Parallel-twin four-strokes, owing to their layout and the way they produce power, are inherently smooth and friendly creatures. I said ‘four-strokes’ in case anyone was about to bring up the Yamaha RD 350. It’s time to let that old one rest in peace. Anyway, these are three motorcycles that don’t bully their riders despite possessing high-revving potentials that can show you extremely illegal speeds on their respective speedometers. They don’t overwhelm you with their personalities, but instead allow you to mesh with theirs to make for fun motorcycling. They all do this, but in very different ways.
The first one up, I suppose, is the one that looks like it doesn’t belong here. The TNT 300, with its upright riding stance, is the most comfortable one of the lot. It’s a handsome-looking motorcycle that shows off all the right parts to its advantage. It’s got the only inverted fork and twin-disc setup at the front in this trio, good-looking engine cases and proportions that feel big without being intimidating. And that theme continues to the riding part, too.
The TNT 300 is an extremely easygoing motorcycle. Its power delivery doesn’t spring any surprises, its suspension comforts the rider and the brakes work well when called upon. Sure, you have to really rev it to get going, but I think that’s because it’s geared more for open European roads where they can use all those revs. We Indians need a bigger sprocket on the rear wheel. As it stands, though, the smooth nature of the motor means that you can let the tachometer needle stay near its limit without feeling uncomfortable. Because there’s a very good reason to do so.
