The newly-launched TVS Raider 125 is a sporty commuter, with lots of impressive features and a decently powerful yet fuel-efficient engine
TVS Motor Company recently launched the Raider 125 in India, marking its re-entry into the 125cc motorcycle segment. The new bike looks absolutely brilliant, with some design inspiration from the Apache RTR 4V. We recently got to experience the TVS Raider 125, and we were all thoroughly impressed by the motorcycle.
Starting off with the styling, the first thing that grabs your attention would be the aggressive LED headlamp, with sporty LED DRLs. The fuel tank is quite sharp-looking as well, and the bike gets a split-headlamp setup. The tail section is a little too flat though, and the single-piece pillion grabrail isn’t too sporty either. The bike also gets an LED taillight, although the turn indicators are bulb units.
The motorcycle comes loaded with plenty of features, like a full-digital instrument console, USB charging port, riding modes (Eco and Power), and intelliGO start/stop tech. The suspension system consists of 30mm telescopic forks at the front and a 5-step preload-adjustable monoshock at the rear. An optional TFT instrument cluster, with SmartXonnect connected tech, will be offered at a later date.
The Raider 125 gets 17-inch alloy wheels as standard, shod with an 80/100 tyre at the front and a 100/90 tyre at the rear. A 240mm front disc brake is available as an option, but the bike doesn’t get ABS. The pillion seat has a tiny storage space underneath, which is only good for a smartphone (or two) or some documents, but it’s useful nonetheless.
Powering the Raider 125 is a 124.8cc, air/oil-cooled, single-cylinder engine, which belts out 11.38 PS and 11.2 Nm. The power is sent to the rear wheel via a 5-speed sequential gearbox. In Power mode, we managed to reach 60 kmph from a standstill in just 6.8 seconds and touched 100 kmph. The handling is massively impressive, with brilliant grip from the tyres.
TVS Raider 125 is currently priced at Rs. 77,500 for the drum brake variant, and at Rs. 85,469 for the disc brake variant (ex-showroom, New Delhi). The manufacturer will soon add a new variant with a TFT instrument cluster (SmartXonnect enabled) to the Raider 125 range, which will be a little more expensive over these.