In September last year, spy shots of the TVS RTR 300 being tested came to light, although the bike was seen with heavy camouflage. These shots revealed a more street-focussed nature of the RTR 300, as compared to the near-track-spec Akula concept that TVS had showed off at the Auto Expo 2016. Now, however, some cameraman seems to have captured a few candid images of this much-awaited bike in its utter undisguised glory.
The RTR 300, it seems, was spotted at a stockyard and though the one in images has its pillion seat missing, it’s clear that this is one handsome beast. The bike is painted in a lovely solid blue shade, reminiscent of Suzuki, and there seems to be no decals to speak of. However, since it’s devoid of any badging, we can assume that we’ll see the graphics only in the final production version of the bike. That being said, as witnessed on the Apache RTRs, TVS has solid paint work over too many graphics and it’s very likely that this aesthetic will be carried over on the RTR 300 as well. A matte grey RTR 300 was spotted as well, which has a blacked-out end cap on the side-mounted exhaust as opposed to the brushed metal one on the blue bike.
The fuel tank seems quite tall and muscular, and the front fairing also gets a liberally-sized windscreen which should provide adequate protection against wind blast. The layout of the bikes' twin headlights bears a passing resemblance to the older-generation Honda CBR600RR, but it could just be the angle of the shot that’s giving this impression. There’s also a massive tail-light unit with a striking look that seems like it could give the bold design choice of the Bajaj Pulsar RS200’s tail light a run for its money. A part of the tail panel also seems to be passing under the indicator and number plate bracket.
Just like on the concept model, the final instrument cluster features a vertical design and is an all-digital affair. The bike does get clip-on handlebars; however, they seem to be mounted slightly tall which means the riding position isn’t overly aggressive. Funny, the grey bike has differently designed clip-ons which seem to be placed lower than those on the blue bike. Now, whether these are just two different designs TVS is testing or whether the RTR 300 will be offered with optional lower (or taller) bars remains to be seen.
Golden-coloured upside-down forks are clearly visible up front and there’s a disc brake setup at both ends, although the size of the rotors isn’t apparent. What is apparent though is the fact that the RTR 300 is shod with Michelin Pilot street radial tyres at the front and back – a trend which the company started with the Apache RTR 200.
More spy images of the RTR 300 being tested on the dyno have revealed some additional information about the bike, namely a few additional details about the headlights, tail light and brakes. From these images, it is clear that the bike not only gets LED daytime running lights, but also LED headlights. Around the back, we can see the distinctive shape of the tail light that looks like an upside-down Omega symbol (or the Devil’s horns, as some of our colleagues have pointed out). While we were generally sure that the bike would be equipped with ABS, a clearly visible ring on the front rotor for the wheel speed sensor confirms this.
No mechanical details are known at this point, except for the fact that the RTR 300 will get the same 313cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor from the BMW G310 R. While peak power and torque outputs for the BMW stand at 34hp and 28Nm, respectively, there’s a strong possibility that the engine will be tuned differently for the RTR 300 and might make slightly lower figures.
The RTR 300 was originally slated for an early 2017 launch but that hasn’t happened as of yet and it has come to light that the bike may hit showrooms by the middle of this calendar year.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
