The TVS Star has received a rather popular extension to its name. Sushant Balsekar tries to find out whether it has the element to carry itself well enough in the city.

Motorcycles have become an integral part of our lives; it's clear that our appetite for them has increased. I keep telling myself that a 150, 180 or 220cc bike would check all the boxes in my wish list. But the practical pest in my mind (a bitch, really) would say that I wouldn't be able to push this bike beyond a certain limit if I imagine riding it between my workplace and home. Instead, a 100cc commuter would make more sense. They are cheaper to buy and maintain and cost peanuts to run. And they're not just for those waiting for that lottery ticket to cash in – there are more reasons to like 100cc bikes than you'd think. One, they're not dowdy anymore. They come in attractive colours; they have flashy instrumentation and are pasted with some colourful vinyl. Your girlfriend certainly won't think of your best friend while riding pillion with you. Unless the best friend has a car! (Another bitch.) But yes, 100cc motorcycles are the city's bullock carts.
But perhaps here's a bike, more workhorse than plough-bullock, which you can till the fields with and ride to the fair as well. The Star City makes no bones about the fact that it is meant to travel from point A to point B and still survive on a drip for food. Actually, it's nothing but the TVS Star that was launched in 2004, albeit with a modern cape, with its machinery identical to that of its lower-end siblings. If you could recall the first Star on the roads, you'll recall everything about it was large and it was proud to project an image of a son of the soil. Frankly, a fantastic bike for errands and perhaps longish rides, but as an eye-catcher, it wasn't impressive at all. The Deluxe that came in later was a slightly improved version, but again, nothing to talk about really. The Star City is the top of the line version, introduced with identical mechanicals but is more modern looking; one that could be appreciated in city environs. It comes with a new headlamp, nice-looking instrument cluster, bikini fairing and better damping abilities (thanks to Switch Shox tech). The bulbous, 16-litre fuel tank is really impressive and is as large as a Bullet's. There's a wide, supportive seat that could put you to sleep while riding. And who said looks don't really matter? Put on a few bright colours and you have a rush of buyers going in for something they would have, a month ago, called 'blah.' Another thing that buyers are thoroughly convinced about is the fact that if any motorcycle manufacturer talks about a 100cc bike, he is talking fuel efficiency. So why not demand good looks as well? In that case, this one's a steal. At least it's not a consequence of desperation to survive!

Ah, and this one is for its 125cc brethren – it also has a night glow pass-beam switch and the horn button, and push-cancel indicators. Okay, here comes the price: Rs 33,900. And that's pretty good for this class of bike, you know, considering what you get with it. We should really make an effort to not think about the price tag sometimes, shouldn't we? What the hell, let's make the first attempt with the Star City.