Spied - IAB reader spots reskinned base-model TVS Phoenix 125

A new TVS bike, what looks to be a reskinned base-model of the TVS Phoenix 125, has been spotted testing by our eagle-eyed reader Benedict Pentony. The heavily cladded bike gives nothing away in terms of design.

The bike, however, gets alloy wheels and drum brake at the front. It gets a clutch lever, so we know that Jive experiment has been ditched. Other visible details are a telescopic suspension at the front and a coil spring setup at the rear.

But the resemblance to the Phoenix is uncanny. The alloy wheels and the rear shocks with the "Series Spring" lettering, along with what looks to be a similar windshield, leads us to think this could be a cut-price version of the TVS Phoenix 125, taking on bikes like the Bajaj Discover 125, Honda Shine etc.

When the Phoenix 125 was launched in October 2012, a drum brake option was launched for Rs 51,000. This fit perfectly in between the segment leaders, with the Discover 125's drum brake option retailing for Rs 48,294 and the Honda Shine's option selling at Rs 52,243 (All prices, ex-showroom, Chennai.)

Even though the Phoenix 125 hasn't exactly set the charts ablaze, TVS Motors recently posted an increase in revenue of Rs 232 crore for the quarter ended December 2013.