TVS Zeppelin to arrive by next year – Price, Launch Date, Specifications

Cruisers have become popular lately and the market for touring is becoming a critical segment to fill. Customers want a bike that can do it all – take you to the office and also the mountains. Not one to be left out, domestic brand TVS has also taken notice and is planning to enter this segment very soon. The TVS Zeppelin concept that was showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo is finally going to be given the production green signal. According to some sources, the Zeppelin is going to be debuted in its production form at the 2020 Auto Expo.

The Zeppelin created a lot of buzz when it got unveiled at the 2018 Auto Expo. Since then it has got a lot of enthusiasts mulling about it. Amongst Indian two-wheeler manufacturers, TVS has a wide range of two-wheelers in its line-up, including commuter bikes, sports bikes and a variety of scooters. TVS now wants to be present in the cruiser segment as well and the Zeppelin is expected to break the shackles of retro-styled cruisers and come out with a looking like a modern cruiser motorcycle.

This bike is for a new type of audience and might now be everyone’s cup of tea but with TVS Want to know more about the TVS Zeppelin? Keep reading further.

TVS Zeppelin Price in India

As this bike is in a concept stage, the price is still not known, However, we expect it to be priced around Rs 1.5 lakhs. The bike is supposed to be feature loaded. It will be one of kind bike and will probably start a segment of its own, with very little to no competition. TVS will make sure it is sufficiently more powerful than the Avenger and the Intruder. The Zeppelin will have better riding dynamics and will also be more sporty and character-driven than only performing commuter duties.

Also Read: Bajaj Avenger 180 | Bajaj Dominar 200

TVS Zeppelin Cruiser Launch Date in India

The Zeppelin was last seen at its concept stage at the Auto Expo in 2018. But as sources say, the bike has since been the focus of TVS engineers and the project has been given the green light for testing now. This means if TVS is working on this now, we might see it next year at the 2020 Auto Expo. It will enter production sometime next year and can be seen on our roads by March or April next year. This is a cruiser and the final design will be quite similar to the concept. TVS did that with the Akula design for the RR310 too.

We expect them to show the Zeppelin on the Auto Expo next year in its pre-production form. The bike has not yet been spotted testing and could be seen soon in a whole new avatar, things we saw at the Auto Expo in 2018 could change.

TVS Zeppelin Concept Video Walkaround in Hindi

TVS Zeppelin Specification

The Zeppelin Concept showcased a 220cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder engine paired to an electric motor. The torque from the electric motor will be used to boost performance, whenever required. This is similar to some hybrid cars and thus has a 1200 W electric motor which runs on lithium-ion batteries. The TVS Zeppelin gets a belt drive and dual-channel ABS is going to be standard on the bike. This also shows how future motorcycling could be like. The production version, however, will get a 220cc liquid-cooled engine. It will not have an electric motor though. The power output will be about 20bhp, with a torque of around 22Nm. The bike will come with a 6-speed gearbox.

The TVS Zeppelin shown at the Motor Show was powered by a 220 cc engine paired with 1,200-watt regenerative assist motor with a 48-volt Li-ion battery. This, TVS says, adds to the overall performance of the bike and offers 20 percent more torque when needed. The bike also gets an integrated starter generator or ISG, which helps the bike to start quickly, giving it a boost.

Also Read: UM Thor Electric bike

TVS Zeppelin Features

• LED Headlamp
• Digital IP
• LED taillamp
• Muscular styling
• Inverted front forks
• Tubeless tyres
• Twin channel ABS

TVS Zeppelin Top Speed

The top speed of this cruiser will be about 140km/h. It will be higher than that of the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 and Bajaj Avenger 220 Street / Cruise

TVS Zeppelin 0-100 Acceleration

This bike would accelerate from 0-100 in about 10 seconds. It will be amongst the fastest bike in its category. Being a cruiser it is expected to be as fast as some street bikes.

TVS Zeppelin 220 Cruise Mileage

The Zeppelin based bike is expected to return around 30km/l in city conditions and around 35 km/l on the highway. This will be a decent enough mileage for this bike.

TVS Zeppelin Performance

The TVS Zepplin has been designed such that it will give a performance as well as long-distance comfort. The bike looks classic with a metal body which also serves the purpose of adding weight and making it stable at high speeds. The riding posture is slightly aggressive but is comfortable too. The handlebars are lowered and pulled back. The option of a split seat is provided which makes the rider seat wider and more comforting. The footpegs are towards the front and they offer a sofa like seating posture.

TVS Zeppelin Design

The Zeppelin is a sharply styled bike. The bike does look muscular but is styled to be a cruiser. It gets a rectangular full LED headlamp. The 41mm forks look chunky and are inverted ones. The handlebar is wide and flat. The instrument cluster is a combination of analog and digital displays. The seat is longish for the rider and the footpegs are stretched out. There does not seem to be a lot of space or a backrest for the pillion rider. The tyres are Pirelli tubeless ones which are fitted on spoke wheels. The taillights and the headlamps are LED. The TVS Zeppelin gets a ‘Bio-key’, which is a smart key, including keyless operation. There is an infotainment unit with cloud connectivity as well. It will be amazing to see if any of these features make it to production.

Some of the cool other features that were shown at the Auto Expo were an online connectivity app and an HD-action camera, mounted on the headlamp nacelle as well, which can give you Go-Pro-like shots while riding. All these features may not come on the production bike, however, the final design of the bike will be similar to the concept. This will be a very good option for cruiser bike fans. It will be an affordable bike.

TVS Zeppelin Safety

The TVS Zepplin will get Pirelli fron as well as rear tyres. Both the wheels will get disc brakes which will be petal discs. The front will get a 41 mm USD fork and the rear will get a mono-shock. The bike will also feature lightweight tubeless spoke wheels. The belt derive will offer silent and smooth final drive. The belt drive will be unique and will reduce maintenance. There will be dual-channel ABS as standard. This will offer more confidence while braking hard on uncertain surfaces.

TVS Zeppelin Images

TVS Zeppelin Competition

The Zeppelin cruiser will compete with the Bajaj Avenger 220 directly. It will also compete with the likes of Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X. The Bajaj Dominar 200 would also be a competition if launched. The Zeppelin would be one of the most desired bikes in the segment as there is a lot of buzz around this concept bike right from the Auto Expo. Going by the way the Apache RR 310 was built on the Akula concept, we expect the Zeppelin based bike to be built in a similar fashion.