Words: Bill Hunter.

The TVS motorcycle brand has been seen in South Africa in the past, unfortunately it was poorly represented. However that is all about to change with the mighty Bidvest Empire now taking control, assisted with distribution by The Nexus Collective. TVS will also be backed by the expertise gained from years of retail knowledge from Tuning Fork (PTY), or Yamaha SA.

TVS stands for ‘Trust-Value-Service’ and with over 64 million customers being taken care of in over 90 Countries around the world, they’re certainly a force to be reckoned with. TVS has also recently acquired the famous Norton brand, which already has a tempting range of exotic electric bikes, and we were informed they could soon be available in SA, tremendous!

TVS are heavily established throughout the African Continent already and declare they will sell over one million bikes throughout the Continent during 2026, very impressive stats to say the least. But what does all this mean for South Africa you ask?

For a start TVS SA have five new Sport/Lifestyle models and three new Delivery/Utility options, which we’ll get into later. Already Uber Moto has ordered 800 of their HLX 150 to transport people around, regarding short journeys from Taxi hubs, and the like. You will see them around with distinctive blue bikes and helmets, and they carry a spare helmet for passengers and even hairnets. They also have a specialized Trak 150 with a hefty secure rack, single seat, and revised suspension to safely carry delivery boxes in all forms, which will surely be a big hit with our delivery riders, especially for under 20k!

On the more sporty side there’s the cool looking Raider 125, two Apache 200 4Vs, one with a carb, the other fuel-injected. Then there’s their flagship Apache RR310, an extremely attractive sport bike with a truck full of interesting features. Their funky Ntorq ‘Race Edition’ scooter is another enticing proposition to fill that specific category. We will be testing all of these models in the very near future, so we don’t want to go into these bikes too deep for now.

During the South African studio launch the immaculate top dudes from India were extremely proud to enforce their build quality, design, and reliability in the TVS motorcycle brand. We were informed that TVS are the first manufacturer to win a Deming Award for these reasons. And, for the past seven years, they’re No.1 for customer satisfaction. Not too sure what these claims are, or where they’re from, but vibrant accolades all the same. To enforce these ‘trophies’ TVS SA offers a highly commendable 3-year/30,000km warranty on all of the bikes they revealed.

The next day after the studio talks we were taken to the road-riding launch. All eight bikes were there to taste. A quick 40km loop; with swift changes in-between, allowed us to briefly sample TVS’s new wares. It’s hard to review them all at once, and like I mentioned earlier, we will test them all in the near future, so keep following us on our site as we roll them out. Still, it was a fun day out with some aggressive slipstreaming Moto3 style riding, if you catch my drift, especially on the delivery machines. If I had to put my finger on one bike specifically it’s the ‘Bumble Bee’ derived Raider 125 for a mere R23,999.

At the end of the day it’s fantastic to see TVS has openly come into SA in a quest to convert more people, of all types, into the delights of two-wheeled mobility, and obviously for more commercial and business options too. From what we saw they’re here with a grand arsenal of motorcycles to do so. 20 new dealers will soon appear throughout South Africa offering everything the TVS brand has to offer, so keep you eyes on their site for locations.

The bikes currently available in SA:

Commercial.

Trak 150 R19,999

HLX 125 R18,999

HLX 150 R19,999

Sport/Lifestyle.

Raider 125 R23,999

Ntorq 125  R23,999

Apache 200 4V (carb) R34,999

Apache 200 4V Fi R44,999

Apache RR310 R89,999

Go to www.tvsmotor.com for more technical information.

https://www.facebook.com/TVSSouthAfrica/

www.linex.co.za/tvs-3 for South African content.

Our close friends from RAD-KTM have just received their first shipments of the new KTM 1390 Super Adventure S and the much anticipated 990 RC R.

The Super Adventure S has the new 1,350cc engine developing a massive 173hp and 145Nm of torque, impressive indeed! This one pictured is the base model, if you can say that, costing R399, 995. The EVO version with the automated gearbox will arrive shortly, they say.

The 990 RC R is certainly an exciting machine and then some, with a retail price of R295,950 it’ll definitely attract the wannabe Brad Binder fans. We will be testing both in the very near future. Meanwhile please drop by RAD-KTM to view their new 2026 bikes, or maybe become the first to own one? 

Go to: www.radktm.co.za for purchasing details and for all your KTM needs.

17/02/26

We’ve been kindly lent these premises for our photo shoots in the past and always came away impressed with the professional layout and services on offer.

Well you can now enjoy this superb track using tough, and genuine, Michael Schumacher karts. Believe us when we say these karts are at the highest level and extremely entertaining to drive. They certainly need severe physical input if you desire quick lap times, which are displayed on their digital LED timing board. Not only that but you’re actually allowed to race, within reason, rather than always being told off for ‘racing’ at many inferior circuits, right?

However, you cannot just turn up and race your mates. You have to book online using their new, and very informative, web site.

So please click on www.honeydewkartcenter.com for more information, and to explore what’s on offer, and to view the track? It really is a must-do adventure for all riders and car drivers alike, and we highly recommend a day there, and then some.