STREET FIGHT ROYALE

We pit the two of the best naked motorcycles in their class; the TVS Apache RTR 310 and the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S.

- SUNDEEP GAJJAR

SOMEONE once said, "Don't compare apples and oranges." To be more precise, the original saying was, "Don't compare apples to oysters." If one of them were a car, the oyster would be it. But since our contenders are both high-performance motorcycles, let's go ahead with this comparison no one asked for.

At MotoVilla, the headquarters of xBhp, we have gadgets, collectables, books, photos, and of course, real motorcycles. Among those are our contenders for today; the TVS Apache RTR 310 and the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S. For our readers outside India (who somehow do not know about TVS), let me introduce TVS Motor Company.

It is a motorcycle manufacturing giant. In addition to the RTR 310, they also produce the engines for the BMW 310s. Also, they are the ones who acquired Norton not too long ago.

Let's begin with looks, as that's what prompted many to say the Apache RTR 310's design was inspired by the Ducati Streetfighter V4S when it was first spotted in a trailer. I'm a fan of naked, aggressive motorcycles, with the Kawasaki Z1000 being one of my favourites. That's the kind of look I'd have wanted on the ZH2, rather than its current design.

Back to the Apache RTR 310-it is polarizing in the looks department. I, for one, love the design. From the dual LED headlamps, which TVS describes as "cyborg" to paint a picture, it looks futuristic, almost Transformer-like. The sculpted tank draws you in and flows into the trellis frame paired with an aluminium subframe.