Bikes That Were Way Ahead Of Their Time: TVS Jive

It is the year 2009, and Hero Honda is busy selling the Splendor, and Bajaj had the Platina 100. TVS, on the other hand, despite having the Star City thought of changing the market by launching India’s first clutchless motorcycle, TVS Jive in November that year. Its purpose was simple: give city commuters the feel of riding a motorcycle without the hassle of operating a clutch. 

Powered by a 109.7cc, 4-stroke engine, it made 8.4PS and 8.3Nm, paired with a 4-speed rotary gearbox. TVS claimed that the Jive offered a mileage of 65 kmpl, a comfortable ride, and all the basics like electric start and drum brakes were covered. But the real star was how it shifted gears without a clutch lever.

How Did It Work?

Unlike a traditional motorcycle, where you pull in the clutch and shift the gear through the gear shifter, TVS Jive worked quite differently. The magic of the TVS Jive was its Auto-Clutch system. It used a centrifugal clutch that engaged and disengaged automatically based on engine speed and torque, so one didn’t need to pull any clutch lever. Gear changes were handled through a foot-operated rotary gearbox (1-2-3-4-N-1), and the bike managed the clutch timing internally. You still shifted gears like any other motorcycle, but without the hand-foot coordination. This meant that the Jive felt like a manual scooter but in the body of a motorcycle. It even had an anti-stall mechanism, so one could come to a full stop in the fourth gear and start rolling without the bike stalling. This made the Jive really stand out from its rivals. The Jive’s gearbox allowed it to have great low-end torque, which made riding in the city a breeze. 

Way Ahead Of Its Time

The TVS Jive was revolutionary; no two-ways around that as it was India’s first clutchless geared motorcycle. It was also the India’s first motorcycle to have an underseat storage which was large enough to hold a waterbottle, vehicle documents and even a small umbrella at that. The Jive tried to create a new path between scooters and traditional bikes. But back in 2009, the market wasn’t quite ready.

Riders found the experience unusual as some missed the control of a clutch lever, while others just didn’t see the need for this hybrid solution. It also came down to the commonly perceived notion of Indian riders that a motorcycle with clutch and gear was more ‘macho’ than a scooter. Hence, a motorcycle that leaned more towards a scooter didn’t really sit well with its target audience, even though it was designed to offer a simple solution and make city riding less stressful. Even roadside mechanics were confused and clueless by its transmission tech, making after-sales service a bit tricky in smaller towns. The result? Despite its promise, Jive was quietly discontinued in 2012.

What If It Was Never Discontinued?

Now, this is where it gets interesting. If TVS stuck with the Jive and evolved it further, we could be looking at a more powerful, refined version today. Maybe a 125cc or even 150cc automatic-clutch bike. Other brands might’ve joined in, bringing clutchless options in multiple segments. For urban riders, an automatic bike with manual gear control could have been the sweet spot between scooters and motorcycles. The Jive could’ve sparked a trend of smart, fuss-free city bikes that still offered control and style. 

But, of course, not all would’ve been as glamorous as it sounds. The automatic clutches can feel less responsive, especially under load, and enthusiasts prefer full control of the clutch to be able to modulate the power output by feathering the clutch. 

ZigSays

Solid props to TVS as it managed to package such modern tech way back then, that too at a fairly affordable price tag of Rs 41,000 (ex-showroom).

It’s almost poetic that the technology is slowly starting to become more widespread only about a decade and a half later in the global two-wheeler space. Brands like Honda (DCT tech and the new e-clutch system), BMW (Automated Shift Assistant), Yamaha (Y-AMT) and KTM (with their upcoming automatic clutch systems) are already on their way. If automatic bikes do catch on, maybe TVS or someone else could bring back the fuss-free spirit of the Jive in a more impactful way.