They’ve got most of the basics right and I hope that they iron out the issues and scale up well.
BHPian Venky03 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Prelude:
I had already switched to an electric 2W back in 2021 but after some bittersweet experiences had decided to switch to a different brand. I have been following Tork Motors since 2018, and the pre-booking for this bike started way back in 2016. They had actively started promoting the Kratos R the last year, but since there were no actual deliveries I had never considered the Kratos as an option. They had delivered around 20 bikes in a mega-delivery event in July and I prebooked the bike on 28th July 2022 after confirmation that the next lot will be delivered in 3-4 months.
Booking Experience:
They have a portal dedicated to the booking process, the flow was straightforward and hassle-free. While pre-booking there was no option to select the normal variant (discontinued now) or to select any colour other than white. I got a call from their team on 12th September and they mentioned that if I pay the entire amount then I will get the bike by Diwali. I did ask them for colour options before making the payment as I did not want a gloss white colour, finalized the magic black(matte) colour and completed the payment on the same day and sent the required documents. Got a call from them after a month to confirm and pay for the comprehensive policy, they mentioned that the bike was ready for delivery and that if I want I could pick it up from Pune next week itself since their HQ is 145kms from my home and the bike’s true range is around 120kms I asked for the home delivery.
Delivery Experience:
The bike was delivered to me on 23rd October and it was undoubtedly one of the worst delivery experiences I’ve ever had. The bike was home delivered in a tempo without any ramp, the delivery guys removed the protective packaging and unloaded the bike and upon inspection found that 2 of the indicators were broken and one was slightly cracked and the bike was not even clean. They said that it was the same for all other deliveries, there was a small sheet in it which had 4 phone numbers printed on it, tried calling on all of them but all of them were switched off.
The factors that led to the bad experience were a combination of:
- Damaged indicators.
- All phone numbers are switched off.
- Not a single piece of documentation apart from the phone number sheet.
- No quick start/charger installation videos.
- No helmet was provided.
Aftermath:
I tried calling the provided numbers again after the Diwali holidays and they did answer the call and asked me to send the photos of the damaged indicators over WhatsApp. They assured me that the damaged indicators will be replaced FOC in the next service and that they will provide the necessary documentation in their app itself (They added it 1-2 weeks later). I used some super-glue as a temporary fix for the indicators, which replaced FOC in the first service camp as promised. After the initial hiccup their team has been proactive, I received multiple calls for feedback regarding the bike and suggestions for accessories.
Pricing:
- Ex-Showroom: ₹2,07,499
- FAME II: (-) ₹60,000
- MH State Subsidy: (-) ₹10,000
- RSA & Other Charges: ₹4,750
- Insurance: ₹10,707
Pros:
- Sharp and modern looks with a good road presence
- Perfectly tuned suspension setup for city rides
- Indigenous tried and tested powertrain
- Usable front storage space with a 2.4A USB charging port
- Linear acceleration with excellent throttle response
- True range of 120 km on Eco
- Stable and grounded at high speeds (90-100 kms/h)
- Fairly accurate DTE predictions
Cons:
- High beam is non-existent
- Minor niggles here and there
- Seat starts to feel uncomfortable after 30-40mins of continuous riding
- No fast charging yet
- No ABS
- No portable charger yet
- Low ground clearance (165mm)
- Multiple advertised software features are still not available
Exteriors:
NOTE: The 2023 refresh has some additional cosmetic changes and the charge port location changes.
The design is sharp and geometric and is a head-turner for sure, and the colour which I opted for is Magic Black. It’s a matte finish which looks dark blue when you throw enough light on it from an angle. There are multiple minor panel gaps here and there as seen in photos and the whole body is fibre. Front(90/80-17) and rear(120/80-17) tyres are MRF Nylogrip Zapper FY1 with Advik disc CBS, no ABS for now but the bite is decent. The indicators are very fragile and break even on the slightest unintentional nudge, they’ve promised new indicators with a flexible design by march end. The mirrors are okay, could’ve been better. The controls in the front right include: mode change & kill switch and the controls in the front left include indicators, headlight & horn(adequately loud).
Some comparison shots with Yamaha FZs v3:
Powertrain & Ride Quality:
The Kratos R is powered by a 9kW actively cooled axial flux motor pushing out 38nm of torque from the get-go (0-40 km/h in 3.5 secs) with a top speed of 105 km/h. There are 3 modes to choose from:
- Eco: Max Speed – 50 km/h and True Range – 120 km
- City: Max Speed – 70 km/h and True Range – 100 km
- Sports: Max Speed – 105 km/h and True Range – 70 km
The throttle response and acceleration curves are different for all of them, personally, I’ve been using the sports mode for most of the time and I easily get a range of around 70 kms in sports mode and after that, the bike will force you to use the eco mode when the battery SOC falls below 20%. It gets upside-down telescopic suspension in the front and a mono-shock absorber at the rear which is tuned for city riding conditions and provides excellent ride quality. I did scrape the bottom once on a sharp speed breaker when riding with a pillion. It also has a reverse mode which is very handy in tight spots. The installed battery capacity is 4kWhr(not sure about the usable capacity) and takes around 7.5hrs to fully charge from 0-100 on the provided 750W home charger.
Slow charge port:
The bike is connected to the internet via 4G and there are no charges for the initial year, after that, they’ll start charging ₹250 per month to use the connected features. It has a limited warranty of 3 years or 40,000 kms. For now, the features available on the app include:
- HUD mode with live sensor data displayed on a smartphone
- Alerts when the battery is 100% charged or when the battery SOC falls below 20%
- Live GPS tracking
- Theft/Tow alerts
- Geofencing
Personally, I did not encounter any serious issues due to heating, I did notice a small dip in performance when I was with a pillion in sports mode for extended periods. We’ll have to wait for summer for the true test, while the motor is actively cooled, the battery still relies on passive cooling via its aluminium enclosure. The acceleration curve is tuned in a way that the peak power is delivered only after 40 km/h. There are no signs of regen for now, it is unclear whether it will be coming with a software update, also there’s no fast charging on this bike for now but there’s a placeholder port. There are talks that they will fit it for around ₹3-4k once available which sounds quite disappointing as it was included in the features list, I think they should offer it FOC as it is an integral part of the vehicle. Having said that the build of wall mounted charger is solid, and the cable length is adequate:
Due to the unavailability of a fast charging network/portable charger, I’ve not been able to plan any long rides. The ODO stands at 534 km and the most distance that I’ve covered is 75 km in a single day with 19% charge left when I reached home. Overnight charging is supported as the charger automatically cuts off once the battery reaches 100% and there’s no trickle charging. There’s also a secondary 12V battery used for powering the headlights, brake lights, horn and indicators. The internal cable management is impressive as well:
Pitcrew:
Their service team is called the Pitcrew, it also consists of a mobile garage which houses all the necessary tools and can even charge the bike in case of emergencies. There have been 2 service camps till now, one on 17th November 2022 which comprised of initial checkup and software updates. The second one was on 19th January 2023 which comprised of BMS update and chain cleaning+lubrication. The experience has been good overall, their team is friendly and has the proper technical knowledge regarding the product. Both the services were FOC, I paid ₹98 for the accessories in second service.(₹50 for front mudflap + ₹48 for front indicator cover)
Issues:
Battery Drain (Fixed) – The battery was draining around 8-10% overnight, which was way too much for just sending data to their servers. This resulted in multiple wasted charge cycles since I use the bike mostly on weekends. They mentioned that the compander remained active even when the bike was idle which was causing the drain, this was fixed after the update in the second service. Now the drain is around 2-4% overnight which is much better.
High Beam – For a bike that is capable of doing 100+ speeds the high beam is a crucial part of night rides. The low beam is excellent and gives good close-range visibility without blinding others, but the high beam needs some serious improvements.
The display remains on even when the key is removed – One of the minor issues:
The saree guard was making contact with the frame (Fixed) – I noticed this metal-on-metal sound whenever I was with a pillion, and upon close inspection found this:
The saree guard was bent a bit in transit which caused this issue, was fixed in the second service.
My Verdict:
Tork Kratos R is a fun-to-ride city bike which packs some serious punch but as with all electric vehicles they’ll need to back it up with a robust charging infrastructure in coming years. It has been an absolute joyride after the initial delivery hiccup, the team is easily reachable and is eager to fix the issues and have delivered on their promises till now. They’ve got most of the basics right and I hope that they iron out the issues and scale up well.
As always, wear proper safety gear and Live To Ride.
Continue reading BHPian Venky03’s ownership review for more insights and information.
Keyword: Tork Kratos R ownership review: Pros, cons, charging & issues faced