Chennai-based TVS Motor is all set to launch its 160cc, advanced fuel injection Apache RTR bike in the US this year, making it the second motorcycle company to do so after Royal Enfield.

Part of the TVS group with extensive experience in automotive engineering, the company has cleared the mandatory technical and emission tests for the US market.

The company has also launched a new version of Apache, the Apache 180-cc, and the SR 125-cc motorcycle, an upgraded version of its bike Flame, will be introduced by June end. The Apache comprises 10 per cent of TVS's motorcycle sales portfolio overall bike sales.

The TVS Apache RTR 180 is an innovative blend of revolutionary technology and sporty design. Weighing 137kg, the bike is designed for optimal performance off the line, in sharp turns and while navigating urban obstacles. Its oversquare engine is programmed to whip up an astonishing 17.3ps making it one of the most powerful bike in its class on Indian roads.

The bike has a top speed of 125kph with a 0 to 60kph timing of just 4.15 seconds, making it one of the fastest motorcycle in its class. The bike boasts of a digital console with service due reminder, clock, dual trip meter, adjustable clip on handlebar and mono tube inverted, gas-filled shocks. It is equipped with both electric and kick start. The bike is priced at an introductory Rs63,990 ex-showroom Delhi and is immediately available in TVS dealerships across the country.

Speaking about the US launch, HS Goindi, TVS Motor president (marketing and sales), said, ''We are in the launch mode, and are finalising our entry into the US market. Our bike has met all stringent technical norms in the US and we have also appointed a distributor. We have tweaked the product we already sell in India with some minor changes to meet the US automotive standards.''

According to reports, TVS may sell the bike through Classic Motorworks, the US-based importer and distributor of two-wheelers, which sells the Royal Enfield brands in the US.

The company is expected to start shipping bikes in the next few months.

Talking about projected sales, Goindi said, ''America is a small market for two-wheelers with a few lakh units being sold every year and even that is being cornered by bigger bikes. We are expecting to sell a few thousand bikes in the first year, but these will boost our bottom lines, as profit margins are much higher in the overseas markets. Once we establish our brand, we will market more products from the TVS stable in the next few years.''

The company had recently entered the three-wheeler market with the launch of TVS King. (See: TVS Motor enters into three-wheeler business)

It has also launched an electric scooter for women in Gujarat, named Scooty Teenz Electric. (See: TVS launches electric scooter for women in Gujarat)

TVS Motors currently operates a 300,000-units-a-year manufacturing facility in Indonesia where it sells TVS Neo and Rocks. It also sells bikes, scooters and mopeds in the regions of Latin America, South-East Asia and Africa.

On the company's performance this year, Goindi said, ''We should be aiming at a double-digit growth this fiscal.''

Currently around 10,000 Apache bikes are being sold per month, and the company aims to increase this to 15-17,000 bikes in the next two years.