TVS Apache RTR 165 RP Gets Closer To Reality

[UPDATE: The TVS Apache RTR 165 RP has been launched at Rs 1.45 lakh (ex-showroom India). For the specs, availability and other details, head to our launch story.]

Back in August, we’d broken the news that TVS is working on a sportier variant of the TVS Apache RTR 160 4V, as the company filed a trademark for the name ‘TVS Apache RTR 165 RP’. While the filing was pending further examination, it has now been ‘accepted and advertised’. Even the trademark of the name 'TVS RP Race Performance' has received the same status.

This means the trademarks have been entered in the trademark journal, and it gives the company the legal rights over the names. If there is any opposition by any other company or individual, it will have to be filed within four months from the date of the trademark acceptance (December 13, 2021).

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Now that the company has sorted out the name of the motorcycle, expect TVS to launch the bike soon. The 'TVS RP Race Performance' could be the Hosur-based bikemaker's sub-brand dedicated to performance-oriented offerings, just like Mercedes-Benz's AMG division, and the TVS Apache RTR 165 RP could be the first product to go on sale under this sub-brand. Going by the name, it is likely to have a rebored version of the Apache RTR 160 4V’s 159.7cc single-cylinder air-cooled, fuel-injected heart, which currently makes 17.63PS and 14.73Nm. We expect the new engine to make about 1-1.5PS and 1Nm more than that on the current-gen bike.

Additionally, we also expect TVS to spruce up the motorcycle with slightly more aggressive ergonomics, perhaps a preload-adjustable telescopic fork like on the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V. If TVS manages to make all these changes, it will by far be the sportiest motorcycle in the 160cc naked segment. It will have a huge advantage over other less powerful, less feature-packed nakeds like the Yamaha FZ-S Fi, Hero XTreme 160R, Honda X-Blade, and Bajaj Pulsar NS160.