How do I want to go today?. Review on TVS Victor

First, the scenario in which this bike was introduced:

People had only 2 options when buying a utility bike (also called Execommuter segment) - Hero Honda Splendour and Bajaj Caliber. Splendour was a toughly built fuel-efficient machine making a World record number of sales. Caliber was bit fragile, but costed less than a Splendour - so it was slowly eating the market of Splendour. LML introduced a couple of bikes - Adreno and The Energy. These looked great than the others but did not kick-off really. In the top segment were the two 150cc contenders - Fiero and CBZ. By this time, Fiero had acquired a fair share of the CBZ market, thanks to CBZs unreliable, fuel-inefficient engine.

But TVS was still making 2-stroke MAX-100R for its share of Execommuter segment. TVS took cues from Fiero and built a stripped down version of the same with a 110cc mill. Also, added was the revolutionary concept of dual-mode indicator. This indicator shows whether you're in Power-mode or economy-mode. By keeping your throttle under control (you can do this easily by keeping a watch at the indicator), you're guaranteed high fuel-efficiency. This is a very good concept. Lot of people complain the dealers when their fuel-efficiency drop to less than 75 kmpl!

Bike Specs

Just like Fiero, Victor can be started in any gear. This is quite advantageous in a stop-and-go traffic. Compared to other 100 odd cc motorcycles, Victor does stand apart in terms of refinement of the engine, smoothness in power delivery, and rideability. The engine develops 8.5BHP well over 7.7 bhp(111.6 cc) of Caliber, and 7.2bhp(97.2cc) of Splendour. However, the 2 bikes from LML do output the same horsepower. Victor also sports Zapper tyres (make of TVS) which can only be found in the premium segment bikes of other manufacturers. Zapper tyres provide excellent lean angles than ordinary ones.

Cons

Definitely, any bike would have its own set of disadvantages. The #1 disadvantage of Victor is its looks. It doesn't look that sleek. The headlamps are too huge - they're bigger even for cars. TVS has this bad habit of putting a lot of graphics. I personally hate graphics. I feel that graphics hide the real awkwardness of the design. Compare this with Pulsar. It doesn't sport any graphic except for its name. It looks real muscular and great too. Unlike Fiero, Victor is built over a single-cradle frame. Always, a double-cradle frame is better than a single-cradle frame for stability, straight-line synchronization et al.

Verdict

If fuel-efficiency with decent looks is your mantra, go for Victor. You get loads of features compared to any other 100cc motorcycle and its real VFM (Value-for-money). If you want power and power alone, hmmm wait for sometime. Your options will be GF165 from Kinetic, Fiero F2, Pulsar 180 and a yet-to-be-named 200cc bike from Hero Honda.

Happy wandering…