TVS Apache RR 310
The RR 310 finally got a taste of the highway last month. Clocking about 600km from Noida to Jaipur and back, the journey was an eye opener in many respects. You see, riding in the city alone may not always tell you about a motorcycle’s performance, true abilities and comfort will most certainly vary according to the distance and traffic density. Till now my sore complaints were the vibrations that to some extent, can be acceptable albeit being annoying. The highway revealed much more.
First off, safety should be of prime concern while riding solo on the highway. Something as simple as covering the rear brake should be of utmost importance as high speeds and evasive actions require shorter reaction times. TVS usually angles the rear brake lever steeply on their sportier motorcycles and the lever itself is longer or placed forward w.r.t the footpeg. On the RR, the ergonomics aren’t as extreme to require the lever to be placed at such an angle. This makes for a very uncomfortably placed right foot where my size 9 boots had to be rested on the heel for the toe to reach the lever. The longer lever has to travel further in its stroke for effective application. Moreover, the very lack of feel from the brake lever makes feathering the rear brake extremely difficult. Of course, the front brake helps shed maximum speed but here too, a longer lever needs more travel to actuate thus resulting in a bite point that’s much closer to the handlebar, resulting in more reaction time to initiate effective braking.
That’s just one aspect that came to fore on the trip, look out for the next report which will detail more hits and misses for the RR 310 as a sport tourer highlighting the ergonomics and engine performance among other things.
CLOCKING ABOUT 600KM, THE JOURNEY WAS AN EYE OPENER