First of all let me tell you, I ride a
20 Bhp motorcycle. So anything below that (yes I am a bit biased) I
find pretty boring. So when my editor told me to take a look at the
new edition Tvs Star City+, I wore a big (non convincing) smile on my
face and I said 'ok'.
When I first saw the bike, the colour
gleamed in my eyes (the test vehicle we got was red in colour). The
paint job was immaculate. No spots, no bubbles just bright shiny red.
Then my eyes fell on the headlamp which was filled with style, smile
and character (after riding it I realized a pretty decent beam for
riding during the nights).
I was by then quite impressed with the
styling of the bike. Pushing myself further to explore this red
gleaming star, I realized how much importance Tvs had given to little
things on the bike.
It has stylish honeycomb textured
grills on top of the 3d emblemed embossed logo on both the side
panels. The odometer is white in colour (a bit like the big daddy in
their arsenal Rtr 180) with digital reading of kilometers & fuel.
It also has a service indicator which informs you when your bike is
due for service. The switches (also like the Rtr 180) are neat and
stylish. Finally it also comes with coloured rear shock absorbers
(for style) and with 5 different settings for the potholed roads and
lanes of our country.
All this before I even rode the bike a
single kilometer.
I started the bike and the engine
meowed to life (couldn't really manage to roar with the power it
has). But it was still a soothing sound.
The star comes with a 109cc, 4-stroke,
EcoThrust engine. It offers boost in fuel efficiency and boasts a
mileage of 86 kmpl (in the real world it might be a bit less). With
8.4 ps it has decent power to offer in its class. It also comes with
a Econometer feature, which indicates if one is riding in the power
mode or the economy mode. Thus helping further to enhance the
mileage. With a 4 speed (constant mesh) gearbox the gear shift is so
smooth that accidentally one can end up changing 2 gears at a time.
It has a very comfortable sitting position and a top speed of about
90 kmph. Braking from that 90kmph might become an issue as it has
drum brakes at both ends. But if you are not at 90 kmph it offers
decent braking. With tyre sizes of 2.75 x 17 (front) and 3.00 x17
(rear) its give decent stability. For some odd reason Tvs chose to
take out the option of Mobile charging from the current model.
All this at a price of INR 44,000 (ex
delhi showroom) does sound like a deal to me.
Overall a very smooth & comfortable
ride, decent power and very good styling. The star definitely will
have a say in its competition.
With the star, Tvs is trying to rejuvenate their presence in the entry level competition. The styling, ride quality and pricing does make it seem hopeful but lets see what verdict the automotive world gives the bike.
About the author:
Kunal Choksi is an automobile enthusiast. He has done his college from the Mumbai University and has also done a PGDBA in Marketing.
He likes to read, travel and loves automobiles & gadgets.
Email – kunal-choksi@hotmail.com
