Price Rs.20,000
Introduction
TVS, the name well known in India for its Apache bikes in the recent
years, was actually founded in the year 1911. TVS is involved in making
automotive components, two wheelers, tyres and a few other industrial
products. TVS started producing their first four stroke model Victor,
way back in September 2001, a 110cc motorcycle, with Sachin Tendulkar as
the brand ambassador. GL variant of Victor was followed by GX, the
only difference being smoother start mechanism and refined engine
lessening the noise.
Styling and Design
The front rectangular headlamp is wider than Hero Honda bikes and the
multi-reflection aids improved illumination. The chrome enclosed orange
turn indicators are large and legible. The instrument cluster has twin
pod instrument consolewith speedometer on the left and fuel gauge on the
right. Indications for high beam, neutral are present within the right
dial below the fuel gauge. The econometer is a pair of LEDs that glow
either in Economy mode or Power mode based on the rider’s acceleration
ranges. The turn indicator triangles are situated at the centre on top
of the two dials. The key slot is deep and imbibes handle lock within
it. The handle bar is commuterish but delights with colored buttons here
and there. The left arm contains the lights on/off switch, high/low
beam switch, yellow horn button, choke lever at the bottom and yellow
pass switch at the front edge. There is no self start option. The
graphics have fire flames as underlying theme, that decorates skins of
the tank, battery cover and all along the rear edges till the rear cowl.
The tank looks broader and more boxy inspite of the fender like
treatment in it. The seats are plushy and slightly inclines higher
towards the rear.
The engine and exhaust system are all silvery, and the exhaust comes
with heat shield. The heel toe shifter and brake lever are pretty
commuter styling like any other 100 cc bike.The 18 inch spoke wheels at
the front and back gives the regular muscularity of a commuter bike. The
full covered chain set and proper saree guard fits into the bike’s rear
perfectly. The powder coated grab rail of Victor is wide and useful for
putting the straight stand, and supports the pillion properly. All the
features distinguishes itself far from Hero Honda and Bajaj bikes.
Engine
TVS Victor is powered by a 109.2 cc engine that produces 8.1/7250
bhp/rpm of maximum power and 8.1/5500 Nm/rpm of maximum torque. Nothing
surprising with the engine. It’s speciality lies with the combination of
smoothness and strenght. The higher 9.3:1 compression ratio, digital
ignition proves a good advantage. 53.5mm stroke in a 51mm bore formula
plays fairly well in providing wider torque range, needed for easier
driveability. The double cable throttle allows the user to ride victor
in both economy mode as well as power mode with slight increase in right
wrist action. Based on this, the economy mode or power mode will glow.
Also, the secondary air injection reduces the pollution too. Top speed
of a little above 90 kmph and good fuel efficiency of above 65 kmpl is
delightful.
Ride and Handling
The ergonomics in TVS Victor is better than the previous 2 stroke
bikes. The gear lever is rightly positioned and the clutch gives a
mechanical feel. The upsurge is felt all the way from 0 to 80 km with
near perfect gear ratios and the free flowing engine does a good job in
pulling you across all gears. Not much vibrations were felt even when
the strong middle range of the engine rushes through the road. Straight
line stability was good, as I maintained the bike in 70 kmph for a
stretch of 5 km, with strong wind blow, but not disturbing Victor’s
galloping. The position of seat and handle bars fits perfectly for the
rider to relax and have a good road grip.
Braking was normal with the drum brakes doing their job fairly well. I
was reluctant initially to corner at more speeds, but once or twice
done, I inferred that Victor is quite stable, allowing it to steer
freely and also turn handles easily to cut through traffic. The revvy
engine doesn’t disappoint at higher speeds as well. With good seat
design, riding with a pillion was not a big deal. At night the
multireflection headlamp does its job better in illuminating wider area
upfront. The boxy rear lamp setup also warns good. The 110 cc gives a
slight edge in more pick up than other 100 cc bikes, very useful to cut
through traffic.
Verdict
Victor, named with the right theme for which it was designed. It’s
initial sales figures proved that it was a victory for TVS. On the flip
side, the resale market could not welcome it, and you could not find
much people relying on a second hand Victor. This is because of the
bike’s feeble chassis showing its character after using it 3 or 4 years.
Since, it was TVS’s first four stroke, significant improvement will
come in future. A 5 speed gear box and disc brake with a punchier engine
will make Victor more trendy and flock more people towards it. As of
now, Victor is also an option for an entry level commuter.
