HORSING AROUND

Pairing two-wheeled equines from the two ends of the TVS stable

- Kartik Ware

Horses are some of the most beautiful animals on the planet, and everyone likes them. However, more often than not they stink, tend to have a temper, are easily rattled, can bite, and if you’re at the wrong end, kick you into low-earth orbit. I suspect these are some of the reasons why fedup ingenious humans took to designing two-wheeled horses that other impressionable humans started buying in droves. And like their four-legged inspirations, motorcycles today are registered as many different breeds. In the Indian context, the company that finds itself farriering the most diverse stable is TVS, with a breadwinning workhorse at one end and a flagship thoroughbred at the other.

The TVS XL100 Comfort and the Apache RR 310 are as far apart as two-wheelers made by the same company can be, the former being the only moped sold in India. Yes, it doesn’t have pedals, but calling it a step-through is less charming. Plus I like thinking that the past tense of ‘mope’ can also be a cheerful object. The XL is a 38-year-old idea, now polished with the grace and refinement of the modern era. It is BS6-compliant and has fuel-injection to boot. The RR 310 is a BMW made by TVS, and its BS6 version is a shocking improvement over the older one. However, the roots of all those TVS Racing badges on the RR 310 go back in time to the XL.