Tork Kratos R First Ride Review

The Tork Kratos is India's newest electric motorcycle, and it's offered in two variants, the standard Kratos and the top-spec Kratos R, each with different performance and charging time. It looks sharp, has muscular and edgy bodywork, and a sporty stance. The main difference between the standard Kratos and the Kratos R is the output from the electric motor, as well as top speed and certain features, including more colour options on the Kratos R. But the Kratos certainly took its time to get ready for production from the first Tork T6X concept shown in 2016.

Also Read: Tork Kratos Launched At Rs. 1.08 Lakh

The story of the Tork Kratos has its origins in a college project started by a group of engineering students. One of them, Kapil Shelke, went on to establish Tork Motors.

The story of Tork Motors has interesting beginnings, from a journey steeped in college dreams to participating in the pinnacle of world road racing, at the Isle of Man, in the UK. In fact, the Kratos owes its beginnings to an electric motorcycle developed by engineering student Kapil Shelke in 2007-2008. Shelke took his first electric motorcycle to the Isle of Man TT, where it won third place in the electric motorcycle class in its first attempt in the Open Class.

In 2010, Shelke developed another electric motorcycle and took it again to the Isle of Man, where it again secured an overall third place in the TTXGP. Shelke joined China's Zongshen Racing as CTO, where he again took a faster and more advanced electric motorcycle to the Isle of Man in 2012, but this time it did not finish, due to a mechanical issue.

The Tork Kratos owes its origins to a college project started by engineering student Kapil Shelke, who built his first electric motorcycle in 2007-08. Shelke later founded Tork Motors and the Kratos was born, although it did take six long years from the first T6X concept to the Kratos in production form.

But the dream to make an electric motorcycle in India for the masses remained. That's how Tork Motors was born, and the Tork T6X was shown in concept form in 2016. Now, in 2022, we finally get to the ride the production model of the Tork Kratos R, the top-spec model. The Kratos R boasts of a top speed of 105 kmph, up to 80 per cent charging in just 60 minutes with the fast charger, and an Indian Driving Cycle (IDC) rated maximum range of 180 km. In fact, Tork says the actual range in everyday riding conditions is somewhere around 120 km. We got to spend a couple of hours with this made-in-India electric motorcycle in Pune recently, to get a sense of what it offers.

Also Read: Tork T6X To Be Launched As Tork Kratos

From the angular and futuristic LED headlight to the sharp and angular faux radiator shrouds, the Kratos R oozes premium appeal.

Design & Features

The Tork Kratos looks quite premium. From the angular and futuristic LED headlight to the sharp and angular faux radiator shrouds, the Kratos oozes premium appeal. The sporty stance is complemented by the split seat, sharp tail section and alloy wheels with disc brakes at both ends, with combined braking system. The LCD digital console offers all necessary read-outs including speed, selected riding mode, trip meters, and even motor and battery temperature, which prove to be quite useful, as we found out later.

The Kratos R has a simple LCD instrumet console, which will show the basic information like speed, mode selected, range, as well as battery and motor temperature. Additional features like geo-fencing, find my vehicle function, motor walk assist (which is kind of a “limp home mode,” in case of an emergency), crash alert, ride analytics, smart charge analysis, vacation mode and more.

The Kratos R has additional features like geo-fencing, find my vehicle function, motor walk assist (which is kind of a "limp home mode," in case of an emergency), crash alert, ride analytics, smart charge analysis, vacation mode and more. There will be over-the-air (OTA) updates as well, which will be offered, with more features rolled out through software updates in future iterations of the Kratos. In all, it looks well put together, and complements the sporty stance and premium design of the Kratos.

The Kratos R has an axial flux motor with continuous power of 4 kW with peak power of 9 kW and maximum motor torque of 38 Nm. The 4 kWh lithium ion battery has claimed real-world range of 120 km.

The Kratos R has a small storage space with a USB charging socket. The switchgear is simple, and easy to use, and offers the usual switches for the low beam, high beam, and horn, as well as mode selector, including Sport, Eco and Reverse modes.

The right handlebar has the mode selector button. The controls are easy to use, and front right lever is for just the front brake, while left lever is for combined braking system, with both front and rear brake activated together.

Engine & Performance

The Tork Kratos R is powered by an axial flux motor with continuous power of 4 kW with peak power of 9 kW and maximum motor torque of 38 Nm. The base Kratos has peak power of 7.5 kW and torque of 28 Nm, while 0-40 kmph acceleration is claimed at 4 seconds for the standard model, while the Kratos R has claimed 0-40 kmph acceleration time in 3.5 seconds. Claimed top speed for the standard Kratos is 100 kmph, while the Kratos R has a maximum speed of 105 kmph.

The Kratos R has quick acceleration, and 0-40 kmph acceleration time of 3.5 seconds feels realistic. We clocked a maximum speed of around 86 kmph, but it should go beyond, and should nudge 100 kmph quite effortlessly, in Sport mode.

Straight off the bat, the Tork Kratos R picks up speed effortlessly. The claimed acceleration timings feel more or less accurate, and 60-70 kmph is achieved without drama, without hesitation. In fact, over a slight downhill section, our test bike easily clocked 85 kmph quite briskly, before it was time to slow down to tackle the next corner. The brake controls are not like a motorcycle's and there are only hand levers, and no rear brake pedal, which you will intuitively look for with your right foot when you do need to slow down in a hurry.

The issue with the Tork Kratos R is the motor overheating very quickly, and that is something which makes the riding experience short-lived.

But the problem with the performance is in the motor overheating, and sooner than expected. With a ride of just a few kilometres and a couple of slightly uphill sections in Sport mode, the Kratos R started losing power, and crawled back to base. It had to be given some time to cool down before we could resume our ride again. Clearly, in the current state, the motor isn't equipped for spirited riding for more than a few kilometres and how it performs over a longer distance is something we will be unable to comment on after our quite brief test ride.

One area where the Tork Kratos R impresses is in handling. Ride quality also is good, but around a corner, the Kratos R remains planted and inspires confidence.

Ride & Handling

But where the Kratos R impresses is in the ride and handling department. The ride quality is quite pliant and will go over broken stretches, potholes without the rider feeling any discomfort or harshness from the suspension. Around a corner, the Tork Kratos lives up to its sporty appearance, not losing composure even when pushed hard. The only iffy components are the MRF tyres, designed more for life than sporty antics. We'd wager with a better pair of tyres, the Kratos certainly promises even better dynamics, and confidence to push harder, not that it's designed for such riding.

The Tork Kratos R looks good, rides well, has good acceleration, and handles quite nicely. However, the overheating issues cannot be ignored, considering the unit we rode is a production model. Hopefully, Tork Motors will be able to resolve all issues soon, and we get to ride it once the overheating issue is addressed.

Verdict

The Tork Kratos R looks good, rides well, and has good handling, always being sure-footed. With a top speed of 105 kmph, an actual claimed range of over 120 km and charging time of up to 80 per cent in just 60 minutes, the Kratos R looks quite good on paper, and in design. It certainly has promise and potential, and with the experience and passion of the Tork team of making several electric race bikes, it doesn't seem doubtful that the Kratos will be improved over time and offer a viable alternative to petrol-powered premium commuter motorcycles.

The split seat complements the sharp design of the Tork Kratos R.

Our first ride was very brief, spread over just a couple of hours, and with extremely limited seat time. Unfortunately, the overheating issues, with both the motor and the battery, and the consequent loss in power are issues which are difficult to ignore. In its current form, the Tork Kratos feels incomplete to recommend as a practical, everyday electric motorcycle. We do hope Tork Motors sorts out all the issues at the earliest, something the team has promised to look into and address. And once the issues are sorted out, we hope to spend some more time with the Tork Kratos and hopefully next time around, the experience with the Tork Kratos will be as good as expected.

(Photography: Pawan Dagia)