BRAKING :
No surprises here, the Croma with her disc brake comes to a halt yards before any of the other bikes. The Croma takes 2.5 seconds covering 20 metres before coming to a halt. The feel through the lever and control that can be exercised is way better than any of the drum-brake equipped bikes can manage. Among the drum-brake equipped bikes, at 24.0 metres, the Victor took the least distance to stop when the anchors were thrown at 60kmph. Following closely was the Challenger covering a commendable 24.9 metres, the Crux-R covering 25.1 metres, the Energy FX covering 27.1 metres with the Passion way ahead taking 29.0 metres. And when you talk of braking, way ahead isn't a good thing.

RIDE & HANDLING :
The chassis of the Challenger uses twin downtubes and a box frame. However the twin downtubes serve no purpose other than to mount the belly fairing, consequently contributing zilch to chassis rigidity, flex and the like. The ride of the Challenger is harsh due to the stiff spring and damper settings. The stiff suspension though helps to keep the bike composed when leaned over. Ride quality of the Energy FX is of a very high order, thanks to the optimised suspension componentry. The chassis also offers little scope for flex and mated to the fat 100/90 rear tyre makes her a very good bike for corner hunting. The Energy also feels like a big 150cc bike, not a little 110cc bike which enhances the feel good factor.

The Passion benefits by the use of a twin downtube cradle frame that can tackle corners with relish. Ride quality is of a high order and the seat to handlebar to footpeg positioning is close to ideal. The suspension set-up of the Caliber Croma is on the stiffer side and can elicit teeth clenching response on poor surfaces but the pay off is good poise while going round corners. Ease of riding is the hallmark of the Crux-R. The riding position is spot-on while suspension geometry endows the bike with excellent manoeuvrability. Handling of the bike with the stock 2.75rear is average with the rear tending to weave and step out of line when cranked over. Swapping the stock rear tyre with a 3.0 TVS Srichakra has transformed her making a delightful handler, extremely communicative and with no sign of flex or weave thanks to the twin downtubes.

The single biggest advantage that the Victor sports over the other bikes is superb TVS Srichakra rubber. Allied to the stiff chassis, ideal riding position and optimised geometry, the Victor can outhandle all the bikes in this group, no mean feat mind you. Plus the ride quality can put many a bike to shame, the excellent damper settings doing a terrific job.

Fuel Efficiency :
The most dismal performer in this segment is the LML Energy FX, consuming a litre for every 60kilometres on the highway, dropping down to 46kilometres to a litre on the city route. With an overall mileage of 53kmpl, the Energy will traverse 724kilometers before running dry. The Challenger, Caliber Croma and Crux-R returned more or less identical mileage figures. The Challenger returned a best figure of 76kmpl on the higway route and a worst figure of 50kmpl on the city route. An overall mileage figure of 63kilometres will see her traverse 756kilometres before runing dry.

The Yamaha Crux-R didn't do too well on the highway route with a litre of fuel lasting 69kilometres. However her city figures were much better at 58kilomtres to a litre, resulting in an overall mileage figure of 63.5kmpl, good enough to last 700kilometres on a tankfull.

The Caliber Croma returned an identical 58kmpl on the city route but her highway figure was better at 70kmpl giving her an overall mileage figure of 64kmpl. At 14litres, the Croma has the largest fuel tank along with the Energy FX that sees it go 900km on a tankfull.

The Passion is a shining example of the legendary efficiency of Honda engines, returning a best figure of 88kmpl while the mileage droppeds to 68kmpl on the city route. The overall mileage figure of 78kmpl gives the Passion a range of 1000kilometers on a tankfull.

Winner of this segment in the TVS Victor, again proving that the dual map digital ignition is no gimmick but actually works a treat. On the highway route, the Victor was the only bike to enter the nineties, consuming a litre to traverse 90kilometres. This figure dropped to 72kmpl on the city run. An overall mileage figure of 81kmpl will see the Victor traverse 891kilometres before a tank-up.