TVS Apache RR 310 at MIC special feature: Genesis

If there’s one manufacturer in the Indian two-wheeler space that is properly committed, understands the significance, and uses motorsport as a tool to develop the bikes that you and I ride and enjoy, it is TVS. The race track is where TVS develop all their motorcycles – they have been racing continuously since 1982 and what better way to understand what the TVS formula is than to head to the track where the story began. The Madras International Circuit. A track that is not only crucial to the Indian motorsport scene but also home to TVS’s permanent race workshops. To get an idea of what makes the Apache so special, we got the very best one there is – the Apache RR 310 – a machine developed on track and a distillation of everything that makes the factory racing outfit so special.

The RR 310 is a machine that has been around for a while and has spawned quite a few machines that enable aspiring racers and future national champions to realise their true potential. To understand what makes the RR 310 so special and to take a look at what the bike is capable of being developed into, we rang the TVS Racing folk and got the OMC (One Make) championship machine that is the basis for many up and coming racers to realise their racing dreams. And to add to that we also got the Prostock-spec racing weapon that rules on the track. Together all three bikes will help us understand what makes the Apache brand tick. This is the story of evolution. Of how racing. DNA isn’t just a sticker but something that runs deep – in purpose, in design, in engineering and in sheer intent.

The road bike

First launched in 2017, the Apache RR 310 quickly rose to prominence because of the performance and more importantly, the handling prowess. Now in its 2025 avatar, the RR 310 has become a proper flagship with tech and features that put it on par with some seriously expensive motorcycles. Powering the supersport machine is a 312.2cc, single-cylinder, reverse-inclined engine that churns out 37.4bhp and 29Nm of torque. Power is sent via a six-speed gearbox that is mated to a slip and assist clutch. Engine aside, what makes the RR 310 so special is its chassis setup with the split trellis frame and the superb KYB suspension setup ensuring that the bike strikes the perfect balance between sporty and practical. In terms of electronics, the bike has taken a major step forward in this model year with features such as IMU-based traction control and ABS, cruise control, sequential indicators and a proper race computer integrated into the vertically-oriented, full-TFT instrument cluster. The spec-sheet can only tell us so much. What is the road-going RR 310 like to ride? This is a bike I’ve spent time on before and I love how usable it is on the street, and how friendly it is to ride on track. But a quick refresher and quality time on the racetrack never hurt anyone, did it?

The Apache RR 310 might be the most approachable track tool you can ride straight out of a showroom. The engine is tractable enough that you can take your time learning the track without nailing your gear shifts every single time and then when you want to go all out, there is a nice dollop of power and torque waiting for you at the higher end of the rev range. The race-tuned slipper clutch ensures that you can be properly aggressive with your downshifts and that won’t unsettle the rear. It’s not brutal or intimidating but there’s enough punch to keep things exciting, especially in Sport and Track mode where it’ll sprint to 100kmph in just under 7 seconds and push past 160kmph at full chat. The chassis is a trellis frame with a split design that’s been proven on both road and track. Suspension duties are handled by KYB – USD forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear – and even on the bumpy bits of MIC it remains poised. Plus with the BTO kit adding full adjustability, the experience can be tailored to your riding style. The bike feels planted and composed. The ergonomics strike a perfect balance between comfortable and sporty such that you can actually have a lot of fun on the race track and then take the long route on the ride back home without needing to stop by the physiotherapist’s office. Along with the great electronics and chassis kit, TVS have also ensured that the bike comes shod in super grippy Michelin Road 5 tyres which have been designed with sport riding in mind, irrespective of the weather. The RR 310 then, is the closest you will get to getting a race bike experience, that is actually usable for daily life.

The One Make Championship machine

Speaking of race bikes, the first rung in the RR 310 ladder is the OMC RR 310. A bike that racers use to participate in the TVS One Make Championship as part of the INMRC calendar. These bikes have been stripped of all non-essential weight and also receive minor tweaks to the engine and electronics to offer a proper race bike experience. Take one look at the machine and you will immediately know that this is an RR 310.

The design of the body work is identical but has been made of fibre, making it significantly lighter than the bodywork on the stock bike. The headlights, taillights and all other paraphernalia required to make the bike road legal have been taken off, keeping just what is necessary for racing. To that end, even the instrument cluster, pillion seat and footpegs and switch cubes from the handlebar have been removed. All you have now is one starter switch cube and a main kill switch (the bike has no key). That results in significant weight savings over the stock machine and then there are the performance gains. The engine has been fitted with a race camshaft, valve springs and a race exhaust system as well. This makes the bike close to 25 per cent more powerful than stock. To keep all the extra power in check and to ensure that every last ounce of performance is extracted there’s also a more robust cooling system and a fully-adjustable race ECU. Changes to the chassis include a revised handlebar position and footpegs that are higher and more rearset to ensure better cornering clearance. There are also light race wheels and disc rotors to reduce unsprung mass and make the handling that much more responsive. The rear also benefits from the adjustable monoshock from the BTO kit, adding a layer of adjustability to the mix.

The Apache RR 310 OMC may share the same chassis and engine base as the road bike but this machine is hardly the same. Swing a leg over and the experience is immediately different. It is a lot more intense than the stock machine. The very first difference is the sound. Significantly louder and free flowing, like a proper race bike. You’ve got a race-tuned ECU that livens up the throttle response, a free-flow exhaust that lets the single scream like it’s meant to, and weight stripped out to make it feel far more agile. No mirrors, no lights, no ABS – nothing extra. Even the ergonomics are more committed, with lower clip-ons and rear-set pegs giving you that full race tuck. That, plus you can carry a lot more lean angle and speed and nothing will scrape. The tyres are stickier, the feedback is sharper and the focus is pure performance. For anyone starting out in racing, this is where the journey begins.

The Prostock machine

This is where all the similarities to the road-going bike end. This looks like a proper race machine, one that has been built from the ground up with the sole purpose of decimating lap times. The key changes over here start with the bodywork which have been designed with a low coefficient of drag. If the OMC bike was focused on weight reduction this is on a whole other level. With all the changes made to the machine, the Prostock bike tips the scales at 127kg. For perspective, the stock RR 310 fully-fuelled tips the scales at close to 174kg. So that’s nearly 47kg less. The engine has been further reworked with a high lift race camshaft, a ported cylinder head and also gets a twin race exhaust system. All of this plus the fully-tunable race ECU has resulted in the power going up by well over 40 per cent over the stock machine. The race ECU on this bike is more advanced as well, enabling features such as auto tune, launch control and a quickshifter as well. Like the OMC machine, the cooling system has been optimised for the extra oomph. In terms of the chassis, the ergonomics triangle is completely new with lowered clip-ons, and significantly higher and rear-set footpegs. The suspension setup is now fully adjustable on both ends and you also get a steering damper along with a larger 320mm race disc with more aggressive race brake pads to ensure all of the extra power that the bike makes can be put to better use.

Get astride the Prostock and it gets really serious. This is a championship-spec machine. The experience riding this Prostock machine is, for lack of a better word, visceral. The motor is revvier and you have to keep it on the boil for the best results. The beefier suspension with the adjustability and the steering damper can be fine-tuned to your riding style. Grip levels are phenomenal courtesy of the TVS Eurogrip slick tyres and all of this with the bike weighing not much more than a paper weight. The brakes are more aggressive and the overall riding experience is so much more intense. The Prostock bike demands skill, fitness and all of your attention. One look and you could easily mistake this for a Moto3 machine. If you thought the Prostock was the final step of the RR 310 ladder, you would be mistaken. Because then there is the Asia Road Racing Championship machine which is the Prostock bike dialled up to 11. Carbonfibre body work, wheels, Ohlins suspension and an even more powerful engine. It is the fastest Indian race bike and it is the final evolution of this platform’s engineering. For perspective, the bike clocked a top speed of 216kmph and set a lap record of 2:20.784 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. That's seriously fast for a sub-500cc motorcycle. With this, you have a rough idea of not only what differentiates the three bikes, but how different they are in terms of performance.

There’s only one metric that matters in the world of road racing – lap time. I clearly am not fit enough for the job and that’s where Jagan Kumar, TVS Racing’s 11-time national champion steps in. He has raced all these bikes and also played a crucial role in the development of the Apache RR 310. The Prostock was the fastest of the lot, of course, setting a time of 1:56.36; then the OMC bike managed a 1:59.24 and the road bike did a 2:07.17. Bear in mind the lap times you read are only to showcase the difference in performance of these machines and are not at all indicative of full-on race pace. In a race, Jagan and the other riders will be, at the very least, a few seconds faster. This goes to show how much difference a race bike can make and also just how good the RR 310 is in stock form as well. All the lessons that TVS has learned from its 43 plus years of racing – from tuning and chassis setup to electronics and aerodynamics – feed into the road bike. That’s what TVS’s Race to Road philosophy is all about.

We’re celebrating 20 years of the TVS Apache this year and with the RR 310, there’s an Apache for everyone. Whether you’re a street rider, a track day addict, or a national-level racer. If you’ve ever dreamt of racing, the RR 310 is your ticket in. It is a testament to TVS Motor Company’s commitment to, and excellence in, racing which in turn shows up in the dynamic polish of every two-wheeler from the TVS stables. With the RR 310, TVS has not only democratised performance but also tech that you would otherwise only find on machines that cost much, much more. Without racing, these technological advancements would not have happened in the first place. But here we are, riding back home, after having some serious fun on the race track on the very same motorcycle. That’s how you write the chapters in the book of Genesis.