TVS has come up with its new model TVS Flame SR125. It is a 125 cc bike capable of generating 10.5 Bhp@7500 rpm and a maximum of torque of 10nm@ 6000 rpm. The bike comes with a 3 valve CCVTI engine (controlled Combustion –variable timing Intelligent).
This technology, the company claims, provides you a combination of both power and better mileage. The tumble-swirl port combination not only helps in less gear shifting in the city riding but also provides better mileage at the same time.
The fuel tank capacity is only 7.5 litre. The kerb weight of the bike is 123 Kg for the drum version and 126 Kg for the disc one.
The styling of the bike has been improved by the all new body graphics. It also comes up with a wider rear tyre this time helping for achieving better grip on the road. The digital console consists of a bright LCD screen which displays information like ODO meter, trip meter, fuel indicator and clock. There is a new feature in this bike called IMI (intelligent mileage indicator) which tells you the instantaneous mileage of the bike as you ride it. The service reminder indicator is also present in it. The on tank storage is really handy for the storage of small items like a small water bottle or any kind of documents.
Now let me come to my test ride observations. The first thing I noticed about this bike was the sound, as soon as I pushed the electric start button, for a few seconds I didn’t even realize that the bike had started!
It felt very calm and it didn’t created much sound initially. The clutch was smooth and the bike’s pickup was decent. (The pick up was not as good as compared to Honda CBF stunner PGM-FI, which I got on to last week). The bike accelerated gradually as I increased the speed and moved the gears up.
The seating position of the bike is one of a kind. It’s very much upright and you will get an open chested stance on it. Although the seating position is comfortable and will not cause any ache in your back, the same cannot be said for the foot peg position which is kind of awkward.
You would feel that your foot is resting a bit ahead than where it should be. Positioning the foot pegs a few inches back than where they are presently could have improved the seating position a bit more.
The handling of the bike was average and I don’t think riding the bike in a zigzag manner through the city traffic would be that pleasurable. Also I didn’t find the engine much refined and I could feel the noise and little bit of vibrations in it.
The gear box consists of 4 gears (shifting pattern-all up makes for easy operation) which was not smoothest of all and it could have been better. This bike comes with the option of a 240 mm front disc and has a 130 mm rear disc brake. The braking of the bike is good, but not as good as the CBF Stunner PGM-FI, but I think it is somewhat acceptable.
Overall I would call it an average bike which has a little bit of everything. The disc brake version costs around Rs.51101 on road Delhi. The bike is available in three colors which are Elite Blue, Scarlet Red and Mica Black. TVS has priced this bike at a competitive range which is around 16k less than the CBF Stunner PGM-FI and around 3k less than the top-end carbureted version of Stunner.
