It’s actually a bike from TVS. Caught testing with full occupancy which includes a husband and his wife, four kids, a dog, a puppy and tons of luggage, the MPV has oodles of torque for sure!

TVS’s most stylish step-through, the Rockz, sold all these years in Indonesia, has been caught testing in Chennai. Click here to see it.

Mahindra’s A02 (not Cevalo) and Diablo debut in Mumbai on the 30th. Details here.

TVS has confirmed that it will relaunch the 125cc Flame twin-spark in the Indian market in the coming months. Read about the twin spark Flame here.

Suzuki sends us an invitation for a press conference on the 25th. Is it for the launch of the Slingshot 125? Read about the Suzuki press conference here.

The Hero Honda Super Splendor facelift is coming soon and we have spyshots! Click here to see Hero Honda Super Splendor spyshots.

Two New Launches from TVS Motor Company

~TVS Jive and TVS WEGO to hit the market~

Chennai November 25, 2009: TVS Motor Company today unveiled two novel products – India’s first auto-clutch motorcycle and an automatic scooter. Unveiling the new motorcycle and scooter, the company’s Chairman, Mr. Venu Srinivasan asserted that these two products are set to transform the very definition of city commuter biking. Ride convenience is the focal point and both products will provide a sporty riding experience with an unparalleled combination of comfort, performance, ease of operation and fuel efficiency.

Christened TVS Jive, the new motorcycle is propelled by a 110 cc engine which features innovative T-Matic technology* (patent applied for) which features a rotary gear technology coupled with an automatic clutch. The bike’s four speed engine delivers a solid four stroke performance with 8.1 Bhp @ 7500 rpm and a torque of 8.1 Nm @ 5500 rpm. TVS Jive’s light weight at 110 Kgs makes it convenient to handle. Alloy wheels complement the bikes wheelbase of 1260 mm which makes cornering and maneuvering effortless. The bike has a fuel tank capacity of 12 litres with two litres as reserve.

TVS Jive is packed with features* and superior technology* that make it one of the most convenient motorcycles to ride in the country. One of the major features of this motorcycle is the absence of the clutch lever, making riding on this motorcycle a hands free gear shift experience. The bike therefore can be ridden by almost anyone who has a sense of balance as there is no need for manual clutch-gear co-ordination while shifting.

A unique feature of this motorcycle is its anti-stall mechanism which makes smooth riding possible at low speeds even in high gears, without the engine shutting off. This is not possible in motorcycles with the regular clutch system. The downward rotary gear system enables the rider to reach neutral straight from top gear. However, it is not necessary that the bike has to be in neutral while starting. The bike can be started in any gear and is fitted with an electric start for convenience. It is also the first motorcycle in the country to have an under seat storage space, large enough to hold a water bottle, vehicle documents and even a small umbrella.

Each unique feature emphasizes the overall objective – ease and convenience of use.

TVS Jive is priced at Rs 41, 000 (Ex-showroom Chennai)

TVS Wego

Complementing the motorcycle is TVS WEGO, the multi-user, family-friendly and sleek metal bodied scooter that strikes a perfect balance between stability and maneuverability, power and mileage, sturdiness and ease, making it a delight to ride for any category of users; men and women, young and old.

TVS WEGO comes with a 110 cc engine that delivers a peak power of 8 BHP @ 7500rpm. TVS has made use of vehicle simulation models, computational fluid dynamics and frequency response analysis techniques to ensure smooth and noise-free engine and best-in-class ride comfort and handling. The all aluminum low-friction engine ensures best-in-class mileage. Multi-reflector halogen headlamps and LED tail lamp with optical guides give the scooter dynamic styling better described as urban dynamism.

One of the unique features* of TVS WEGO is its Body Balance Technology that enables lower steering effort, better control and maneuverability through optimum vehicle mass and mass distribution, making it the best scooter to handle in city traffic conditions. Other innovations* that are first in its category are twelve inch alloy wheels, sleek contour body, LED Tail lamp with optical guides, external fuel fill with hinged cap, an integrated glove box, twin city lamps, maintenance free battery, gas filled rear shock absorber, under seat combo charger to charge the vehicle battery as well as a cell phone and patented EZ center stand. The scooter’s under seat storage space that can hold a full face helmet.

With the launch of TVS WEGO, TVS Motor becomes the only company with the widest range of scooters in the market starting from the entry-level Scooty Teenz, Scooty Teenz Electric to the iconic Scooty Pep+, the snazzy Scooty Streak and now the TVS WEGO.

While the TVS Jive, which will be available in colours of blue black and red,
TVS WEGO will come in cappuccino brown, golden beige, silver, black and dark blue.

TVS Wego is priced at Rs.42,500 (Ex-showroom Chennai)

* Patents Applied For

Pricing details courtesy of vicky.in

TVS Jive and Wego Image Slideshow

If you can’t view the slideshow above, view the TVS Wego and Jive Image Gallery directly

The new 100cc TVS scooter is designed to target market leader Activa, which sells in large numbers (55,000 units a month). The body, unlike other scooters, is built using metals and will pricing is expected close to the 45k rupee mark.

The 100cc TVS scooter, according to sources, will be capable of good acceleration and speed. The handling is also regarded to be close to the Activa’s.

Dealers of TVS motorcycles claim the good brand image the Scooty enjoys in India will help provide the 100cc scooter with a solid start. Even if it does a third of the 55,000 units the Activa does, TVS would be happy with it, convey company sources.

In the year 2007, when TVS launched Flame with twin-spark technology, it was forced to halt production due to a patent case violation lodged by Bajaj. Bajaj claimed it developed and patented the twin spark plug technology in 2002 and TVS was illegally utilizing its technology.

However on September 16, the Supreme Court allowed TVS Motor to sell the Flame brand with the twin spark plug technology. The court has also directed the suit before the Madras High Court, which is to be concluded by November 30.

After the court’s decision arrived in their favour, TVS Motor Co Ltd said on Friday that it reintroduced its “Flame” brand of motorbikes that feature twin spark plugs, after obtaining the necessary legal clearances.

You can catch biker boy Nazish’s review of the TVS Flame here.TVS

If sources are to be believed TVS is planning to launch a bike with automatic clutch system within a few months. This means the rider would be free from applying the clutch while shifting the gears. The gears would be shifted without the use of a clutch and the company also claims that there would not be any impact on the bike’ performance such as its pickup and top speed.

Although TVS isn’t willing to disclose much info about this product at this point of time, insiders say this project has been in the pipeline for the last 18 months or so.

This bike would be placed in the executive segment which is ruled by Hero Honda at present. It would be interesting to see how TVS positions this bike as far as its cost is concerned and what mileage it would be capable of.

As in case of gearless scooters, this bike could lure women riders as well who have keen interest in motorcycles but couldn’t find an appropriate product for their commute till now.

This bike will bring with itself a new technology in the biking world in India and it would be interesting to assess its performance.

TVS Motors will launch a 100cc scooter and motorcycle for the executive segment by the completion of the current financial year. At present, TVS manufactures two scooters — Scooty Pep and Scooty Streak — belonging to the sub-100cc segment.

Technical specifications of the vehicles are not known, but both the vehicles will be built at the company’s Hosur plant.

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.

TVS Motor Company announced it would launch high capacity gearless scooters in the next three months. This move will place it in a suitable position to gain lost ground from leader Honda, who with its Activa and Aviator has taken 57.11% of the scooter market in India.

No information on its capacity is available at present. Could TVS transplant the Flame’s 125cc engine on its scooters?

Right now, TVS sells sub-100cc engine scooters like the Scooty Streak, Pep and Teenz.

Source – Live Mint