As I accelerated away, familiarising myself with the Aprilia SR GT 125 Sport, two things struck me. The first is that the ergonomics put me in a really active riding position; the firm seat has me sitting nice and high so my head’s well above the traffic and there’s plenty of room along the two-position footboards to find the best spot for my feet. My arms are wide and relaxed sitting atop a wide one-piece handlebar. Performance aside, this feels like it could be a scooter from the 400cc category.
The second thing that occurs to me is that it’s been a bloody long time since I’ve ridden an Aprilia with throttle cables. The opening and closing cables jutting out the base of the throttle assembly look a bit out of place on a brand-new MY22 model Aprilia, but it’s a $7540 (ride away) 125cc scooter after all, so no digital throttle here of course.
The four-valve SOHC 125cc fuel-injected single powering it is straight out of the Piaggio Medley 125, and features the same Regulator Invertor Start&Stop system, or RISS, which kills the engine when you’re stopped at lights and fires it back into life as soon as you twist the throttle.
There’s no lag either, because instead of using a conventional starter motor, Piaggio opted for a small and very effective brushless motor mounted directly onto the crankshaft which means you you’re not left red faced if you’ve filtered through to the front of the traffic while waiting for the lights to turn green. You can turn it off via a switch on the left-hand switchblock – and I generally opt to do just that in cars featuring the same tech – but it didn’t frustrate me on the scoot as it often does in cars simply because the crank-mounted motor makes restarting the engine instantaneous.
It’s not long before another thing strikes me. A MY22 Aprilia really should have better brakes than this particular unit has. It’s not that they can’t pull you and the 144kg (wet) bike up in a timely manner, they do that just fine, it’s just that there’s bugger-all feel at the non-adjustable levers, they’re mounted a long way away from the grip and once you do get your hands on them and give them a good yank, there’s very little travel in the lever itself.
There’s no ABS – Euro 5 only calls for it to be fitted to machines 250cc or over, though interestingly the 125cc Medley boasts it – but there is a combined braking system on the SR GT which will add a little bit of front brake every time you jump on the rear brake, but it won’t intervene if you’re only activating the front brake.
The next thing that occurs to me is just how stable and well balanced the thing is when you’re trickling slowly through traffic or seeing how long you can keep your feet off the ground as you approach a red light or give-way sign. And because you’re sitting nice and high, you really notice it because you don’t expect it. It all makes sense though when you spot that the tank filler cap is sitting between your shins, which means the nine-litre tank and its contents are mounted really low in the compact package.
The SR GT has a seat height of 799mm, exactly the same as the Piaggio Medley incidentally, as well as 175mm of ground clearance. For perspective, that 50mm more ground clearance than Yamaha’s NMAX 125 and gives you heaps of confidence to drop off a gutter – particularly handy in Melbourne where you’ll be probably doing most of your parking on a footpath.
However, the combination of that ground clearance, the Michelin Anakee Street dual-sport rubber and suspension travel that’s a couple of centimetres longer than most rivals in its class doesn’t necessarily make it the all-roads scooter Aprilia would like us to believe it is. Instead, and probably more importantly, those features combine to reduce the feeling of vulnerability you have when you’re tackling the surge of a city’s ocean of traffic on a compact scooter like this. Potholed roads from trucks and too much rain? No problem. Gravel spilled from careless roadworkers? No problem. And the fact that the front wheel is a 14-incher helps to add to that bigger-than-125 feeling, too.
The performance from the engine is what you’d expect from a 125cc water-cooled single with its 11kW (14.7hp) and 12Nm of torque. The power get to the rear wheel via a continuously variable transmission and it’s enough to get you off the line cleanly and more than enough to slingshot you around urban areas and keep you out of strife. It’ll handle highways speeds and isn’t as twitchy as you’d expect when the LCD dash reaches triple figures either, again thanks to that 14-inch diameter front wheel.
The screen does a decent job – it’s tinted on the model I’m testing as part of the features of the Sport model. The standard model, which is $100 less expensive, gets a clear screen and doesn’t boast those flash fluro-red wheels, which I love and are so very Aprilia. In fact all of the styling is so very Aprilia; from the RSV4-inspired front end to the Y-spoke design of the cast wheels, to the flashes of faux carbon fibre dotted about the place (the other feature of the so-called Sports version).
It does lack that premium feel and ride quality that we’ve come to expect from the brand, but it’s a compact scooter based on a seven-year-old platform. If it was a fresh ground-up design out of Noale for 2022, I’d probably expect more. But ultimately it’s a Piaggio Medley that has been Aprilia-ised for purpose, and with that the brand has done a good job of it.
The 33mm non-adjustable Showa-branded fork offers 122mm of travel, which is 34mm more than the Medley’s, while the five-way preload adjustable dual shocks at the rear allow for 102mm of travel (compared to the Medley’s 76mm). It doesn’t feel as plush or as soft as all this talk of long-travel suspension might suggest, it’s just not as jarring or as rigid-feeling as some other compact 125cc twist-and-go offerings.
There’s both a side- and a centrestand as standard fitment which is cool, 25 litres of storage underneath the seat (which locks when the ignition is switched off) and there’s a USB port in the compartment on the left side of the leg shield, complete with a neat little shelf to tuck your smartphone into so it doesn’t rattle about while it’s stowed or charging.
The LCD dash is pretty crowded but very informative. As well as the standard digital speedo readout, tacho and engine temperature gauge, there’s a clock, range-until-empty readout, a seperate fuel gauge and ambient temperature gauge and is even compatible for Aprilia’s optional smartphone connectivity software.
The large seat looks pretty accomodating for a pillion, as does the generous wraparound grab handle. The engine feels strong enough to ferry an extra 80-odd kilos around on the back, though I suspect you’ll be finding the limits of the suspension and brake package. But if nothing else, it’s a realistic place to strap some extra gear to if you run out of storage underneath the seat.
The SR GT certainly looks the part and it would no doubt puff the chest out of any owner who’s a Maverick Vinales or Aleix Espargaro fan. But to my mind $7540 is a lot of money to be spending on a 125cc scooter, race inspired or not. It’s $1000 more expensive than the Medley, so internally within the Piaggio Group, I reckon it made sense. But if it’s a good-looking runabout you’re after, an extra $335 will have you riding away on a Husqvarna Vitpilen or Svartpilen 401. A Benelli TnT135 will save you $3150 over the SR GT and if your budget can stretch another $1235, you might even consider a BMW G 310 R.
And if your heart’s set on a compact twist-and-go scoot, there’s the air-cooled Peugeot Tweet 125 ($4290 ride away) with 16-inch wheels, Kymco’s air-cooled Like 125 with a top box ($3990 ride away) or even Honda’s water-cooled PCX150 ($5299 plus on-road costs). No, you won’t look or feel anywhere near as good riding them as you do on the latest Aprilia, but I’m not convinced it matters when the savings are in the thousands.
Specs
Aprilia SR GT Sport
ENGINE
Capacity: 124.7cc
Type: Single-cylinder, SOHC, four valves
Bore & stroke: 52 x 58.7mm
Compression ratio: 12.5:1
Cooling: Liquid
Fueling: EFI
Transmission: Continuously variable
Clutch: Dry, automatic centrifugal
Final drive: Direct
PERFORMANCE
Power: 11kW @ 8750rpm (claimed)
Torque: 12Nm @ 6500rpm (claimed)
Top speed: 110km/h (est)
Fuel consumption: 2.4L/100km (measured)
ELECTRONICS
Type: Not applicable
Rider aids: Not applicable
Rider modes: Not applicable
CHASSIS
Frame material: Tubular steel
Frame type: Cradle
Rake: Not given
Trail: Not given
Wheelbase: 1350mm
SUSPENSION
Type: Showa
Front: 33mm telescopic fork, nonadjustable, 122mm travel
Rear: Twin shocks, preloadadjustable, 102mm travel
WHEELS & BRAKES
Wheels: Y-spoke, alloy
Front: 14 x 2.5 Rear: 13 x 3.0
Tyres: Michelin Anakee Street
Front: 110/80-14
Rear: 130/70-13
Brakes: Aprilia, linked
Front: Single 260mm disc, twin-piston caliper
Rear: Single 220mm disc, single-piston caliper
DIMENSIONS
Weight: 144kg (kerb, claimed)
Seat height: 799mm
Width: 765mm
Height: 1295mm
Length: 1920mm
Ground clearance: 175mm
Fuel capacity: 9L
SERVICING & WARRANTY
Servicing First: 1000km
Minor: 10,000
Major: 20,000
Warranty: Three years, unlimited km
BUSINESS END
Price $7540 (ride away)
Colours Street Gold, Iridium Grey or Red Raceway
Contact: aprilia.com