A festival in sunny Goa bringing together motorcycles, music and plenty of thrilling action on two wheels sounds like an ideal weekend for any motorcycle enthusiast, and that’s just what the third edition of the TVS MotoSoul 2023 had to offer. With the second edition just hosted in March this year, this was the second MotoSoul festival in the same year, and enthusiasm around the event only seems to have picked up since then.
This is despite clashing dates and location with one of the biggest events on a motorcycle enthusiasts’ calendar with India Bike Week 2023 being held just across the street. Nevertheless, MotoSoul still attracted many attendees over the course of two days, with TVS bringing its own flavour to the table.
For a motorcycle festival, the biggest draw must be the motorcycles being showcased, and boy, there were some really special ones. Just as in the previous edition, TVS unveiled a range of specially customized motorcycles that included a scrambler based on the Ronin platform by the famed Rajputana Customs, as well as two bobbers – one was by TVS’s own Factory Custom team and the other was by Indonesian custom motorcycle house, Smoked Garage.
But what drew the most eyeballs was a freestyle and stunt motorcycle based on the new Apache RTR 310 platform, also built by Smoked garage. Called the Trickster, it came with slick tyres, a high mounted exhaust, raised handle bars, lighter wheels and stripped-down body work to suit its purpose as a stunt motorcycle. In fact, the motorcycle was actually used in a stunt showcase to drive home the point it wasn’t a mere display model. Above all, the custom jobs were intended to showcase the adaptability of both the Ronin and RTR 310 platforms to different body styles and purposes.
There were also several of TVS’ race bikes on display, including the TVS 50, a tiny moped that was the first two-wheeler that the company went racing with. On the other end of the TVS race bike spectrum was the Apache RR310 race bike that the company fields in the ARRC Cup, the TVS Sherco’s 450cc Dakar rally bike as well as the all-new RTE race bike, but more on that later.
In other news, TVS also announced a new collaboration between TVS Racing and Alpine Stars for a new range co-branded riding gear including jackets, gloves and boots and urban wear. TVS then becomes the second Indian manufacturer Alpine Stars has collaborated with for a range of riding gear, the other being Royal Enfield.
MotoSoul 2023 wasn’t just about custom motorcycles or special displays as Day 2 saw TVS officially launch the new Apache RTR 160 4V with dual-channel ABS. It also got a new voice assistant feature, was 2kgs lighter than the previous model, got a larger 240mm rear disc brake and was introduced in new lightning blue and matte paint shades.
The other important announcement at the festival was the extension of TVS Motor and Petronas’ collaboration for the next season, along with the launch of a new range of co-branded apparels and merchandise.
Day 2 also saw TVS announce the specifications of the all-electric RTE race bike. While the motorcycle was unveiled a while ago as part of TVS electric One Make Championship, its specs were unknown until now. The TVS RTE electric race bike is powered by a liquid-cooled motor producing a peak power of 80hp at 5500rpm, and has a claimed top-speed of more than 200kph. TVS also claims the motorcycle can sprint from 0-100kph faster than equivalent ICE motorcycles by 1 second. It’s claimed to have a range of 5 laps around the Madras International Circuit.
The RTE is built on a central aluminium frame with the battery case and motor casing being structural members. Suspension duties are handled by a 43mm Ohlins inverted fork and a 36mm Ohlins monoshock, and it rides on 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 110-section front and 140-section rear Pirelli SuperCross SCI tyres. Braking duties are handled by a 320mm and 240mm disc at front and rear respectively with Brembo callipers. In essence, the RTE mark’s TVS’ foray into high performance electric motorcycles, although it is still in race-spec configuration.
The festival also had several thrilling activities for riders and enthusiasts to participate in. This included a slow bike race, an endurance race, flat tracking sessions, an obstacle course race as well as freestyle and stunt show. Besides, there were also performance by acclaimed music artists, which means there was something for everyone to be hooked.
Most of all, it was great to see the camaraderie and bond that TVS owners shared among each other. There were riders who rode down to Goa from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerela, and even as far as from the north east. It was good to see how far the festival has come in just its third edition, most importantly, uniting enthusiasts and celebrating motorcycles.
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