Remembering The TVS Jive | A Clutch-Less Daily Commuter

Hyundai Venue iMT, a compact SUV that has been hailed to begin the clutch-less revolution with the revolutionary iMT. But if we travel back to 2010, we will come across a bike, rather India’s first bike with no clutch at all. And it is the TVS Jive. TVS has been known for the ‘No Problem’ Samurai bike from the 90s. But the lesser-known ‘No Tension’ bike came into existence in 2010 in order to capture the 100cc segment which was dominated by Honda at that time. Well, things might have not turned out as planned but the Jive is worth remembering for sure. Let’s get started!

What was so special about the Jive?

Well, before discussing the special part, let’s first take a look at the engine specs of this daily commuter.

Everything in that table seems pretty normal to me. Right? Well, one thing that should have grabbed your eyes is the semi-automatic transmission and that too in a bike. There was no clutch at all, all you had to do is shift gears. Well, what is simple in that? There are actually two things worth mentioning, first, you can start and stop and any gear you want and your TVS Jive will commute like there are no gears. That might be a bit of exaggeration about the smoothness. And second is the no clutch at all at the left side, the real #leftfree moment.

Ask anyone who owns a bike and he will be telling you that this bike is really a ‘No Tension’ bike. TVS even rolled out a TVC in which a guy had to shave his ‘Moustache’ as the Jive was able to cruise through the traffic with ease.

TVS Jive had a good fuel efficiency of over 60kmpl and a top speed of over 90kmph. Let me also tell you that the company patented this technology as there was no other bike with the comfort that Jive had to offer.

It had drum brakes at both ends which were enough for an entry-level commuter. TVS Jive offered a ground clearance of 165mm which was really good for the Indian roads.

TVS studied the market carefully before the launch of this bike. It found that a person commuting daily had to spend most of his time drifting through heavy traffic resulting in fatigue due to regular clutch working. So, the TVS Jive came into existence. TVS planned monthly sales of around 25,000 units.

But, the reality came out to be a bit different. It was not at all welcomed with the bang that the company expected. Honda still remained at the top of the sales chart. TVS Jive eventually made an exit, a rather quiet one in November of 2014.

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But what was the reason behind the failure? 

TVS Jive came at a premium of around ₹40,000 which was not at all a high amount for a 110cc commuter. But what actually can be held responsible for the failure is Jive being ahead of its time. People were not ready to switch over to a bike that offered a centrifugal clutch that would help a lot in the heavy traffic. Start at any gear and the bike won’t tell you to shift down. Hell, even the 2020 iMT tech forces you to shift down before moving.

While you are at it, take a look at the Hyundai Venue iMT:

What do you think? Had it been some other automaker (Not going to name any), Jive would have picked up pace? Do let us know in the comments section below.