TVS had launched the Victor way back in 2001. The brand had caught up in the market went on to become a very popular motorcycle. It was rugged and very capable. The earlier Victor had made a niche of its own in the minds of motorcycle buyers. But competition later, eventually took over and the Victor saw its sales diminishing. TVS too had seen the writing on the wall by then and decided to pull the plug on their motorcycle rather than see it languish unloved by the buying customers. This time around TVS has come up with the new generation Victor and it had already created a buzz before launch. We got a chance to test the bike at the company’s Hosur plant. Is the new TVS Victor good enough? Will it challenge its rivals? Read on to know more about the TVS Victor 2016

RHS Side View - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

TVS Victor 2016 Design

Things on the styling front are not really exciting. Efficiency and utility over visual flair – that’s the brief that TVS’ designers seem to have worked with. The good news is that the new Victor doesn’t look anything like its predecessor, intact it has a much more modern look. It now gets a large bikini-fairing that houses the headlight with a twin-level smoked wind-screen sitting above it. Which together with the decals tries to add some excitement into the appearance from the front. But there’s only as much as can be done here.

The exercise in trying to inject some oomph into the styling does continue to the fuel tank as well. Yes, is shared with its sibling, the Star City+, but TVS have gone with an aircraft type, flush-fitting fuel-filler cap on the new Victor. At the rear, the  T-shaped tail-lamp is new and spices up things a bit.  A stubby little exhaust and dual-colour rear spring suspension round things up on the visual front. So when you compare it with its peers, the new Victor isn’t a standout by any measure, though it does look and feel miles better than it was in its previous avatar.

Instrument Cluster - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

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TVS Victor 2016 Instrumentation

The Victor uses an analog-digital instrumentation display. A large, analog tachometer dominates proceedings, while the speedo/odometer/trip meter & fuel gauge get digital readouts. There is also a dual-light indicator which glows red/green depending on how heavy you get with the throttle. Switch-gear quality is good and things do look like they’re built to last. The Victor comes with switchable hazard lights as standard and TVS have done a great thing by offering it in this segment. However, given how riders these days are accustomed to having an engine-kill switch on the RHS switch-gear assembly, using this position for the hazard-warning light switching purpose did leave us a tad confused. The headlamp is the brightest in its class and features a 60-watt bulb with the company paying close attention to ensure that its spread and reach is the highest in class too.

RHS Angled view - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

 

 

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TVS Victor 2016 Engine 

Engine RHS - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

The biggest news is about the engine though. Part of the EcoThrust family of engines, the unit in the new Victor displaces 110cc just like the old one. But the single-cylinder, air-cooled unit has been carefully tuned to offer better real-world performance. TVS have opted for a three-valve setup to ensure that it offers the efficiency of a 110cc motor while performing at par with the higher capacity 125cc class. Torque and power figures for this engine are near-identical, with 9.4 bhp and 9.4 Nm torque. There’s a best-in-class Keihin CV type carb taking care of fuelling duties and a four-speed smooth shifting gearbox as well.

TVS have used oil-cooling to reduce the temperature generated by the head and cylinder, thereby improving efficiency. The air-filter used is among the largest in the segment, while there’s also an advanced ignition mapping which ensures that the highest levels of torque is available across the usable power-band under changing riding conditions. Reduced NVH levels have become a key focus area for TVS engineers. The Victor gets a silent-cam chain along with specially designed spring loaded rockers which, together with an oil-cooled combustion chamber to drive down NVH further.

Rear View Full - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

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TVS Victor 2016 Ride and Handling 

What TVS have done with the Victor is focus their attention on rider comfort, even going to great lengths to ensure this. The seat is a long, well-cushioned affair, with TVS even going to the lengths of trying out a different material for the cover, to improve rider comfort. Said to be among the widest in its class, it gets a beautiful contrast stitching which works wonders for the visual appeal too.

Climb aboard and you immediately get comfortable with the commuter-centric seating position. You appreciate the work TVS has done with the seat. Thumb the starter and the smile starts to grow wider. Pulling into first gear, you gently release the clutch and all that effort put in by the TVS engineers is evident from the word go. The new Victor is one impressive motorcycle on the move. All the NVH work gone into the engine has resulted in a commuter that’s among the smoothest, most silent out there. From standstill to 80 km/h on the speedo, the lack of vibrations is a pure delight.

Past this, some vibes do start to creep in, buy the large majority of buyers are rarely going to indulge in such high-speed riding. For the record, 90 km/h did come up on the clock but by then I’d managed to run out of track. The base version Victor has TVS tyres fitted and it felt inadequate in the braking department. Grip levels too were low and the front end threatened to wash out the moment things got enthusiastic on the sweeping right hander on the test-track.

Engine LHS - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

It uses regular telescopic units at the front, while the rear suspension uses a five-step adjustable series-spring setup at the rear. TVS is offering two variants of the Victor, with the base version being served by drum brakes at both ends.

Disc Brake & Remora Compound Tire - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

There is a higher variant that’s equipped with a 240mm petal-disc setup at the front and riding the two variants back-to-back brought out the difference into stark contrast.  The disc-brake variant also came shod with optional Remora, soft-compound tires. This in conjunction with the disc-brake at the front, allowed us to push the bike with further confidence than over the base variant.

LHS Side View - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

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TVS Victor 2016 Mileage

The company claimed mileage of the TVS Victor is 76 km/l. In real world city riding it returns around 68km/l and on the highway it should return around 70-72 km/l.

TVS Victor 2016 Price in India:

TVS have opted for a phased launch for their motorcycle with the base-variant, drum-brake Victor being priced at INR 54,500. But more importantly, the disc-braked version is only INR 2,500 higher at INR57,000 (on-road, Delhi). The added safety and riding confidence of the dic brake version makes it a better one to buy.

Side Branding - TVS Victor 2016.CR2

Verdict

The new Victor has built upon the legacy of the brand and brought it right at the top of the game here in 2016. With higher segment performance and smaller capacity fuel efficiency figures, the comfortable seating and the strong all-round package, TVS are confident that the Victor should make quite a splash in the market. It is a promising bike which is also rugged and comfortable.

TVS Victor 2016 Specifications 

Specifications
Engine 109.7cc, single cylinder, air cooled
Power 9.4 bhp @ 7500 rpm
Torque 9.4 Nm @ 6000 rpm
Gearbox 4-Speed

 

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  • I read your article and that is nice, great, informative and helpful. I hope you will share some more information about TVS Victor Specification. Please keep sharing.