There was a time when the Italian Marque Aprilia was only associated with superbikes with explosive performance like RSV4 and Tuono, at least in India. But that notion was thwarted when surprisingly, they launched the SR 150 in India after showcasing it at the 2016 Auto Expo. They started manufacturing it at the Piaggio plant at Baramati, Maharashtra. It showed that the Italian brand is looking forward to making a dent in the Indian market and what better way to do it than stepping in the mass market. Things have been relatively quiet ever since but going by the reports, we are in for an Italian storm.
Aprilia has a bunch of products lined up for the Indian market and most of them cater to the 150-200cc segment, where the competition is always on the boil. Here’s a list of potential candidates from the Italian brand which can make their way to India soon:
Also read: Upcoming Benelli Motorcycles In India
Aprilia SXR range of maxi-scooters
With the response the Suzuki Burgman got, it is safe to assume that India is ready for maxi-scooters. What makes a scooter, a maxi-scooter? The front end tends to be huge and a special emphasis is laid on the comfort of the rider with enhanced long-ish distance capabilities. Aprilia showcased the SXR 160 at the Auto Expo 2020 and assured us that the scooter is India bound while also being accompanied by its smaller iteration, the SXR 125. SXR 160’s bulky front end is highlighted by RS660 inspired triple headlight setup and twin-LED taillights with LED signature lighting. It will be powered by a 160 cc single-cylinder engine that develops 11 PS and 11.6 Nm of torque.
RS 150 / Tuono 150
One of the major attractions of the Auto Expo 2018 were these Italian 150 twins. They took the automotive circle by storm because they carried over the same moniker as the legendary RSV4 and Tuono V4. The performance figures were exciting too. Though Aprilia promised that they will bring them to India soon but their arrival has been delayed ever since. Sometime back, at an internal event held at Goa sometime back, they showcased the GPR150. GPR 150 is RS 150’s equivalent in China, although it’s cosmetically different, both the machines share most of the internals. The single-cylinder motor on the Aprilia RS 150 which was displayed at the Auto Expo 2018 made 18 bhp of power and 14 Nm of torque, which is almost at par with its direct competitor, the Yamaha R15 V3.
Sooner or later, Aprilia will bring the RS 150 / GPR 150 to India and shortly after, they might also bring in the Tuono 150, which again, is a scaled-down version of their liter-class supernaked. When launched, it will lock horns with Yamaha’s MT-15 and we can’t wait to pitch the Japanese precision against the Italian craftsmanship.
Terra 250
The Aprilia Terra 250 was recently spied in almost production-ready guise. Aprilia already has the Terra moniker in their portfolio as they retail the Terra 125 and Terra 150 in other markets. It is expected that Aprilia will launch the Terra 250 in two trims like the Terra 150. Terra 150 comes in two variants: Standard and Adventure. The former gets a long beak attached to the front fender and an 18″ wheel while the latter gets a 21″ front wheel and a tyre-hugging fender. Powering the Terra 250 will most likely be the motor that powers the Aprilia GPR250. It is a 249cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, paired with a six-speed gearbox. The motor on the GPR250 is tuned to deliver 26.1bhp of maximum power and 22Nm of peak torque.
RS660
Though the chances of this Italian middleweight screamer are slim but we would still like to think about the possibility of it coming to India and challenging the Kawasaki ZX-6R. The ZX-6R has been relatively successful here because, before the kwacker, we didn’t have any proper middleweight sportsbike here. Aprilia would want to capitalize on the success of ZX-6R and the hype generated by the RS660. As far as styling goes, Aprilia RS 660 borrow design cues heavily from RSV4 which is identifiable even from a considerable distance, all thanks to its triple-headlamp setup.
The RS 660 uses the same setup but sleeker in terms of the overall design. It also sports sleek LED headlamps which consist of cornering lights. What completes the sharp look of the motorcycle is the RSV4-inspired rear-end. Underneath that fairing, lies a 660cc, parallel-twin motor that is capable of producing 100 bhp. Now it might not seem a lot but given that it weighs just 169 kgs (dry), it boasts of a pretty impressive power-to-weight ratio which will help in competing with its more powerful rivals.
We just hope that the Italian storm hits our shores soon and disrupts the whole segment, uprooting the segment leaders.