Test Drive: Aprilia SR 150 gets racy
It was in August last year that Aprilia launched India's first truly sporty scooter, the SR 150. It shattered the impression that scooters in India had to be practical, family-oriented vehicles, softly sprung for comfort, and with enough room for a week's groceries. The SR 150 introduced the Indian public to a fun scooter that accelerated hard, had immense stopping power, and was endowed with a firm suspension and sticky tyres oriented towards sporty handling rather than comfort. So great has been the response that Aprilia has, in just six months, introduced a variant of this groundbreaking scooter: the SR 150 Race.
All-analogue white-backed dials are easily legible. Pics/ Saurabh Botre
Liveried to match Aprilia's RS-GP MotoGP race bike, the SR 150 Race gets a grey paint job adorned with a whole new set of red, white and green stickers. The Y-spoked wheels now stand out in a racy red, as does the rear monoshock spring, while the Bybre brake calliper has gone from black to gold on the new scooter. When viewed head on, the svelte profile of the SR 150 Race is extremely attractive, with focus on that sharp divided headlight that resembles a frown while, from the side, the racy stance of the scooter is obvious with the large, 14-inch wheels, telescopic fork and disc brake up front.
Racy red wheels add to the scooter's go-faster appeal
The original SR 150 was definitely a scorcher off the line, and Aprilia claim that the CVT on the new Race version has been tuned for even better acceleration. For now we can confirm that the scooter definitely feels quick, still dispatches a series of corners like no scooter before it, and still stops on a dime with the help of that 220-mm disc up front and 130-mm drum at the rear.
During the ride, the scooter felt extremely planted over good roads as well as some rough bits, although the firm suspension did feel a little harsh over bumps. The 150-cc air-cooled SOHC engine is quick to rev up with a pleasing growl, and feels extremely relaxed. On the highway, it can cruise comfortably between 75 and 85 km/h.
The tail-end sports a sharp design
The SR 150 Race is a great option for the young crowd looking for an attractive scooter that's stands apart from the competition, with fantastic performance to boot.
The Race still features the Vee Rubber tyres mounted on 14-inch alloys. Parked side-by-side with the regular SR 150, the Race clearly looks to be the sportier. With the sporty scooter market opening up in India, we just know that larger capacity scooters can't be too far away.
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