TVS Tormax 150 - A Powerful Underbone Contender

Anyone can safely assume the etymology of the Tormax is a portmanteau of Torque and Maximum.  True to it's name, the Tormax is one powerful and torque-y underbone, worthy of being seen in the race tracks and drag strips, legal or otherwise.  

LOOKS

The Tormax is designed to look aggressive.  The sporty and streamline accents in the graphics and plastic design suggest speed, power and awesomeness.  I got a lot of curious looks, as the Tormax is only known by enthusiasts.  I even sparked a conversation with a Tormax owner and he lively shared his experiences with his powerful bike.  Enthusiasts or otherwise, I often end up explaining what the TVS Tormx is all about, especially its curious features, described below.

Sleek right?

The plastics  are designed to let wind through.  There is a pass-through hole in each of the leg shields, which is weird, as we're all sure they evolved from being leg shields to an aerodynamic feature.   Which is cool.  I have no qualms about it.

Fully digital intrumentation panel.  Everthing you need to know at a glance.

The cockpit, or the instrumentation panel is fully digital, to my liking!  In broad daylight, the display is clearly visible even under direct sunlight.  At night, the red-ish backlight is just enough not to blind the rider.  The luminance of the panel is just about perfect.  It has every information you need, most dominant in the display is the speed, which is visible at a glance.  The topmost line is the tachometer and lets you know when your red-lining it.   Two trip meters, gear indicator and fuel level, all digital.

Aggressive styling headlight cowling.  

The headlight cowling is streamlined as it is, yet also has a provision to change to an aftermarket windscreen.  As a windscreen guy, this is a yes for me, and I can see the Tormax with a taller, translucent one.  

LED brake and signal lights.  

The turn signal lights and brake lights are LED, ensuring a worry-free night riding and long lasting lights.

PERFORMANCE

If I could put the performance in just two words, it would be: OH BOY!  The Tormax is torque-y which should be obvious, with its 13.2 brake horse power. The 5 gears satisfies the bikes range of speeds, which the top speed can get you up to 150 kmh (internet claims).  My personal record for top speed is 127 kmh, which is still way too fast for an underbone.  There are times when I was at full throttle that I tinker with the "instant open pipe" lever.  But I wouldn't know how to gauge the amount of supposed additional power it yielded.

Big petal disc brake for a more effective braking.

The underbone's riding position is upright and actually very comfortable. Couple this with the large seat, this could be a perfect touring bike, capable of reduced rider fatigue in doing protracted rides.  Well, at least the perfect touring bike for me.

The bike's handling is superb.  It's easy to ride, easy to maneuver, and can easily be flicked at will.  Attacking corners at highspeeds will make you naturally lean out of the bike.  

Rear petal disc brake. Maximum braking ensured.  Late brakings are more fun with this bike. 

The Tormax boasts of petal front and rear disc brakes.  Though the rear brake alone wouldn't do much stopping, but combining front and read brakes gives optimal stopping performance. Good thing about discs, they don't erratically lock up, as opposed to a drum brakes.  But I'm sure they added a little extra cost to the bike.

If there's a feature that shouts the bike is all about performance, that's the radiator.  Oh yes, the TVS Tormax 150 warrants a liguid-cooled engine, indicative of its high-revolution performance.

two-tiered triangular exhaust pipes.

As a primarily dirtbike lover, I am used to long travel suspension.  The Tormax' suspension is actually a bit of a shock (get the pun?), as I find the stock setting to be a bit more rigid than to my liking.  Then again, the bike is all about road performance and gripping the road is more the bike's concern.  So riding the motorcycle on road surface ensures good road grip, but a bump on the road might (or might not) result in a bump in the head.

CURIOUS BUT MUCH-APPRECIATED FEATURES

Pipe Choke - Located alongside the carburetor choke, is another switch which opens up the exhause pipe. Meaning, at the flock of a switch, the rider can experience an additional boost of power when needed specially when racing.  A cable traces to the midsection of the tail pipe that pulls the choke.

Instant open pipe!  Instant power!

Socket Charger - Located underneath the left side of the panel, is a much-needed feature that all bikes should have, a cigarrete socket charger.  In this day and age of smartphones and GPS, yeah this is necessary.

Glow-in-the-Dark key entry - I wasn't aware of this feature but when I parked in our dimly-lit basement, I noticed that the key entry glows in the dark.  Superb!

SHOULD YOU GET IT?

If you're looking for a well-rounded underbone, which is capable of going fast, easily out-maneuvering traffic and corners well, yes you should buy this bike.  If you're looking for a wimpy, fuel-saving,tree-hugging moped, stop reading this article and go to the next ones.  Priced at P88,000, the TVS Tormax is a bit pricey for an underbone, because it NOT CHEAP.  Yes there are actually reasons why it's not cheap, aside from having passed a rigid quality control and cool unique features, you will most probably buy this because of the performance.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Overall Length: 1955 mm

Overall Width: 730 mm

Overall Height: 1070 mm

Wheel Base: 1250 mm

Dry Mass: 112 kg

Ground Clearance: 150 mm

Saddle Height: 772 mm

Engine Type: Wet, Multi-Plate

Number of Cylinder: 4 stroke, SOHC, Liquid Cooled Turbo Engine (3 Valve Technology: 2 Inlet + 1 Exhaust)

Bore X Stroke: 59.5 x 53.5 mm

Cylinder Volume: 148.75 cc

Compression Ratio: 11.3:1

Max. Power: 9.7 KW (13.2 BHP) @ 8000 rpm

Max. Torque: 12.5 Nm/5500 rpm

Starter System: Electric & Kick Starter

Carburettor: UCAL-VM 22

Clutch: Manual, Multiplate Clutch

Transmission: 5 Speed. N-1-2-3-4-5

Front Brake: Disc 290 mm

Rear Brake: Disc 185 mm

Front Wheel Dimension: 70/90 – 17

Rear Wheel Dimension: 80/90 – 17  

Ignition Specification: DCTCI.

Electricity System: 12V, AC, Magneto

Front Lamp Type: Halogen 30/30 W

Spark: BOSCH Super URSDC

Accu / Battery: 12V / 5 Ah  

Fuel Tank Volume: 4.1 lt

Fast, powerful and delights the senses, the TurbanRider approves of this bike.  Besides being the weekend warrior, due to it's comfortable riding position, I can use this bike to do groceries!  Hooray!

To know more about the TVS brand, visit their FB page here.