I’m looking to buy my first bike and have shortlisted the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS, TVS Apache RTR 200 4V and Yamaha FZ25. My requirements are reliability, build quality and ease of riding in the city. I like how quick the FZ is on its feet, but I think it lacks the wow factor. I really love the RTR’s feel, its looks, note and modern-looking console. However, I’ve heard that the bike has some issues like excessive vibrations post 1,000km and problems with the chain, suggesting its build quality isn’t up to the mark. Are any of these true? Also, is the FI + ABS version launching anytime soon? Which of these bikes would be a sensible buy for me?
Hareesh Aluri, Guntur
AAA Some of your observations are quite correct. The Yamaha FZ25 does everything absolutely fine, but it just misses out on that special feel and costs a lot more than your other 200cc options. The TVS Apache RTR 200 4V is simply an outstanding motorcycle. It’s got sufficient performance, excellent handling, and refinement levels are exquisite. Having tested the Apache 200 extensively for over a year, the notion that it vibrates excessively and has chain issues once it crosses 1,000km is quite unfounded; we found nothing of the sort. Build quality is also solid. The FI and ABS version is still in the pipeline and it’s difficult to say when it will be available. Although, having ridden the FI version, we can say that there isn’t a huge difference in performance with the carburetted version.
