TVS launches 225cc Ronin; know how it fairs against Yamaha FZ25

Indian two-wheelers manufacturer TVS Motor Company announced its foray into the premium lifestyle segment with the launch of the industry's first ‘modern-retro’ motorcycle – the TVS Ronin on Wednesday.

TVS Ronin will be available in three variants - TVS Ronin SS, TVS Ronin DS, and the top variant, TVS Ronin TD. It will be available in select dealerships across the country starting July 2022.

Designed from a blank canvas, as claimed by the company, the bike is powered by a 225.9 cc 4 valve, oil-cooled single-cylinder engine that produces 20.4 hp at 7750rpm.

However, in terms of price and performance, a name that comes the closest would be the Yamaha FZ 25. So here’s how the two rank against each other on paper.

Engine

The TVS Ronin is powered by a 225.9cc engine that delivers 20.1bhp and 19.93Nm of torque. The Yamaha FZ 25, on the other hand, gets a 250cc single-cylinder oil-cooled engine that delivers 20.51bhp and 20.1Nm of torque.

While the figures paper falls in pretty much the same ballpark, it should be noted that the FZ 25 is a whole 7kg lighter than the TVS Ronin and a higher power to weight ratio is bound to work in Yamaha’s favour.

Design

It is safe to say that the FZ 25 is an ageing badge in Yamaha’s lineup. The FZ 25 which has been widely accepted for its muscular stance with a significantly large fuel tank and a slightly raised and neat-looking tail section.

The Ronin, on the other hand, comes with a very unique design. It gets neo-retro elements similar to those of power cruisers and scramblers. Besides, the bike looks exceptionally good and proportionate.

Features

Being a comparatively older badge, The FZ 25 does lose a few points in features. The motorcycle comes with features such as LED projector headlamps, LED tail lamps, LED DRLs, front and rear disc brakes, a fully digital instrument cluster and a few more.

Similarly, the Ronin comes loaded with modern tech and comfort features like trip stats, gear shift indicator, adjustable levers, voice assistant, ride mode indicator, and TVS' SmartXonnect connected vehicle system with features such as turn-by-turn navigation, calls and SMS alerts.

Price

The price for the TVS Ronin starts at Rs 1.49 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Single Tone Single Channel ABS (Lighting Black or Magma Red) and goes up to Rs 1.71 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Triple Tone Dual Channel ABS (Dawn Orange). Meanwhile price for the Yamaha starts at Rs 1.39 lakh (ex-showroom) for the standard variant and goes up to Rs 1.43 lakh (ex-showroom) for the S variant.