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TVS Motor Company has launched its much-anticipated motorcycle, Ronin, priced between Rs 1.49 lakh and Rs 1.71 lakh (ex-showroom). The company is offering three variants of Ronin – Base, Base Plus and Mid. Although TVS refuses to categorise the bike in a specific genre, it largely belongs to the modern classic segment. 

Let us take a look at some of Ronin’s attributes.

Design: Blend of modern & retro

Ronin adopts styling cues from different classes of motorcycles, including scrambler, café racer, and cruiser. The design attributes of all these styles, blended with a neo-retro theme, give Ronin its distinct design. Up front, Ronin has a round LED headlamp with an integrated T-shaped LED DRL. The rear end of the motorcycle is highlighted by a sleek LED tail lamp and arrow-shaped turn indicators, along with a short rear fender.

Other visual highlights include a muscular teardrop-shaped fuel tank, a large belly pan, a single-piece flat seat with a ribbed pattern, blacked-out engine-gearbox assembly and internals, a single-piece grab rail, a side-slung exhaust canister, and an engine sump guard. 

There are six colour options to choose from – Lightning Black and Magma in the Base trim, Delta Blue and Stargaze Black in the Base Plus variant, and Galactic Grey and Dawn Orange in the top-end Mid variant.

Features: Tech loaded

Ronin is loaded with plenty of bells and whistles. The biggest highlight is its off-set circular instrument console with a fully digital display. The small console displays several readouts and indicators such as distance to empty, gear shift, low battery, and service due. Other notable features include full LED illumination, side-stand engine inhibitor, and a USB charger.

The Hosur-based bikemaker is also offering premium goodies such as adjustable levers and TVS SmartXonnect connected tech with Bluetooth in the top-spec Mid trim. SmartXonnect comes with features such as call and message alerts, ride analysis, turn-by-turn navigation, and voice assistance. Ronin is also laced with two ABS modes, namely Urban and Rain.

New 225cc heart

Powering Ronin is a new 225.9cc 4-valve, single-cylinder, oil-cooled engine which has been derived from the 200cc unit of Apache RTR 200. This motor pumps out 20.4 bhp at 7750 rpm and a peak torque of 19.93 Nm at 3750 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a 5-speed gearbox, with a slip and assist clutch.

The engine has been tuned for good low- and mid-range torque, which makes riding in the city as well as on highways effortless. It also has a first-in-class integrated starter generator that allows instant and silent starts.

Hardware specs: Focus on comfort

TVS has put comfort at the forefront while developing this motorcycle. Hence, it has been dynamically tuned to provide a plush riding experience. Ronin is based on a new dual-cradle chassis that is suspended on 41mm upside-down forks at the front and a gas-charged monoshock at the rear. The bike rides on 17-inch 9-spoke alloy wheels that are shod with 110/70 and 130/70 dual-purpose tyres at the front and the rear, respectively.

Braking duties are handled by single disc brakes at both the ends and are aided by a single-channel ABS as standard, with the option of a dual-channel ABS. With a kerb weight of 160 kg, a fuel tank capacity of 14 litres, and a wheelbase of 1357 mm, Ronin promises to be a friendly city commuter as well as a powerful highway cruiser.