Aprilia STX/ETX 150

[azl-128]

Aprilia STX/ETX 150 is a new bike model in Singapore and I cannot find any thread so I decided to start one. Before we post anything, lets see what the bike looks like and who knows we can get new riders who is interested in the bike!

 

http://www.uniquemotorsports.com.sg/images/cat_product_img/s_28982/STX150.jpg

Aprilia STX 150 - Street fighter style

 

http://www.uniquemotorsports.com.sg/images/cat_product_img/s_28998/99999999728998.png

Aprilia ETX 150 - Off road enduro style

 

 

The price difference of both bike is $500 for the inverted fork, enduro tyre and front brake system on the ETX 150.

 

 

 

I did some research and found out that the bike is branded differently in different countries. In Pakistan, it is branded as Derbi while in Spain or Singapore, it is branded as Aprilia. From what I understand, the bike is collaboration between Piaggio and Zhongshen AutoParts. Aprilia and Derbi is owned by Piaggio hence Piaggio is able to brand the bike differently.

 

Another thing that I found and like is that the bike can hold 18 litres of petrol capacity. 3 litres of petrol can last for 100km or 35km per litre and that amounts to 600km mileage. I do not know if this is possible or not but it seems good.

 

 

I placed my order for ETX 150 in black today and was the 13th person. Unique Motorsport is bringing in 18 of this bike for the first batch and there are 5 more available. Hope to meet other 12 riders for this bike and the next 5 lucky riders to owe the bike so that we can help each other out and have ridings together. Cheers!

[zalk]

So you just paid $9300 for a 125cc Chinese bike.

[soufigo]

I don't see anything wrong with that. With the current COE price... Thats not too shabby. Why don't u go to KTM duke page and tell them... You pay 14k for an Indian bike

[zalk]

I'm not saying theres anything wrong. I'm just stating the facts.

[soufigo]

Ok, but that's how it is right now. Even the the kups will cost 7-8ks easily. 9.3k at the current market for piaggio/aprillia/derbi branded bike is reasonable I think. In fact, collaboration with Chinese parts maker help to lower down its price.

[zalk]

The difference is, kups hold their value damn well. Because people know theyre super reliable, cheap to service and run, easy to find parts, and easy to accessorize. Chinese bikes don't hold their value quite so well. You've taken a look at the garage sales? 4 yr old zongshen 125 which is the same brand which makes this "aprilia" $3000 and no ones biting. 350cc Chinese chopper, 3 years old, 7500km $7500 no ones biting. The depreciation is insane. The lack of spares and fit and finish might become and issue too. I just saw a 2012 skyteam 125 with a rusted exhaust.Its only 3 years old and the rust has eaten through the paint. Even YBRs now have appalling chrome quality on their exhaust. Why? Chinese made. And do you think china bike parts are easy to find here? I don't think so. Jb also cannot find cos they dont have chinese bike. And when you do find them, do you think price will be cheap due to scarcity? Nope. Then what's the point of a Chinese bike if its not cheap to run?

[soufigo]

I totally agree with you on the above. However, this will be aprillia branded with support from local authorised distributor. While finding spares from other sources will be a pain in the a**. I'm sure if it gains popularity like the ktms. And that's a big 'IF', spares and aftermarket parts will be readily available. Don't get me wrong.. I have no intention of buying the said bike. Just that I came across this thread and your initial post tickled me a little. Aprillia is trying to imitate what ktm is doing with their small cc dukes and RCs. Aprillia as a globally recognised brand would be smart to step up their QC on this one.

[azl-128]

This bike is manufactured by Chinese company Zongshen but I am sure there are reasons why bike brands such as Piaggio/Aprilia/Derbi/Harley Davidson/M1NKS (Russia)/CYC (USA) are using Zongshen bikes. Maybe back then their quality is not good but with the recent collboration, I am sure they have to step up.

[zalk]

I totally agree with you on the above. However, this will be aprillia branded with support from local authorised distributor. I have a bad feeling about this. I suspect they'll be selling zongshen parts at Aprilia prices While finding spares from other sources will be a pain in the a**. I'm sure if it gains popularity like the ktms. KTM parts aren't really cheap either right?And that's a big 'IF', spares and aftermarket parts will be readily available. Don't get me wrong.. I have no intention of buying the said bike. Just that I came across this thread and your initial post tickled me a little. Aprillia is trying to imitate what ktm is doing with their small cc dukes and RCs. KTM Duke is a KTM bespoke design with a brand new KTM designed engine, just built in India by Bajaj. This is just a Chinese bike with an Aprilia badge.Aprillia as a globally recognised brand would be smart to step up their QC on this one.Let's be honest here, if Yamaha is having trouble keeping up QC on the YBR125 they've been making for 10 years now with a tried and tested formula, simply when switched to China, I really doubt Aprilia can do better.

 

I'm not my any means saying that this is a bad bike, it might even turn out to be the first true home grown Chinese bike that will be a commercial success here. There are just various niggling issues, such as the QC, availability of parts, and resale value.

[zalk]

This bike is manufactured by Chinese company Zongshen but I am sure there are reasons why bike brands such as Piaggio/Aprilia/Derbi/Harley Davidson/M1NKS (Russia)/CYC (USA) are using Zongshen bikes. Maybe back then their quality is not good but with the recent collboration, I am sure they have to step up.

 

Piaggio Aprilia and Derbi are under Piaggio Group, which is partnered with Zongshen. The Piaggio Group is using these Chinese rebranded motorcycles to try to gain market share in the lower end of the market, as you can probably guess, a Aprilia RSV4 isn't gonna be made by Zongshen.

 

Harley is just using Zongshen to understand the Chinese market, in exchange for some marketing help for Zongshen.

 

The Minsk is also another rebranded Chinese bike, Zongshen RX3 rebranded to Minsk TRX300i.

 

Just have to understand what you're paying for is all, and understand its not a bespoke Aprilia, so don't expect the qualities you'd expect in a RS125 for example.

[bluewing]

can this bike easily run at 100km/hr. and is it still stable? does it use any oil filter. according to its manual, what is the service interval. thanks

[BLACK COMET]

I don't see anything wrong with that. With the current COE price... Thats not too shabby. Why don't u go to KTM duke page and tell them... You pay 14k for an Indian bike

 

Actually no biggie.

 

Zhong Sheng also assemble/manufacture Gilera Runner ST200 and Piaggio fly 200.

 

Compare to The VXR200. The ST 200 is essantially the same bike. except the ST200 do not have Grimecia Rims and other stuff. Also some parts are made there.

 

The Fly 150 for this region is made by them.

 

Harley also have some parts made by them also

[Michael Peh]

I just got the bike STX 150... Not a bad ride. I have seen some rust on certain joint area of the exhaust. Thinking of how to prevent the rust from spreading...

[Michael Peh]

can this bike easily run at 100km/hr. and is it still stable? does it use any oil filter. according to its manual, what is the service interval. thanks

 

I just have my first oil change today after run in. The mechanic told me there is no oil filter on this bike. But not too sure if there is any air filter?

[azl-128]

This is probably long overdue but this is my opinions and thoughts after riding the bike (ETX 150 model) for 6 months. Let me said the pros, cons and lastly conclusion.

 

Here are the good things about the bike:

1) The bike have very good fuel consumption of 33~34km/litre which amounts to more than 600+km with its 18 litre fuel capacity. This is based on me riding within 90 to 100+ km/hour speed on highway.

 

2) Max speed that I have tried on this bike is 116km/hr at full throttle and no shakiness of handlebar. It is easy to achieve 100+ km/hour when riding.

 

3) I like the seat because it is comfortable and there is this hump thing in-between rider and passenger seat which "protects" your buttock area and also prevent passenger from sliding if brake too hard. I am not sure if this is good or bad but the rear brake works very well. Press a bit and it gets into action to slow down the bike (the bad part will be continued in the cons area below).

 

4) The inverted fork (ETX 150 model only) is good at absorbing potholes on the road. Not that I abuse the bike by purposely going over pothole but it happened once.

 

 

Here are the bad things about the bike:

1)As mentioned above by Michael Peh, rust can be spotted at certain parts of the bike. I am worried about corrosion and also trying to find ways to prevent the rust from further spreading.

 

2) The rear brake is so good that if you press too much, the bike will skid, even on dry road. This is probably due to the 50/50 dual sport tyre setup or the tyre is just bad because it is brand-less.

 

3) I am not sure if this only happens to my bike or for all the STX/ETX models but when it is raining heavily, my bike cannot start or will suddenly die while riding. It will take a while before I can start the bike again. Anyone knows why?

 

4) I guess replacement parts is hard to get because the bike is brand new in the market. Hopefully there will be some parts coming!

 

All those mentioned above are my pros and cons of the bike. Will I suggest this bike to beginners? If you are looking for fuel efficient bike, yes why not. But if you are looking for 2B bike that can go above 120km/hr or very particular about China bike, this is not the bike for you. Hope that helps anyone who is interested in the bike.

[Marsikus]

Piaggio/Aprilia/Derbi/Harley Davidson/M1NKS (Russia)/CYC (USA) are using Zongshen bikes

 

Hi! M1NSK brand is from Belarus, not Russia

[Michael Peh]

This is probably long overdue but this is my opinions and thoughts after riding the bike (ETX 150 model) for 6 months. Let me said the pros, cons and lastly conclusion.

 

Here are the good things about the bike:

1) The bike have very good fuel consumption of 33~34km/litre which amounts to more than 600+km with its 18 litre fuel capacity. This is based on me riding within 90 to 100+ km/hour speed on highway.

 

2) Max speed that I have tried on this bike is 116km/hr at full throttle and no shakiness of handlebar. It is easy to achieve 100+ km/hour when riding.

 

3) I like the seat because it is comfortable and there is this hump thing in-between rider and passenger seat which "protects" your buttock area and also prevent passenger from sliding if brake too hard. I am not sure if this is good or bad but the rear brake works very well. Press a bit and it gets into action to slow down the bike (the bad part will be continued in the cons area below).

 

4) The inverted fork (ETX 150 model only) is good at absorbing potholes on the road. Not that I abuse the bike by purposely going over pothole but it happened once.

 

 

Here are the bad things about the bike:

1)As mentioned above by Michael Peh, rust can be spotted at certain parts of the bike. I am worried about corrosion and also trying to find ways to prevent the rust from further spreading.

 

2) The rear brake is so good that if you press too much, the bike will skid, even on dry road. This is probably due to the 50/50 dual sport tyre setup or the tyre is just bad because it is brand-less.

 

3) I am not sure if this only happens to my bike or for all the STX/ETX models but when it is raining heavily, my bike cannot start or will suddenly die while riding. It will take a while before I can start the bike again. Anyone knows why?

 

4) I guess replacement parts is hard to get because the bike is brand new in the market. Hopefully there will be some parts coming!

 

All those mentioned above are my pros and cons of the bike. Will I suggest this bike to beginners? If you are looking for fuel efficient bike, yes why not. But if you are looking for 2B bike that can go above 120km/hr or very particular about China bike, this is not the bike for you. Hope that helps anyone who is interested in the bike.

 

Hi Mate,

 

I agreed with you on the Pros from point 1 to 3.

 

Let's go to the Cons.

 

1) I sprayed WD40 to break the rust. After every wash, I will spray some on the rusted area.

2) My rear wheel skidded a few times when I dropped from gear 3 to 2 abit too quickly which caused the wheel to lock.

3) I have the same problem of starting the bike after a heavy downpour previously and have my bike suddenly die off while riding on the highway.

Brought it back to Kaki Bukit Unique Motor, got it fixed since then... I guess the idling is abit too low. Got it tuned to around 1.4k to 1.5k. Previously was 1.2K.

Not too sure if the air intake is tuned as well.

 

My STX has a slight problem in the morning. The bike need to be warmed up. There will be a 'clup' sound when the first gear is engaged and sometimes engine is stalled.

To prevent this, engage first gear while bike is on the main stand. Squeeze the clutch handle, slowly release to half clutch, throttle abit to break the clutch free from the gear, let go of the clutch handle and throttle a bit more.

[Danny Fellany]

Hi bro i checked with my mechanic at wing yap motors and yes there is no oil filter but there is AIR filter advisable to change every 10000km

[Danny Fellany]

Ya mine too mine is the stx 150 heavy rain will cause the bike to malfunction.. Even my mechanic is not sure what is the problem..he even tried hosing my bike to simulate rain but it did not malfunction.. I had to on the reserve tank pull the choke start it a while for it to start but once i off the choke it dies again i literally had to ride with the choke on for a while its hard for me coz im working delivery i had my bike died multiple times due to heavy rain.. Im still experimenting thinking to put waterproof tank bag to see if it solves the issue.. But my frens told me that mayb some parts has gotten in touch with water or mayb the ignition coil or watsoever.. But wen on dry days the bike is great stable at high speed

[Danny Fellany]

Hey bro after your idling tune does your bike dies again while riding in heavy downpour?

[Danny Fellany]

For the brakes ok i did my first front and back brake change..

To solve the issue of the super tight rear brake.. Coz i noticed wen i first got the bike the brake pedal was so high up it elevates my ankles..if im not mistaken my mechanic uses yamaha rxz brake pads for the front but need to modify a bit and also yamaha rxz brake shoe..and yup i tested and the bike brakes as per normal and also the pedal is not so high up.. Well i think they use rxz i frgot to ask but i will double confirm again

[Michael Peh]

No problem on normal rain. I haven't really get caught on very heavy downpour. Just to let you know on the brake pedal. It can be tuned by adjusting the nuts. The mechanic from Kaki Bukit uniquemotor adjusted it for me. The rear brake light sensitivity was adjusted as well cos I have to step very hard to make the rear brake light working.

[azl-128]

Nowadays, during heavy rain, my bike will not die but another problem came up. Every morning, if I do not rev my bike, the engine will die. This will happen even at traffic light when stopping. Need to "heat" up the bike for few minutes before it will be smooth.

[ghauk]

Hi, Im a new STX150 rider. any tips ? Where do you guys usually service just curious..

[ghauk]

nobody riding this bike?