TVS STAR CITY
List price Rs 33,990 (ex-showroom, Pune)
Top speed 85kph 0-60kph 8.20sec
Kpl 64.2 (overall)
For Slick gearshifts, beefy fuel tank
Against Absent fuel gauge

A year ago, it came across as a well-engineered motorcycle. Now the Star gets a makeover, new features and a suffix. Will that be enough?

It’s tough being a motorcycle in our market. Model lifecycles are down from decades to months, and grim competition means only the fittest can survive. TVS Motor Company’s Star was last year positioned in the hotly contested 100cc segment to take the challenge to Bajaj’s hugely successful CT 100. Our Jan 2005 issue carried the very first comparative road test of those two equally proficient motorbikes. But things have moved on and the Star’s come back with a City added to its name. And out comes our magnifying lens.