TVS Flame-on while Bajaj XCD-ing expectations

First of all what I don’t understand is why the hell were TVS Flame and Bajaj XCD being compared to each other by every single auto magazine and the auto shows in the country. Granted, both have a capacity of 125cc, but that is where all the similarities end. While the Flame, which was launched recently, is priced slam bang in the middle of the 125cc segment, the XCD always competed with the upper end of the 100cc segment.

TVS it seems are finally letting their designers do some real work. Starting from the Apache, then later the RTR and now with the Flame, are starting to give Bajaj, some competition as far as designs of their bikes are concerned. Flame is one of the best designed bikes to come out of Hosur. But I still think the headlamp could have been better designed, it looks a little too big for the bike and is oddly shaped. The bike is currently available only in the south, but will be available across the country by January next year.

On the other hand Bajaj have hit a jackpot with the XCD. The company claims to have sold 100,000 XCDs in the first three months of its launch. Judging by the number of XCDs on the road in the capital, I don’t think the trend will change in the coming days.

Now, I may be wrong, but this is what I have understood so far.

The TVS uses a three valve head, two intake and one exhaust. It features a special carb that supplies fuel and air mixture only from one valve at low engine speeds and at higher engine speeds increases the fuel supply to the engine. This is done by utilizing the second intake valve. This helps in aiding fuel efficiency at low speeds and increased power in the higher reaches of the rev range.

The XCD on the other hand is designed for extracting the best fuel efficiency. The whole bike is deigned to be light and the engine itself weighs only a couple more kilos than the one in the CT100. It uses swirl to help in the better mixing of air fuel mixture in the cylinder. The spark plugs don’t fire simultaneously like in the Pulsar but separately, to better ignite the fuel, giving it more torque lower down while making power, which is at par with most of the 125s.