Uncharted Waters

TVS finally dips its toe into the modern-retro pond with the all-new Ronin. But is it good enough to warrant your attention? We find out.

-  SHIVANK BHATT

For a brand that can’t stop beating its chest about its racing pedigree, TVS’ latest offering – the Ronin – is a far cry from what the brand stands for. It’s a laid-back lifestyle product meant for those possessed by wanderlust. Long story short, it’s a motorcycle meant to spend more time in the lap of nature instead of setting lap times on a racetrack.

It’s quite evident that with the Ronin, TVS is eyeing the premium modern-retro segment and wants to eat into the sales of motorcycles from Royal Enfield, Honda, and Yezdi. However, instead of locking horns with the biggies directly, TVS has decided to slot the Ronin a segment below the aforementioned players’ offerings by making it a size smaller and a lot more affordable.

And the result? Well, the Ronin now stands somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Now, this can go either way – it could either be a sales masterstroke or turn out to be a market dud. Whether customers will accept this all-new style of motorcycle from TVS, only time will tell that. However, what we can let you know, in the meantime, is how the Ronin fares as a product. We spent a day riding this all-new motorcycle on a wet and wild day in Goa, and here are our first impressions.

RETRO AESTHETICS