OPEN HEADED

Has TVS carved out a new space with the Ronin? We find out

- Janak Sorap

The weather reports weren’t promising. The India Meteorological Department had issued orange and red warnings for the western coastline. It was a concern somewhere in the back of my mind while I was driving through Chorla ghat in the pouring rain with our in-house lensman, with the hope to reach the venue in Goa for the launch and ride of a new motorcycle from TVS. With much luck and limiting the number of halts, we made it just in time for the launch. TVS Ronin, everyone. It’s the newest motorcycle to join the Hosurbased two-wheeler manufacturers’ portfolio. And according to TVS, it’s a bike that hasn’t been put together keeping a specific segment in check. If you’d ask me, going by its profile and the equipment it packs, it’s somewhat a mix between a cruiser and scrambler.

TVS has been on the role of late, with machines like the NTorq 125, Radeon, Raider and the now much improved Apache RR 310 rolling out from the production line, I was confident that the Ronin would also be a good bike to ride. More on that later. However, what had me concerned and confused was the bike’s design. How good or bad a motorcycle looks and appeals to someone is a completely subjective matter, but I am a bit unsure about this one.