A four-stroke bike from TVS Suzuki

By K. T. Jagannathan

HOSUR, JULY 12. TVS Suzuki today rolled out its indigenously- designed four stroke 110 cc motorbike - Victor - off its assemble line here.

It will be formally launched in the marketplace in September. To be positioned at the `popular segment', it is likely to be priced in the range of Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 46,0000.

Touted as the `feedback motorcycle', according to Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Managing Director, the Victor is the company's ``answer to the four-stroke demands of the society.'' It would also take care of future emission norms, he said.

Company officials claimed that the Victor, with a 11 litre capacity fuel tank, would deliver over 70 km a litre under the Indian Drive Cycle (IDC).

According to Mr. Vinay Harne, Vice-President, research and development, the Victor will give ``superior riding experience'', that means rider comfort, optimum mileage and modern and attractive styling.

Unlike other products from the TVS-Suzuki stable, it will have dual mode digital ignition. This system senses the extent to which the throttle is open and adjusts ignition timing accordingly.

This facilitates perfect ignition of the mixture. A throttle sensing switch gives the rider leeway in terms of choosing the mode he wants.

Either he can opt for the fuel economy mode or the power mode. Other features include box type swinging arm and vehicle geometry, enabling better handling, stability and safety for the rider.

Mr. Harne said TVS-Suzuki was toying with the idea of introducing dual mode digital ignition in its other vehicles too as this in- house development would not cost much.

The Victor had been assessed and certified by two global research bodies - AVL List GmbH, Austria, and Leyland Technical Centre (LTC) of the U.K., he added.

Mr. Venu Srinivasan is convinced that over a period, the company will have to be in the ``volume game'' and four-stroke vehicles will dominate the two-wheeler market. Ipso facto, two-stroke vehicles will fall in the `niche category'.

He is keen on the company regaining its market share that has slipped to 14 per cent from 18 per cent. TVS Suzuki proposes to invest an additional Rs. 150 crores at its Mysore plant. This is mainly to cater to the rising demand for mopeds in the region.

The production range also is to be expanded to include motocycles, scooters, mopeds and scooterettes.

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