 QUESTiON: 80% of India’s bike users want a commuter machine.
Please note: I am using the word bike users, not bikers.
Bikers are different from commuters. The difference between them is very primary.
The commuter segment does not want Bullet, Pulsar, RTR, Karizma and R15.
So what does the commuter want? Who is the commuter? A commuter does not want a bike but he needs a bike. He wants purely a means of transport, which means he needs a cheap, easy, convenient, affordable, independent means of individual transportation, which is what a commuter machine is.
The commuter is a nine-to-five type. He is a monthly-salary employee who has to reach office / factory / workplace at a fixed time and leave at a fixed time. He could also be a student who has to attend classes at a fixed place (college / university) at fixed timings. The age of worker / student is not important. In his whole life cycle, the most important thing is timings and punctuality – at work or college==Worker’s work timings and student’s class timings. And TiME IS MUNNY! Worker EARNs munny by SELLiNG his time at workplace. Student (his parents) SPEND munny by BUYiNG faculty (and infrastructure) time at kolleje. The journey to and from workplace or kolleje, is an essential activity which may or may not (mostly not) be enjoyable, like shaving and polishing your shoes. Not necessarily an enjoyable or welcome activity, but is a compulsory activity. They have to get to office / college in time and get back home in time because wife / mother is waiting. They have to achieve this with least effort at least cost, so that they can brag to their wife / mother that their bike is giving 70 mileage, and with the munny saved how wife / mother can buy ear-ring and necklace and saree. Journey time is not important. Journey quality is slightly important to the extent that it should be as hassle free as possible. That is why you see FAT ladies driving FAT un-geared skootres. But in un-geared skootres, mileage is a problem. Getting anything above 40 kmpL in city traffic is almost impossible except in Pep+ of TVS. But FAT ladies need FAT scooters. And though Pep+ is FATAFAT, it is NOT FAT.
 The husband of these FAT ladies is not FAT. He is average or thin. Student is not FAT but his mother driving ungeared skootre is FAT. Both==husband / student have to ECONOMIZE their daily travel==daily commute. So they have to use geared bike. In the last 20 years the general speed of traffic on our city roads has REDUCED to less than HALF of what it was in 1990 because the traffic density has increased four times while the road space is reduced due to Ments in the Kroch == En-Kroch-Ments, and udder problems in the Kroch.
In such a situation, in order to get maximum mileage, the most operative factor is
LOW-END-TORK (LET), that is, HiGH pulling power at LOW engine rpm. And that is what TVS StaR Sport100 is all about. Developing powerful 7.5 Nm of Tork at just 5000 rpm, this bike can easily pull (even dubble seat) from 25 kph speed in top gear. Therefore you can continue to drive in top (==4th) gear over long distances and for long periods with almost no gear changing needed, which means very less driving effort almost like un-geared (without gear) scooter and yet get excellent mileage of a geared bike.
TVS Sport100 bike rides on 17-inch diameter tires, 2.75 inch wide front and 3.oo inch wide rear. Wheels are 5-spoke alloys. The 99.7 cc engine has bore X stroke of 51 mm X 48.8 mm (same stroke as engine of Jive Kluchless bike, StaR City110 and WeGo skootre) and produces 5.5kw=7.4 bhp=7.5 ps of power at a compression ratio of 9.15. The engine is fitted as a stressed member on the single down-tube chassis having a wheelbase of 1250 mm. Fuel tank capacity is 12 liters with a 1.5 liter reserve. Stopping is by 110 mm dia drum brakes front and rear. The engine is all black in keeping with the current trend of FEAR THE BLACK. A low fuel indicator in the dashboard serves as a fuel gauge.
ROAD BEHAViOUR :
 I have stopped at a traffic signal that just turned red and I have switched off the engine, since the lights will turn green again after 70 seconds (some traffic lights in Pune have time indicators, which I believe in), and at any stop of more than 10 sekonds, you MUST swatch-off your enjin, for ekonomik reasons, for pollution reasons and therefore for the sake of your OWN LiFE. As the light turns green again I kick the kick-lever and the engine sputters to life instantly. The pull is so powerful that I change to second gear almost immediately. The pull in second gear is still very strong so I quickly get into third gear and by the time I am 50 feet away from the traffic light, I shift to fourth gear. Traffic is heavy with people jostling for space. But I am in 4th gear and trundling along RELAXED! Bkoz in the kind of traffic atmosphere that exists in Hyd, Bang, Pune, Del, Chnn………..you name it, it is the same in all these cities and more. And if you wantto buy the most ekonomikal bike with high quality and best Value-For-Munny, this is it.
I move along with the traffic, easy to keep up with any kind of city traffic. Handling is superb. Steering response is very nimble and effective. Cutting through space between four-wheelers and autorixas is a breeze = as guud as any other bigger and / or more expensive bike. Braking is very good. This is a light bike. One of the lightest in this hole cunt ree. So 110 mm dia drum brakes, both front and rear feel adequate. I have been long distance on this bike. I have been from Pune to Goa and back on this bike. It was the most relaxed long ride of my life. That is bcoz I was not in a hurry. Of course in city traffic this bike is as guud as the hurriest of hurry bikes. But if you want to get to Goa from Pune in five hours, this is not the bike to do it on. Sure you can go to Goa, but not in five hours. For that, you can use and Apache 180 RTR or even 160 RTR. Please note that this is NOT Apache RTR 180. Or even 160! This is pure ekonomi. The pikup is as guud as the best of the 100 cc and the mileage is even better. Top speed is in the low eighties and it does the job. This is the ultimate commuter machine. Period.
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel consumption test was done on exactly same route [@ 19.5 km] on which all other bikes are tested, by me (weight 55 kg, height 174 cm), using ordinary unleaded green Petrol
S.No |
Test conditions of TVS StaR CITY |
Distance Covered (km) |
Fuel Consumed (litres) |
Fuel average (kmpL) |
1 |
Speeds up to 55 kmpH. Fourteen gear changings, some to 2nd. twelve brakings. Up-slope and down-slope. |
4.3 |
0.065 |
66.2 |
2 |
Almost steady 40-45 in top (4th) gear. No braking. No gear changing. Once quickly accelerated to 65 to overtake truck, and back to steady 45. |
2.5 |
0.028 |
98.3 |
3 |
No braking. No gear changing. Almost steady 40. Some up-slope. |
2.9 |
0.035 |
82.9 |
4 |
No gear changing. No braking. Almost steady 40. Much up-slope. |
2.6 |
0.038 |
68.4 |
5 |
Down-slope + plain road. Eight gear changings to third. Thirteen brakings. Speeds up to 60. |
7.1 |
0.083 |
85.5 |
6 |
Overall Fuel Average |
19.4 |
0.249 |
77.91 |
KOiN-KLUiSiON:
The above figures speak for themselves. Low End Tork==LET, is this bike’s USP==Unique Selling Proposition, which every product MUST have – as they teach in India’s topmost MBA institute: Sri Balaji Society in Pune. LET makes it the most effortless bike to drive (except ungeared scooters) bcoz you can stay cunt in us lee in top geer from 20 kph onwards and even pick-up effortlessly in same top geer without changing any geer. Sure there are udder bikes capable of doing this and more, but not at this price. At @ Rs.40K on road Pune on 19 Dec. 2010, with alloy wheels, 110 dia drum brakes, best headlight beam and best LOW-END-TORK, this bike gives the best value for munny, best value for looks and best commuter in city traffic or relaxed drive on highway. A sporty bike for city use. You have style (celebrity?). You have ease of driving (Low End Tork). Best headlight beam quality (night safety). Great mileage (economy). All for less than 40K on road Pune. That’s value for Munny with a capital M. |
