TVS Apache RTX 300 review: ADV done right?

Adventure bikes are all the rage these days and nearly every mainstream two-wheeler company has at least one ADV in its lineup. TVS has taken its own sweet time to join the fray with its long awaited Apache RTX 300 but the company has studied the market properly before releasing its debut offering. 

TVS Apache RTX 300 design & quality – 9/10

Has a large and substantial feel to it with great quality 

Like most ADVs, the Apache RTX prioritises function over form but even so, this is still a handsome and proportionate design. The striking headlights, wide tank, tall screen, spacious split seats and its overall proportions make the RTX seem like a bigger bike than it is, accentuating the sense of space that you get.

While the RTX’s bodywork is all new, its tail light housing bears more than a passing resemblance to that of the Triumph Tiger 900. 

Typical of TVS, quality is at an impressively high level (especially for the price) and fit and finish leaves very little to complain about. In fact, they’re better than on some rivals that cost over a lakh more.

TVS Apache RTX 300 Riding position & comfort – 9/10

Commanding riding position and plush suspension keep you cossetted 

With their function over form design approach, ADVs aren’t the prettiest of motorcycles but their USP is the ability to keep you comfortable no matter what the road throws your way. Our 100km riding loop around Fagu in Shimla was littered with huge potholes, some areas had no roads at all, and the RTX with its beautifully absorptive – yet composed – suspension made light work of them, keeping me comfortable all throughout. The best part was that there was no need to stand through these sections and you could sit and ride through in good comfort. 

What also enhances comfort is the RTX’s commanding yet neutral rider's triangle. The wide handlebar gives you loads of leverage, its tall 835mm perch gives you a good view of the road ahead – although some rivals offer lower seats, if that’s important to you – and the neutral placement of the footpegs will ensure your legs don't get cramped after long hours in the saddle. 

Seats are well padded and will keep both rider and passenger comfortable over longer journeys.

If there's one tiny thing I can fault the RTX for here is that the footpegs foul with my shin when I put my feet down and you have to be mindful of this when coming to a stop. 

TVS Apache RTX 300 Performance & refinement – 8/10

New 299cc engine is smooth and tractable but has some fueling issues

TVS’ brand-new 36hp/28.5Nm 299cc engine makes its debut here and you get the feeling that a lot of the feedback regarding the older 312cc engine has been baked in here, especially when it comes to refinement. From the first crank it's clearly evident that this motor is far smoother than the older 312cc unit and it has a brappier exhaust note too.

In our time with the RTX, we were mostly riding on tight and narrow roads shuffling between 2nd and 4th gears and were only able to touch 80kph for a few moments before slowing down, so the motor’s refinement at fast highway speeds is still a question mark. 

Over outright performance, across the sort of terrain we rode over, the tractability of this motor stood really impressed. You can hold 20kph in 3rd gear without protestation and once you twist the accelerator, the RTX builds speed in a linear fashion. Of course, this is still a relatively small single cylinder engine with peak power coming in at 9000rpm so to make quick progress you'll need to drop a gear or two to keep the revs high. The gearbox is precise and shifts don't need a lot of effort, especially when using the smooth bidirectional quickshifter. 

The one issue multiple riders faced on the ride was that of inconsistent fuelling when making gear changes. What would happen was the bike would occasionally lose power just after you’ve upshifted and opened the accelerator for a second or two feeling like it's bogging down before the engine would resume power delivery. This happened only a handful of times, but the inconsistent fuelling took away from the otherwise well-rounded experience and TVS has some work to do here.

TVS Apache RTX 300 fuel efficiency and range – 7/10

12.5L fuel tank one of the smallest in class

Considering its 300cc displacement, the RTX’s engine should return decent fuel economy, although we haven’t yet gotten a chance to test that. Most ADVs in this category have 15 litres or so of fuel carrying capacity so the RTX’s 12.5L tank is nearly 20 percent smaller than some rivals. Even so, with some sensible riding, covering 250-300km on a single tankful should be fairly doable. 

TVS Apache RTX 300 Ride comfort & handling – 9/10

Has great suspension comfort and feels well balanced

More than the new engine, more than all the tech and gizmos onboard, what left the most lasting impression on my mind about the RTX is its well balanced chassis. Underpinning it is a steel trellis frame and detachable subframe – similiar to the RTR and RR 310, but this is an all new one created specifically for the RTX. As a road touring machine, it feels stable yet agile enough when you need to make quick direction changes. Pair that with wonderfully absorptive suspension as well as spacious seating and you've got a machine that will coax both you and your passenger to plan more long trips! 

Happily, this high level of comfort doesn't come at the expense of handling – partly down to the fat tyres (for the class). The RTX has a 110 section up front and a 150 section hoop out back developed by Eurogrip and these tyres felt confidence inspiring no matter what terrain we encountered – save for some slush during off-roading, but given their road-biased nature, we won’t hold it against them.

Now I must confess at this point that I was very much not looking forward to the off-road section of this ride – not because I don't believe this machine was created to do serious dirt riding but mostly because I'm a very novice off-road rider. However, as we made our way through everything from rough, rocky roads, packed dirt and gravelly trails, sharp and steep uphill turns and even some fairly tricky slush, the RTX never once put a foot wrong, even with my somewhat bumbling inputs. The standing up ergonomics aren’t the best because there’s not much to anchor your legs to, so what I resorted to was to tackle just about everything while seated and the bike behaved just fine. 

It's so well balanced that even under 5kph I didn’t have to put my feet down, the clutch is not heavy, the engine feels tractable but it's not overly powerful initially – all factors which will only give budding off-road riders like myself the confidence to go further without feeling like they're overwhelmed – an absolutely wonderful feeling on a bike in this class! 

One thing to note is that instead of the usual suppliers for most Indian bikes like Bybre / Endurance / Gabriel / Grimeca, the RTX’s brakes come from a Chinese brand called Hengte, albeit they are made entirely in India. Interestingly, this brand has been used on various Apache models for many years. Braking performance is good and while the initial bite is designed to be a little dull and friendly off road, there is good feedback and progression through the lever once you put a little force into it ABS intervention is quite nice and we didn't encounter any moments where the system intervened overly intrusively.

TVS Apache RTX 300 Features & safety – 9/10

Has great features for the class; cruise control standard across all variants 

These days nearly every new two wheeler seems to be packed to the gills with technology – and most of it seems more like a gimmick to spruce up the brochure more than actually helpful additions. I'm happy to report that the TVS has not gone overboard in the amount of tech it has baked into the RTX but has all the necessities covered. 

Even the base model is well-equipped with the TFT display, traction control and riding modes. There’s 4 riding modes (Rally, Tour, Urban and Rain), traction control (on or off only), dual channel ABS (rear can be deactivated). The crisp 5-inch TFT and tactile (if a little overcrowded on the LH side) switchgear are both lifted straight off the RTR 310.

Just like the new Himalayan 450, the RTX’s TFT allows you to mirror Google Maps navigation information on the screen just like the RE, TVS’ system needs you to keep your mobile screen on at all times – which is down to restrictions from Google’s end and there’s nothing TVS can do about it. . Thankfully, there's a USB charger (with both type-A and type-C ports) on the handlebar – small mercies, I suppose! 

Except for screen mirroring, all of this is standard on the Base variant and the Top variant adds in the lovely bidirectional quickshifter, a more powerful headlight and the top box mount, among other things. You then step up to the BTO variant which adds in some damping adjustability for the suspension, a tyre pressure monitor and brass coated chain. In our opinion, the middle variant is the one to buy because for the majority of riders out there, you'll have everything you'll ever need. 

TVS Apache RTX 300 Price & verdict – 9/10

Disruptive pricing and it's a well rounded package

So far, in the premium category, TVS is yet to taste widespread success right off the bat and we think that the Apache RTX 300 is its best shot yet of doing so.

With prices ranging between Rs 1.99 lakh – Rs 2.29 lakh (ex-showroom, Bengaluru), the RTX represents fantastic value for money for the performance, componentry and features it gives you. 

The RTX is a very well-rounded package; aggressive pricing is the cherry on top. 

It's not free from flaws – that aforementioned fueling issue being the main thing that TVS needs to work on. However, as a package, the RTX does so many things so well and it manages to do so while costing significantly less than not only its direct rival the Rs 2.40 lakh KTM 250 Adventure, but also motorcycles from a segment below, including the likes of the Royal Enfield Scram 440 (Rs 2.23 lakh – Rs 2.31 lakh). Stepping into the world of adventure riding has never been more appealing.

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