with a more radical styling, but they chose to play it safe. We think the new Victor definitely has the potential to be the winner its predecessor was and we will confirm that once we get the bike for an exhaustive review. Keep watching this space!