TVS has been a driving force in the Indian motorsports scenario since time immemorial. The homegrown bikemaker’s association with Indian motorsports is long-standing. Be it track racing or rallying, TVS has carved a secluded place for itself and now, the company has officially revealed its contender for the upcoming TVS One-Make Championship racing competition. Dubbed as Apache RR 200, it is a race bike derivative of the highly acclaimed Apache RTR 200 4V. Needless to say, it features several upgrades over the stock Apache.
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For starters, it now wears a full-fairing and all the naked bits of the stock motorcycle are now covered to accentuate the aerodynamics.
As track-only motorcycles go, the Apache RR 200 is devoid of unnecessary bits that don’t serve any purpose at the race track. The eliminated bits include headlight, taillight, turn indicators, and rear-view mirrors. It also misses out on a side-stand for weight reduction and cornering clearance. As a result, it can only be held upright with a paddock stand. Apart from the race-fairing, it also gets aggressive clip-on handlebars and rear-set footpegs. To make it more aerodynamically efficient, TVS has also included a bubble-style windscreen in the mix.
As far as specs and mechanicals are concerned, it continued to be powered by the same 197.8cc, four-stroke, four-valve, SOHC oil and air-cooled engine that is linked to a five-speed transmission. The company might not have revealed the exact performance figures of the RR 200, but we can expect it to be a bit more powerful than its naked, street-legal counterpart. The Apache RTR 200 4V churns out close to 20 ponies but in this track-only guise, we can expect the powertrain to belt out close to 30HP. It also benefits from an adjustable suspension setup and special component tyres from TVS Eurogrip.
Should TVS make its road-legal counterpart?
The spawning of RR 200 makes us wonder. Should TVS think of coming up with a street-legal version of the same? We believe that it definitely should! Having a more affordable version of the Apache RR 310 would go a long way and if it ever becomes a reality, it could make its rivals like the KTM RC 200 and Bajaj Pulsar RS 200 run around its feet. However, the company hasn’t made any official statement regarding making the RR 200 road-legal.