Aprilia SR125: First Ride Review — Sportily Marvellous In The Air

Item: Aprilia SR125: First Ride Review — Sportily Marvellous In The Air
Rating: 4.0
Author: Promeet

The all-new SR125 is now one of the most exciting scooters in its segment. Also, its been prices at a much higher rate than its competitors.

Updated: Monday, March 12, 2018, 18:20 [IST]

Rating:

Aprilia as a brand has been in India for a while now. They unveiled their first sports scooter — the SR150 — at the 2016 Auto Expo. Aprilia has launched the SR125 at a price of Rs 66,076. It is powered by a 125cc engine shared with the Vespa 125 S. How different is it from its elder sibling — the SR150?

In 2017, the Italian manufacturer launched the SR150 Race, which was a sportier version of the sports scooter. When the SR150 was launched, it was the fastest scooter in the market and could outperform most commuter bikes.

To keep up with the market dynamics and compete with the other manufacturers, Aprilla has now launched their all-new SR 125. DriveSpark got on the saddle of the baby SR and here is what we have to say about it!

What's New?

At first glance, most would confuse the SR125 for the SR150. That is because the scooter looks just the same, until you look at the 125 badging.

Everything is identical to the SR150 including cycle parts and styling. The only difference between the two are the decals and the new colours on the scooter: blue and silver.

The scooter comes with large, blacked-out 14-inch alloy wheels shod with wide, grippy tyres from Vee Rubber, which allows one to throw the scooter into some tight corners with confidence. Overall handling of the SR125 is great and once again similar to its elder sibling.

The stiff suspension on the SR125 helps handling, but on the contrary, can be a drawback for someone who rides for a longer time, especially on bumpy roads. It is a back-breaker.

The Aprilia SR125 is probably the only scooter in India to come without a grab rail for the pillion rider. Instead, the flat seat comes with a strap for the pillion rider to hold on to. The instrument cluster on the SR125 is the same unit found on the Aprilia SR150.

Switchgear quality is not top-notch, but plastics used are not too bad either. Overall, the SR125 in blue with black alloy wheels and red graphics looks pretty cool. It actually reminds us of the paddock scooters used in Formula One and MotoGP.

Aprilia SR125 Engine

Powering the SR 125 is the same air-cooled, single-cylinder 125cc engine that also does duty in the Vespa 125 S. The engine is capable of producing 9.5bhp of power and 10.6Nm of torque which kicks in at 6000rpm. The engine is visibly detuned as the same unit in the Vespa 125 S produces around 10bhp.

The Aprilia SR125's lighter chassis coupled with the CVT gearbox bringing in the power at high RPMs allows it to beat the competition. This is especially true when it comes to top speed, as the SR125 easily clocks 115 km/h. The on-off throttle transition is very crisp for a scooter, but the engine, when revved hard has quite a lot of vibrations.

Braking duties are handled by a disc brake up-front and drum brakes at the rear. The brake set-up is carried over from the SR150. The initial bite is good and it will bring you to a standstill sooner than you think when yanked together.

Promeet Ghosh Thinks!

The SR125 is priced at Rs 65,315 ex-showroom (pan-India). This also makes it the most expensive scooter in its segment. The scooter will rival the likes of the Suzuki Access 125, Honda Activa 125, Vespa 125 and TVS NTorq 125.

It is completely up to buyers to choose between the SR125 and SR150. Both are identical except the colour scheme. If you are looking for a sporty scooter with Rs 5,000 more to spare, the SR150 is the one to go for.