The perfect beginner adventure touring motorcycle that Americans will crave

We all know that the American motorcycle market has a very selective offering. Only a few companies bring their entire range here, leaving behind some pretty impressive two-wheelers that you can only dream of. The list of such bikes only gets longer every year, and today we bring you one more. This is one of the newest entry-level adventure touring bikes on the market, armed with capable components from top to bottom. It’s also dirt cheap in its home country (less than $2,500) while promising a full experience. I recently got to jump on board and take it for a spin, and here’s how it went.

A striking design

With brilliant road presence

Take a look at the 300-400cc adventure touring segment and you won’t find much design innovation here. The BMW G 310 GS and Kawasaki Versys 300 have remained the same for years, while even the larger Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 takes a simple neo-retro approach. However, the TVS RTX is the exception. In typical TVS fashion, the design is bang on.

Up top you get unique dual LED lights, which are inspired by bigger ADVs like the Triumph Tiger and Aprilia Tuareg. Oh, and with only the daytime running lights on, it looks like an F 900 XR from a distance. Then there’s the muscular fuel tank that flows into the long, one-piece seat. Sporty tank shrouds and fairings sweeten the pot even more.

Finally, at the rear there is a sleek rear unit where the indicators and taillight are on the mudguard instead of in the usual place. A special shoutout goes to the blacked-out twin-tip exhaust. How is it personally? Well, it’s surprisingly big enough to boast excellent road presence. The fit and finish are also brilliant, and there’s no cheap plastic in or around you. The paint quality is also excellent. Speaking of which, three colors are offered, namely:

• Pearl White

• Lightning Black

• Metallic blue

• Tarn Bronze

• Viper Green (exclusively for BTO customers)

All the features you will ever need for your adventure touring needs

Headlined by a sharp TFT instrument panel

TVS engines

Climb aboard the RTX and the premium experience remains intact. You’re greeted by a sharp TFT instrument cluster with plenty of information. You can view all the basic data like range, fuel consumption, temperature and fuel level, but the real party trick is the smartphone connectivity. Once connected, you can use turn-by-turn navigation, and there’s also an option to mirror the map from the phone screen.

You also get traction control, switchable ABS, riding modes (four with two different throttle maps) and a two-way quickshifter. These all work quite well on the road, and the display is readable in all types of light (including bright sun). I also love that the motorcycle remembers the setting. For example, if you turn off the traction control and run the ignition cycle again, the TC will still be off when you restart the bike. Small thing, we know, but still useful.

TVS Apache RTX 300 Features

• Riding modes (Urban, Rain, Tour, Rally)

• Traction control

• Quickshifter and auto blipper

• Smartphone connectivity

• Turn-by-turn navigation (with screen mirroring)

• Illuminated switches

• LED lighting

• Adjustable levers

• Headlight animations

• Cruise control

An all-new engine powers the TVS Apache RTX 300

Peak power: 35 hp

TVS Motors/Punya Sharma

TVS has been using the 313cc single-cylinder engine in its products for a long time. Yes, the same engine that the Indian brand developed for BMW ten years ago and which we also see in the G 310 R and G 310 GS. But with the German giant ready to do bigger things, TVS has now taken matters into its own hands. What you get here is an all-new 299cc single-cylinder mill.

We’re told there are no carryover parts from the 310 platform, and this is a forward-sloping mill, unlike the rear-slanted BMW unit. You also get a handful of innovations, like dual jacket cooling, all of which help produce 35 horsepower and 21 pound-feet. These are better figures than the G 310 platform and come in lower in the rev range. TVS also claims that the main focus was on a linear power curve.

That’s exactly what it feels like on the road. The mill builds speed from the low end all the way to the redline without any surprises that new riders may find difficult to deal with. It’s tractable too, and I found third gear to be the sweet spot. Third, you can easily chug along at speeds as low as 15 miles per hour without the engine stalling or struggling. The throttle feel is also quite nice, and the ‘Urban’ mode features TVS’s Glide Through technology.

TVS Motors/Punya Sharma

This means that the bike will not stall even if you are lazy with shifting. I dropped sixth at just 10 miles per hour, and the bike kept going. That should also help get great fuel efficiency numbers. For reference, the display showed about 68 miles per gallon under mixed conditions. It means a theoretical tank-to-tank range of 220 miles with the 3.3-gallon tank filled to the brim.

But things get a little flat and lively

TVS Motors/Punya Sharma

Nothing can be perfect, and this bike isn’t either. The biggest problem here is the lack of low-end punch. Below 4,500 rpm you hardly have any power, so you’ll have to shift quite a bit for overtaking or low-speed stuff. Then you will also realize that the quickshifter and the blipper are a bit clumsy. This is a bit surprising as TVS usually follows QS calibration as we have seen on the RR 310 sports bike.

Finally, this is not an extremely smooth powerhouse. As you get closer to the redline, vibrations start to creep from the fuel tank and footpegs. While you may not feel them in chunky adventure boots, they are certainly common in regular motorcycle boots. TVS has done well to limit them on the handlebars as there are rubber mounts on the triple tree.

TVS Apache RTX 300 Engine Specifications

A smooth suspension and comfortable ergonomics complete the package

Chassis: steel trellis

TVS Motors/Punya Sharma

Just like the engine, TVS has come up with a new chassis for the RTX. This is a steel trellis setup with a trellis subframe and an aluminum double-sided swingarm. Suspension duties are via 41mm USD forks and a monoshock, built by Endurance (the same brand that makes WP suspension for KTM in India). Suspension travel is 7 inches, and in the top trim you get full adjustability. As for the wheels, it’s an adventure tourer, so you get a combination of 19/17-inch alloy wheels.

Each of these has a single disc brake for stopping power (320mm front and 240mm rear). How is this all on the road? In short, smooth. The suspension absorbs everything you throw at it well and you won’t be thrown out of the saddle on big potholes. That eliminates the need to stand up, although the ergonomics support standing driving.

However, TVS claims that this is 85 percent asphalt, so the road is where it primarily belongs. The RTX performs well in that area, because you can throw it into corners with confidence. Yes, you’ll have to put in some effort at first, but it will stay planted once it’s tilted into the corner. The brakes are also commendable. Both the front and rear units offer great bite, with plenty of modulation. The new TVS Eurogrip tires also deserve some praise.

However, some things will leave you scratching your head

TVS Motors/Punya Sharma

What I personally didn’t like is the heavy feeling from the front, both on and off the road. It makes life particularly hard when doing low-speed off-road stuff and takes away confidence. That’s probably due to the curb weight (396 pounds), which is 10 more than the G 310 GS. I also ran into some inconsistency with the rear brake. Although it performed well with ABS on, the rear locked up surprisingly quickly in ‘Rally’ mode. And when that happened, the bike stalled three times at low speeds, which brings us back to the lack of low-end punch.

Finally, the saddle height feels okay on paper. But because the seat is wide, the bike feels quite tall from the seat (I’m almost 6 feet tall). Likewise, the saddle is well padded when you look at it. But the cushioning is not as soft as I would like. My stomach felt a little numb after riding the bike for just 80 miles (on mixed terrain). TVS has also not announced any accessory touring seat.

TVS Apache RTX 300 base and dimensions