Aprilia SR 160 review, road test

The SR 160 looks identical to the SR 150, except for the tweaked decals denoting the use of a 160cc engine. The scooter has been around for some time now but it is far from evoking that ‘long in the tooth’ feeling. It still looks like a sharp and sporty scooter to me, one with a distinct identity of its own. This is complemented by the 14-inch wheels that lend a unique stance, unlike anything seen in the rather crowded Indian scooter space. 

Moving beyond the design, the fit and finish is good in most places but I would’ve liked the use of a better grade of plastic around the instrument cluster and the switchgear. It just doesn’t feel premium enough for a scooter priced on the other side of Rs 1 lakh. And this is only magnified when you look at the scant features list. The SR 160 doesn’t get a LED headlamp, there’s no multifunctional ignition slot and the part-digital instrument cluster could’ve displayed more information. There are 125cc scooters that are better equipped than the SR160. I wish Aprilia had used this opportunity to throw in more features and justify the huge price hike; I’ll get to that later. 

The Aprilia SR 150 has always been lauded for its benchmark performance, and a look at the SR 160’s larger and more powerful motor suggests that the bar may have been pushed higher. However, our tests reveal otherwise.

In the transition to comply with BS6 norms, the cubic capacity of the air-cooled single has gone up slightly, from 154.8cc to 160cc, via an increase in the stroke from 58.6mm to 60.6mm. Meanwhile, the carburettor has been replaced with a fuel-injection system. The result of this is a 0.84hp increase in power and a 0.7Nm increase in torque. 

Crank up the engine and you’ll notice that it sounds similar to the BS4 unit at idle, despite the addition of the secondary catalytic converter. However, once you set off, you’ll find that the scooter feels notably smoother, and it remains that way until you cross the 70- 80kph mark. This smoothness, however, has come at the cost of the initial punch off the line that made the previous scooter a bit more exciting. This reduced feeling of urgency reflects in our performance tests as well. Clocking 7.96sec in the 0-60kph sprint, the SR 160 is 0.49sec slower than the SR 150 we tested last year. Nevertheless, it remains India’s quickest scooter, albeit by a slim margin over the 125cc scooters such as the BS6 Suzuki Access (0-60kph in 8.08sec).

As far as top speed is concerned, the SR160 managed to nudge past 90kph on the speedometer. Corresponding to the Vbox numbers, it is great to see that the speed displayed is now quite accurate and Aprilia has finally fixed the massive speedo error issue that exaggerated the SR 150’s top speed. 

The one area that the SR 160 hasn’t seen any change over the 2019 SR 150, is in the way it rides. Aprilia tweaked the front fork last year to make the suspension more absorbent over our broken and undulating roads, and the SR 160 continues in the same vein. The low-speed ride remains stiff, but it is not as jarring as the original and is a small price to pay for the genuinely sporty handling; show the SR a series of corners and it shines. The poise and confidence with which the SR flows through a series of bends is unlike any other scooter. The SR is also easy to tip into a corner, despite its 14-inch wheels, and the MRFs offer sufficient grip and feedback. 

The brakes are the best we’ve experienced on an Indian scooter. The bite from the front disc is powerful and the feedback through the lever so accurate, it puts to shame the braking on some more expensive motorcycles. The ABS too is well calibrated and doesn’t come in until required. However, when it does, it stays on for a bit.

The Aprilia SR 160 is one of the most exciting scooters in the market and if you’ve always desired to own a dynamically sound scooter with a high fun quotient, this is a no-brainer. That said, what might make you stop and think before drawing out the cheque book is the Rs 1.24 lakh (on-road, Mumbai) price tag, for the base version. That’s roughly Rs 20,000 over the BS4 SR 150 and bang in the territory of some really good 150cc motorcycles. That’s a steep hike for a model that offers a riding experience that’s not very different from before and comes without any additional features. Nevertheless, the SR 160’s BS6 motor is a sign of what we can expect from the upcoming Aprilia SXR 160 maxi-scooter that will use the same engine. With its more spacious ergonomics and expected improvement in comfort, the SXR should be a good match for this motor and is something to look forward to when it launches later this year.