What the heck? Another bike, another 20cc? When will this stop? From what I felt after riding the RTR 180, I think the stopping can wait just a little longer. Oh shoot, snookered by the charms of another bike, when will I ever learn?

Anyway, TVS' new Apache 180 is a phenomenal little motorcycle. Yes, I did just use the P-word. To give you a little background, I've always liked what the RTR stood for, even if I never quite got along with the fuel injected version. The FI proved to be noisy and ultimately, I think its output was more impressive in decibels than in horsepower.

TVS has found me the solution I was looking for. What they did was take the muscular engine from the 160, give it a lot more stroke, a little more bore and then they sat back and relaxed for a bit - a good day's work was already done. With the displacement boosted to 177.3cc, they set about tuning the peripherals, ending up with a lighter crank, lighter magneto and a bigger carburettor (Note that this means the RTR 180 does not have fuel injection) .

It seems simple, what has happened is fairly dramatic. You see, the lighter rotating bits give the RTR a crispness that is rather likeable. The lightening also offsets the increase in displacement and so the motor - indeed the motorcycle itself - weighs roughly the same as the 160. And the power output is up to 17.3PS which makes for a fun bike to ride.

The twitchiness of the earlier RTR has been subdued by the extension of the swingarm (and thus, the wheelbase) by about 30mm. The result is a light-feeling motorcycle that likes to change direction quickly but without the nervousness that came with the earlier chassis package.

Having spent a day on board at the test loop (it's too short to call it a track), I was convinced that the RTR 180-Pulsar 180 battle would be pitched and hard fought, and I simply cannot wait to throw them in what promises to be a bloody cage match.

However, TVS threw a minor spanner in the works by saying that they will not be announcing the prices just yet and that sales will begin in another fortnight and take roughly a month more to spread across the country.