TVS has updated its flagship RR 310 for 2019. It now gets a slipper clutch and a new gloss black colour scheme that replaces the matte black paint option of the outgoing model. These might not seem much, but TVS has been constantly updating the RR 310 since its launch. While these updates have been incremental, together they should make a significant difference to the bike. Do they? We rode the new Apache RR 310 on the MMRT racetrack in Chennai to find out. Here's what we think about the bike, with detailed images.
Also read: 2019 TVS Apache RR 310: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t?
While the previous matte black colour scheme made the Apache look premium, the new gloss black makes it look fresh. It also gets a silver strip running across the centre of the bike.
Also read: TVS Apache RR 310 9,000km Long Term Review: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
The bodywork remains unchanged and that's not a bad thing. The Apache RR 310 has always looked stunning.
The tail section misses out on the large 35 years of racing stickers. It was to mark 35 years of TVS Racing when the Apache RR 310 was launched two years back. That sticker would not make sense on the new bike as in 2019, it has now been 37 years of TVS Racing.
Mechanically, the Apache RR 310 remains identical to the previous model. So it carries over the same trellis frame, the same suspension setup - fat upside-down forks at the front and a KYB tuned monoshock at the back.
Its 312cc reverse incline single-cylinder motor is untouched as well and produces the same output as before - 34PS @ 9700pm and 27.3Nm @ 7700rpm. However, TVS has thrown in a new slipper clutch into the mix this time around. The bikemaker says it has spent over 200 hours on track-testing it to get the tuning just right.
Out on the Chennai racetrack, the slip function worked beautifully when downshifting aggressively. There was no wheel lock-up or hop even when we quickly tapped the slick sifter down from sixth to third gear when braking for some of the tighter corners. Now, this makes the bike safer in a variety of situations, from going down the gearbox when leaned over or even shifting down when on a loose surface. And then there’s the assist function, which TVS says reduces clutch effort by as much as 20 per cent.
That also means it’s got the same lovely, meaty mid-range grunt that made us like this Apache in the first place. Open the gas in any gear, and the bike has a strong pull all the way up to its redline. There is one concern though. Because the engine hasn’t changed, it’s still got vibrations to a certain extent.
Over the last year and a half, TVS has rolled out subtle updates that have taken care of vibration issues to a certain degree. The biggest of these - an improved ignition - has tried to address the inherent vibey nature of the motor. And it has yielded some results too.
The other upshot of this has been an improved engine response at really slow speeds, which should make life much easier when crawling through bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Then there are the larger and heavier bar-end weights, which have almost completely negated vibrations at the handlebars, though seat and tank vibes can still be felt.
In order to make the Apache RR 310 less noisier, a softer chain roller has been used to reduce chain slap over bumpy roads.
A new rubber seal between the windscreen and fairing bodywork takes care of the irritating plastic-on-plastic rattling noise, apart from preventing dust from getting behind the windshield.
These and a few more, smaller updates that TVS had made, were passed on for free to their existing customers. And now, these are all included together on this 2019 model.
With all these updates, the new Apache RR 310 costs just over Rs 3,2,600 more. At Rs 2.27 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the new Apache RR 310 costs almost as much as it would to retrofit the slipper clutch on the previous generation RR 310.
Does the new TVS Apache RR 310 offer better value then? To be honest, while not exactly affordable, the RR 310 always offered pretty good value, considering its performance, versatility and features list. It’s still not a perfect bike now. But, all the little changes have really addressed the niggles that held back the Apache RR 310 from ranking high in our books. So we’d say that now it’s definitely worth your attention and your hard earned cash.
