Following the press launch on 10th June, members of public were invited to test ride the all new Aprilia SR GT 200. The event was very smooth and Aprilia reps were extremely friendly. We had the usual safety briefing, a quick test ride then had fun talking shop with the marshals and other riders. 

Everyone had a good time with the bike and compared it favorably with other Class 2B maxi scooters such as ADV, Aerox and Nmax, with the SR GT having the edge in performance, refinement and handling. 

Without further ado let's have a quick overview of the bike. 

Model: Aprilia SR GT 200

Type: Maxi Scooter 
Engine Displacement: 174cc
Output: 13 kW at 8500rpm, 16.5 Nm at 7000rpm 
Transmission: CVT 
Fuel Capacity: 9L

Features (self reviewed):

• Multi mode digital dashboard showing RPM, speed, air temperature, fuel economy, odometer. 
• Large underseat storage with specially designed cutout for one helmet and a square section at the rear for your personal items or shopping. 
• Functional aerodynamics including windshield and integrated winglets on side fairing. 
• Rear suspension has very long travel and preload adjustable. 
• Factory fitted with scooter sized 14" and 13" dual sport tyres capable of off road use (like Honda Adv150) 
• Small storage compartment with charging port. It's really tiny and didn't look like it would fit our giant tablet sized smartphones of today. 

 

First Impression:

Recently kakis brought me to an older bike shop to discuss about our scooters, we saw famous old Gilera and SR 125 scooter which were reputed to be massively powerful for their tiny size and displacement once tuned up. I remember these bikes were quite intimidating on the road a decade ago when I used to ride budget bikes for transport like older kapcais and Phantoms. They look like scooters but have insane and constant acceleration that surprised everyone!  

Being told the all new SR GT 200 has a power plant derived from the famous Gilera 180 I was excited to try the machine. After donning safety gear and attending a short safety brief on track we were told to choose any bike and follow the leader! 

Riding and Starting Off:

I chose to take rear "sweeper" of the group and rode closely with a Malay lady who was very smooth and efficient in the corners, although both of us did not have real world track time and were taking the multiple hairpin turns quite slowly. 

I enjoyed being at the rear because I did not hold anyone up and deliberately took very wide, gentle lines across the track to maximize my mileage on the machine. 

The SR GT was rock solid from the moment I let go of the brakes. Like a trained cavalry horse it surged forward confidently with the most gentle of inputs and rolled into every corner with grace and precision. Only gentle throttle and brake work was needed to keep the machine on the optimal racing line! 

Marshals said move your eyepoint as far ahead as possible to make use of the bike's potential! 

Track Test! 

I was comfortable within seconds and started taking creative liberties with my driving style to avoid crowding the rider ahead of me. I took wide turns as though playing a GT Racing Simulator and felt very comfortable experimenting with the bike. 

The throttle was extremely smooth and responsive. It was probably ridden hard the previous day of press release but it did not feel loose or out of tune, instead, having sang a soprano for the previous riders the SR GT felt extremely smooth and comfortable throughout, the stability and smooth handling even encouraging me to corner knee out and do some "racing" poses at low speeds on every turn! You can really do a lot of dramatic poses at low speeds and the bike will not get upset, not even a single wobble from a few late trail braking corner entries. 

As I took my time on each corner a big space was opened in front of me and with a flick of the wrist the SR GT's fuel injected engine accelerated with a gentle purr with no vibrations. Although we could not hit very high speed on the KF1 Karting track, on the straights you can set yourself up for at least 5 seconds of strong acceleration. I was impressed with the aerodynamics as there was zero wind noise or turbulence the entire ride. The windshield and built in aero package is definitely functional. 

The stock configuration engine and exhaust with titanium headers is nearly silent on idle and low loads, very civilised and understated compared to my nMax which reminds me of a 1980s Toyota with sport exhaust. 

Post Ride Commentary:

We got off our iron ponies and gathered around each other's machines to discuss our experience with the marshals and event staff. 

Everyone was happy with the ride, regardless fast or slow rider or totally lost sheep taking own sweet time at the back of the group

We started pointing out the design features, aero package, opening up every user accessible compartment and trying the digital dashboard features. This machine comes well equipped with instrumentation and lots of buttons everywhere for you to press, giving a modern "fighter pilot" feel especially seated behind the big digital dashboard and functional sports touring windscreen. 

The tuning potential of the bike cannot be underestimated, even stock we can feel the surging power potential of the nearly silent engine, imagine what how it can sing with free flowing exhaust, ECU tune and high efficiency intake parts! 

But the most impressive point to me that made me smile hours later was the tremendously smooth handling. I've test rode a few maxi scooters before settling on the Yamaha nMax. Some maxi scooters like to understeer in corners, needing you to push it around a turn (due to having too much rake like a cruiser). Nmax is tuned for urban riding and tends to be very responsive, sometimes overly so leading to low speed wobble. 

The Aprilia SR GT was neither understeering nor oversteering. It obeys your every thought and input. If you want to go, it goes arrow straight. If you want to corner, it follows your eyepoint, lean, and counter steering input precisely like playing Forza Horizon with a good controller. It's setup to give you the confidence to go ever faster on the track but do so smoothly and progressively, no surprises. I would even go as far as to say this is a perfect learner bike or occasional short to medium range touring machine, because of its refinement and how it always wants your input to perform. 

It doesn't wobble, it doesn't surge power too fast to control, it gives you just the right amount of performance as though a machine intelligence is keeping you safe on the road and track. 

It's that good