Introduction
We got an opportunity to ride and experience TVS‘s brand new product in the 125cc category – the TVS Raider. Of late, we have not covered much 125cc motorcycle reviews on GaadiKey and there are plenly of 125cc scooter reviews only – so, this should be the one. Raider is an interesting motorcycle which seem to be well researched and designed keeping the next generation rider in mind who looks for more value and appreciates style and design at the same time. In the market there are plenty of commuter motorcycles offering great fuel efficiency but none look very appealing and attractive to the buyer. Raider is an honest effort to cater to this demand – A great looking motorcycle which is high on features and available at a very decent price.
Design
The one which we are reviewing here is the new TVS Raider in Fiery Yellow color option. At the first glimpse, you cannot miss out on the very attractive and peaceful looking LED headlights in front. It is one of the prime design element of TVS Raider that impresses any motorcycle enthusiast. The other design highlights of Raider 125 include naked Street design, LED Tail lamps, sporty looking sculpted fuel tank, use of thick black color, the Raider logo, body colored engine guard to name a few. From the side profile, the motorcycle looks really good as it features 17 inch alloywheels, body colored fairing in the side and LED lights.
The motorcycle gets a USB charging port which can be found near Fuel tank, which is easy to access and hook into your smartphone for charging. The handlebar offers a dedicated switch to toggle between ECO and Power mode. When in ECO mode, the Auto-off tech triggers when engine is in idling condition what TVS calls this tech as – “ETFI Powered IntelliGO”.
Instrument Cluster
TVS Raider 125 gets a fully digital instrument cluster with 5 inch TFT Color display. Not only it looks advanced and fancy, but also it shows so much riding information all at once. The fact that the motorcycle has a color display elevates the rider to a premium feeling. The digital instrument cluster of TVS Raider displays each and everything in a very color classified way – The RPM meter / Tachometer, Speedometer, Odometer, Clock, Average Fuel consumption, Trip meter, Gear indicator, Left-Right Signal indicator, Side-stand ON/off indicator, Helmet alert indicator, Auto-Off indicator, Service indicator and more! The instrument cluster is bright and is easily readable under the sun.
Engine and Performance
The all new TVS Raider 125 gets an air and oil cooled single cylinder engine with a displacement of 124.8cc. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox. The power output of new TVS Raider is pretty decent – clocking upto 11.2 hp (8.37 kW) at 7500 rpm and delivers a peak torque of 11.2 Nm at 6000 rpm.
Dimensions
The all new TVS Raider is very light – with just 123 Kgs in weight, it is one of the most light-weight motorcycles in the 125cc segment. The motorcycle measures 2070 mm in length, 785 mm in width and has a wheelbase of 1326 mm. The seat height of new Raider 125 motorcycle is 785mm only making it very accessible to short riders. Although TVS reports the ground clearance as 180mm in its specs sheet, in our real test we found out that the floor of bike brushes large humps if not manoeuvred properly. The fuel tank capacity of TVS Raider is 10 litres.
Ride and Handling
How does it ride? Do not judge this motorcycle just because it is equipped with a lower capacity engine (125cc). The motorcycle outperformed our expectations and delivered a good ride quality. The clutch and gear lever talked intuitively, resulting in smoother gear shifts. However we did face small issue when the motorcycle was in lower gears – the engine turned off abruptly when throttling was insufficient – which got corrected over the time as we kept riding. It is more about getting used to riding in lower gears. The handlebars are well reachable comfortably from the riding position. The footpegs are placed well at right spots and it feels very sporty to ride. The Tyres are from TVS Tyres which are tubeless and are 17-inch in size – offers a good road grip.
Being a commuter motorcycle we cannot expect it to cruise over 100 kmph for a long time. On 5th gear the motorcycle comfortably reaches above 85 kmph and it starts resisting post 105 kmph. We also liked how Raider’s engine and exhaust sounded. The motorcycle offered a mileage more than 50 Kmpl during our road test. One intelligent feature which we liked is, the auto engine shut-off which gets activated when the motorcycle comes to a halt (Works when you are in ECO mode) which helps in improving the fuel efficiency.
Braking and Suspension
The motorcycle works really well both in city and highway conditions- although we felt the braking could have been tuned a little better. The motorcycle which we are reviewing here is equipped with 240 mm disc brakes in the front (which are petal shaped) and gets a drum brake at the rear. While this configuration is okay for most regular commuting conditions be aware to be little cautious when accelerating aggressively, the bike may not stop as you expect. Again, for most city and commuting needs which doesn’t cross a speed of 80 kmph, it is just perfect.
The suspension system on TVS Raider is really good – It safeguards you well by taking the impact of rough terrain. At the front, the motorcycle is equipped with twin telescopic forks that helps in smoother bump free ride. While most 125cc category bikes gets twin spring loaded suspension at the rear, Raider is an exception – it is featured with 5-step adjustable, Gas-charged, Monoshock suspension which is great.
Pillion Comfort
TVS Raider offered a good comfort for the pillion Raider – The seats are long and wide to accommodate even large size persons. The grab rails are present and foot rests for pillion is optimally positioned.
Price and Colors
TVS Raider gets a price tag of Rs 91,663 for the drum brake variant and Rs 96,179 for the disc brake variant (Ex-showroom Bangalore/Karnataka).
The all new TVS Raider 125 is launched in 4 attractive color options namely Striking Red, Blazing Blue, Wicked Black and Fiery Yellow. The one we have reviewed here is Fiery Yellow. Check all color options available for new TVS Raider 125 motorcycle in the following article 2022 TVS Raider Colors
Verdict
TVS Raider is a great package for those who are in the market for affordable yet stylish looking motorcycle. Not just the design and styling, the Raider offers features like color digital instrument cluster, USB Charging socket etc making it a great value for money.
You can add more to this story by commenting below.
