2020 TVS XL100 Moped: THE PRACTICAL TRANSPORTER

In 2019-20, around 6,36,940 mopeds were sold in the domestic market and in the year prior to that in 2018-19, around 8,80,227 units were sold. Of course, sales went down, but so have sales of cars, bikes and all other kinds of vehicles. TVS Motor Company is the only company making these highly popular mopeds in India.  

TVS Motor Company as we all know makes some very great motorcycles and scooters and its Apache series of motorcycles have won several accolades. Also, at its Hosur plant in south India it makes the very solid sub 500cc BMW Motorcycles.

Mopeds are popular among business owners, traders and farmers.  In cities and towns you have office-goers, women riders and older people riding this moped.

THE LEGACY

The TVS moped has a great legacy. This two-wheeler moped was born in 1979. The TVS XL, in fact, is the reason why TVS Racing – India’s first factory racing team, came into existence. The TVS Racing team participated in their initial races on the TVS 50 which dominated the racetrack. Therefore, the vehicle is great combination of utility and has the racing DNA embodied by TVS Racing.

Star riders Biju Mathews, N Gurunathan, Gurminder Singh, Ravi Thirumalai, participated and won Road Racing Motorcross and Dirt Track events with 50cc 2-stroke engine Moped.

The sturdy two-wheeler, which has evolved from being a commuter vehicle to a multi-utility one, can navigate through any kind of terrain while offering safety and comfort.

This moped which you are seeing has evolved over a period since 1987. The year 2020 saw the launch of TVS XL100 BS-VI with Eco Thrust Fuel Injection (ET-Fi) Technology.

The TVS XL100 today comes in three BS VI variants--TVS XL100 Heavy Duty i-TouchStart, TVS XL100 Heavy Duty i-TouchStart Special Edition and TVS XL100 Comfort i-TouchStart. We got a chance to ride the Comfort variant. The XL100 Comfort i-TouchStart comes at an ex showroom Delhi price of Rs 47,864/-

TVS XL100 Comfort i-TouchStart BS-VI features

The TVS XL100 has a very light weight design and is very compact and precise. It has a durable all metal body. It has a very comfortable handle bar. It has a stylish head lamp fairing / LED DRLs. Beige coloured panels give it an appealing look. Then you have decent amounts of chrome embellishments like the silencer guard, suspension shrouds, chrome finish handle on the seat, handle bar, etc. The seats are cushioned and they are broad and long too. The backrest is also cushioned.

The instrument cluster is minimalist with a speedometer cum odometer and indications for the lights. The fuel reserve light is also part of the cluster. Just below you get a mobile charger and you can plug it in while you are riding. Your mobile phone can be placed in a bag and hung on the hook in front. As simple as that! On the right you have the on-off combo switch, while the left has the switches for the indicators, the headlight and the horn. Very basic and very practical is how I see it. The fuel tank hold around 4 litres of petrol (including 1.3 litres for reserve), enough to spin you around the city as the fuel average you get from this moped is around 66 kms per litre.

It’s the space at the floor level which is quite abundant. That means, you can keep a lot of things on it. The reason why the flat board is so broad and long is because the engine and other critical parts are literally at the bottom. This also ensures that the XL100 has a very low centre of gravity, making it very safe on the roads.

It has a centre stand which is very easy to engage. A side stand too comes handy on this moped. The moped is available in three colours – Cool mint blue which is this and then you have Luster Gold and Sparkling silver.

Technical specs & performance

This moped is powered by a 99.7cc petrol engine with auto gear. The i-TouchStart ensures that you have a silent start. This feature is a first in India among two-wheelers. As for the brakes, it has Sync Braking Technology (SBT). It has a low turning radius.

Then there is a rollover sensor for safety the engine shuts off on a 15 deg fall. It has large 16” spoked wheels. The TVS XL100 BS-VI comes equipped with Ecothrust Fuel injection (ET-Fi) technology which boasts of a 15% more mileage, improved power & pickup, better starting ability, better refinement with smooth & consistent engine idling and also a Jerk-free ride, among others. Then it has low maintenance because of timely service owing to OBD-I (On board diagnostics) which leads to low maintenance cost. It has an external dry pump and the riders only need to maintain minimum 500ml fuel quantity.

Now riding this bike is fun. It is easy to ride and is best at around 50kmph. But the moment you try to rev it and pretend you are seated on a race machine, the engine can be heard working hard and it struggles to reach levels of 70kmph. The suspension is rather good, cushioning you from any big jerks. The drum brakes have enough bite for this two-wheeler.

It’s obvious that this machine is not about speed and dare devilry; rather it is for those who want to take life easy. It’s like a work horse which does its job without any fuss. It can take on the rough roads with as much ease as it does on smooth roads. This makes it the ideal transporter for so many people, especially the small traders, farmers and the elderly. It’s got the right combination of balance, power and grace, of being a utility vehicle and a commuter.

But that does not mean we did not have fun with it. We invited Delhi-based motorcycle stunt rider Bunty Godara to try his hand at it. But then that’s a different story altogether!