Fancy an Urban adventure? The Aprilia SR GT 125 is ready for you | FIRST RIDE

Standard or Sport?

The SR comes in a choice of 125cc or 200cc and the option of two specs: standard (top of the page), or ‘Sport.’ The Sport (above) has funkier graphics, bolder paintwork and colour-coded wheels. The basic model though is the £3700 SR GT 125 and we had the pleasure of riding one recently. If you want the Sport version it’s only going to cost you an extra £100 for the 125, whilst the standard 200cc version is £4050 and £4180 for the Sport.

Let’s take a closer look at the SR GT 125

Firstly, styling. There’s more than a hint of grown-up Gilera Runner about the rear of the new Aprilia. Seeing as both brands are owned by parent company, Piaggio, there’s no massive shock that its part of the family. The SR GT (GT stands for Grand Tourer by the way) does have that semi-adventure styling about it though as well. To emphasise the point, it comes on all-terrain Michelin Annake tyres, has longer travel suspension and increased ground clearance, so there’s a chance you could have a little bit of mild fun off road if you fancy it. The bottom of the legshields are even designed to mimic the bash plates of an off-roader. Aprilia has also designed the scooter with an “Active” riding position, it’s a comfortable position though and gives you great control. The angular front profile sweeps up to a higher than usual double screen which is quite a large part of the scooter’s identity. There’s more than a nod to modern endurance bikes about the SR and the tall screen offers decent protection as well. At the rear end the scooter’s bodywork is less cluttered than usual thanks to the number plate being located on the rear hugger rather than being attached to the bodywork under the light.

The scooter comes with a large LCD display with plenty of information and the option to add Aprilia MIA connectivity. With that fitted it allows the rider to use voice prompts to play music, or to make and receive phone calls. Although one of the things I really enjoy about riding a scooter (for fun at least) is that you can escape the weight of the 24-hour a day connected world and immerse yourself in pure riding pleasure.

Functions on the dash can be flicked through using the mode button on the left handlebar.

The learner legal 125cc version gets the tried and tested Piaggio 4-valve i-Get engine, it’s liquid-cooled and features a side slung engine-mounted radiator. The engine produces 11 kW at 8750 rpm and 12 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm.

The 200 version is actually a new (presumably bored and stroked) 174cc i-Get with 13 kW of power at 8,500 rpm and 16.5 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm. I find it an odd capacity really, riders need to have an A2 licence to ride that one so Aprilia may as well have used the 278cc Piaggio HPE engine instead to give a good dollop of extra power and make it more appealing to full licence holders. Even so, if you do have a full licence it’s a step up from a 125 and gives you some extra power.

Both capacities feature Start & Stop tech to automatically turn the engine off when the scooter is at a standstill for more than a couple of seconds. You can choose to disengage it via a switch if you prefer but it is seamless, silent and quick in operation. Plus it’ll save you some fuel and help the planet. Aprilia call the system RISS – Regulator Inverter Start & Stop System. What this means is instead of a traditional starter motor it gets replaced with a crank mounted brushless device. It saves weight, is more reliable, makes for a quieter start and works seamlessly to start the engine in an instant once it is stopped in traffic. Fuel economy on the WMTC (World Motorcycle Test Cycle) is 40 km/l for the 125 and 38.5 km/l for the 200. With a 9-litre tank that’s a potential for around 217 miles before you need to refuel.

Our test ride was taken during a Piaggio press day so this is more of a ‘first ride’ rather than a full-on road test but it will give you a feeling of what the SR 125 is like to ride. The seating position is fairly upright and comfortable, it’s not too high at 799mm and the narrow seat profile means you’re not standing on tiptoes to touch the floor (I’m 5’10” by the way). With comfort in mind, the floorboards have two positions for your feet so you can stretch your legs slightly forwards if you need to. There’s a raised tunnel in the middle of the floor which means it’s not quite as easy as sliding yourself onto the scooter and it also means you can’t carry things in the central tunnel space as easily as you can on a scooter with flat floorboards – not that either is a problem. The Aprilia has a decent-sized underseat space though and a 33-litre aluminium top box is available as part of the accessories package.  You hold on to motorcycle-style wide naked handlebars which further increases the crossover feel to the scooter. The SR runs on 14” front, 13” rear wheels shod with tyres usually found on the BMW GS! They’re an on/off-road trail tyre with good grip in the wet or dry and a long-lasting compound. I’m not sure how many Aprilia SR owners are likely to venture off-road but the option is there if you want to. Luckily the tyres work very well on the road as well.

The liquid-cooled engine is fairly nippy from a standing start and as 125cc scooters go the 144kg SR doesn’t feel underpowered, you’ll see close to 70 on the clock and it gets up to 60mph quite easily. The Aprilia also has a decent presence on the road thanks to its “Active” riding position and rugged good looks. Showa provides the suspension for the scooter and with twin rear shockers and 33mm upside-down forks it feels great on the road, in fact, the suspension is pretty plush. Handling wise I couldn’t really fault it and I was quite happy to make the most of the bends around the twisty test route. The 125 comes equipped with linked brakes, a 260mm front and 220mm rear disc provide the stopping power. The 200 version gets single-channel ABS instead of the Combined Braking System but even without ABS the 125 stops very well.

Rounding it up

The SR is certainly a welcome addition to the 125 class, and at £3700 it’s not overly expensive. In comparison, the Honda Forza costs £5099 and the Aprilia is £799 cheaper than the Kymco X-town 125 at £4499. The only real competition on price comes from the Yamaha X-Max 125 at £3550. What you gain with the Aprilia though is the styling which gives it a bit of individuality when compared to the ordinary ‘GT’ style scooter profile.

If you want to try one for yourself pop down to your local Aprilia dealer.

Words, static photos and video: Iggy
Action shots: Piaggio