Spec Comparison: Yamaha Saluto RX vs Honda Livo vs TVS Victor

As younger buyers make their way out of colleges, the need for stylish, affordable yet premium looking motorcycles has catapulted in the market. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) was one of the first manufacturers to come with a premium entry-level motorcycle - the Twister. While the model did not perform as expected, its replacement, the Livo has been quite the popular offering ever since its launch. Keeping up with the same sentiment, TVS Motor Company resurrected its much loved brand Victor in an all-new form earlier this year and it looks promising as ever.

Even before the Victor could take flight in the 110cc segment, Yamaha Motor India pulled in quite the surprise with the all-new Saluto RX commuter motorcycle that recently went on sale, also bringing back the famed 'RX' moniker. So between these fairly new motorcycles that are trying to grab the young buyer's attention, which one appeals the most? We do a quick specifications comparison to find out.

Honda Livo Front Profile

Design

Looks are a subjective matter and none of the three motorcycles disappoint on the design front. All three bikes look young and categorically appear to appeal to a young buyer. What really does stand out is the styling with the Livo getting some striking lines that have translated from bigger Honda motorcycles. The bike also looks bigger than its rivals and a lot more premium, which is always a good thing.

Up next is the TVS Victor which looks modern, but still follows a conservative design language. The lines have a pleasing flow and look good, but you can't help but point out that TVS has chosen to appeal to wider customer base with the bike's styling. In comparison, the Yamaha Saluto RX looks the youngest off the three and comes with striking lines that gel well with the slender frame.

In terms of features, only the TVS Victor sports a semi-digital instrument cluster, whereas both the Saluto RX and Livo get an analog unit. All three bikes ride on alloy wheels.

TVS Victor 110

Dimensions

Both the Japanese offerings,the Honda Livo and Yamaha Saluto RX are closely matched in terms of dimensions with the same length of 2020mm, while the width measures at 746mm and 740mm respectively. In contrast, the TVS Victor is marginally small with the length measuring 1980mm, but is the widest here at 750mm. The Livo turns out to be the tallest at 1099mm, followed by the Victor which stands at 1090mm. The Saluto RX is the shortest in height measuring 1045mm.

The Honda Livo is clearly the bigger motorcycle here and sealing the deal is its longest wheelbase of 1285mm. The other bikes trail closely behind Victor's wheelbase measuring at 1260mm and the Saluto RX's at 1255mm.

Powertrain

All three motorcycles use a 110cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine but have varied power outputs. The TVS Victor is the most powerful motorcycle in this comparison producing 9.4bhp of power at 7500rpm and 9.4Nm of torque at 6000rpm. However, it is also the heaviest motorcycle with a kerb weight of 113 kg for the disc brake variant. The Honda Livo is next churning out 8.2bhp at 7500rpm, with a peak torque of 8.63Nm at 5500rpm. It is also marginally lighter than the Victor with a kerb weight of 111 kg.

The least powerful motorcycle though turns out to be the Yamaha Saluto RX that belts out 7.4bhp, but at 7000rpm while the 8.5Nm of torque to kicks in earlier at 4500rpm. The Saluto RX is also the most lightest in its class with a kerb weight of just 98 kg, which is significantly lower than the other bikes and will aid in achieving a higher power-to-weight ratio. A 4-speed gearbox serves purpose, while higher refinement levels will be the strong point on all three models.That said, refinement and engine vibrations can only be ascertained in a real world test comparison, which will prove to be interesting once we get down to pitting these three against each other.

The light weight of the Yamaha Saluto RX also manages to achieve the highest fuel efficiency figure of a claimed 82 kmpl. Coming in second is the TVS Victor returning a claimed 76 kmpl, while the Honda Livo will return just above 60 kmpl.

Yamaha Saluto RX

Price

Yamaha India seems to have nailed the pricing bang on with respect to the Saluto RX that undercut its rivals by a massive difference. Priced at Rs. 46,400, the Saluto RX is a good Rs. 7000 cheaper than the the Honda Livo that is priced at Rs. 53,349 for the drum brake version. The TVS Victor though poses a real threat to the Saluto RX, but is still expensive comparatively priced at Rs. 49,490 (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi).

Verdict

If pricing is your priority, it is hard to look beyond the Yamaha Saluto RX. Not only does it get the most affordable tag amidst the three, but also has a peppy motor mated to a light frame. However, our concerns are with the bike's performance on gradients and in case of heavier rider and pillion. It also misses out on a front disc brake and could've used a more feature rich console.

In that respect, the Honda Livo does feel promising and is known to be spacious to carry two with ease and is adequately powerful. It also looks more premium over the rivals and gets a well refined engine, but its tad premium price tag does feel disappointing. Lastly, the TVS Victor gets the pricing right and is also the most powerful bike in this comparison. The motorcycle also offers interesting bits like the hazard lights and 60-watt headlight bulb, but the weight can play a deterrent in its performance. While it may seem like a close at present, make sure to look forward to our comprehensive real world comparison that will ascertain the winner amidst the three motorcycles.