Drove it for 3.5 years , 40000Km. Review on TVS Apache RTR 160

I have drove my Apache RTR 160 for 40000Km, still using it. If I have to describe it in single word, I would say its a work-horse. I am now 27 years old, IT employee by profession. I have been using this bike since 2010 have found it to be extremely reliable, no matter what if there is fuel in the tank bike will start in a single starter. Very fuel efficient, with its default tyres it gave me an mileage of+58 in city drive all the time.

PROS:

Breaking - It is wonderful, unlike pulsar the bike stops and doesn't make you fall on the road even during panic breaking(I drive a rear disk version).  You will feel the difference when you drive a non rear disk bike after driving a this bike.

Looks-  Its looks good, some people like its looks some done. I love it looks.

Very low maintenance and very durable parts-  Damn good at this, a service with oil change costs me 800INR on an avg(I get it service it in every 4 months), the parts are very durable including the body parts they are strong as an ox. I had few minor accidents so its a well tested statement. It has a 16ltr fuel tank.

CONS:

If you can live with its cons, you can certainly live with its pros.

Default TVS tyres skid on WET roads like hell(non abs version), it almost like riding a banana peal during monsoons., especially when you apply only rear disk break. Solution - change the tyres to a better grip one(whistle  mileage will drop because of this)

Single over head cam(SOHC) - how it impacts you? Well for starters it performs very differently when you ride without pillion rider and when you ride with one. No body is gonna tell you this truth before you buy it. The bike gets out of breath and you have to bring it on very low gears when trying to pull up a pillion rider to a slight road slant. Drive a DOHC vehicle uphill with a pillion rider and you will know the difference very easily.

Open chain- Well the chain gets dried up very quickly during the windy season. You can feel the roughness during the drive.

Hard Shock Absorbers-  Shock absorbers but very hard you can feel every stone, pothole on the road. Yahama and Honda shockers are way better in this case(yes I  had those bikes too).

Gearing ratio-  Ever thought how do they deliver such an excellent mileage with a 160cc engine? The answer lies in the gearing ratio. How does it impact you?  You will have to change gears very frequently on traffic roads.

Engine and gear shift smoothness- Lets accept the facts here the engine is not as smooth as Honda and gearbox is not as smooth as Bajaj. Infact if you don't warmup the engine before the start the ride in the morning, you can feel the roughness during the gearshifts, damn easily.

Final verdict-  All in all if you want a bike which looks very powerful(but really its not) and delivers a decent millage without any high maintenance costs, this is the one for you.

If you need a very smooth bike in terms of engine, suspension and gear shift, you are way off track buddy.:)

P.S.- I don't mind producing the bike photos, document scans. Service records of my bike to prove that every word I said above is absolutely true and a first hand experience.