[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Thanks for this. I didnt check the site. Is the insurance mandatory to be taken from them? And I thought handling charges are supposed to be rid of. Do we still have to pay them? Accessories that I am looking at are side stand (this is not provided as stock ) , all round guard and foot mats. Hope they give the mirrors as stock!

You can buy an insurance outside the dealership (he'll try and suggest you not to do that however). You can even get an NCB transfer if any from your old vehicle insurance.

AFAIK, Handling charges has been removed only by Delhi, Kerala and Telangana. Other states continue to charge it. I think, BHPian SILVERWOOD is a better person to explain more on this

Mirrors are standard as far as Vespa is concerned
Side stand is an accessory
All round guard is an accessory
Thankfully number plates are not an accessory like Activa!!!

[loki]

I'm seriously considering getting the black version - should give good company to my CBR650F. Only thing I'm not too happy with is the supposedly lesser space for the pillion as I intend to do two-up riding on this. Will wait for a test ride before taking the plunge. Anyone knows if Bangalore dealers have a test ride vehicle available?

PS: I hope Bangalore OTR price is below 80K.

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by loki

Will wait for a test ride before taking the plunge. Anyone knows if Bangalore dealers have a test ride vehicle available?

PS: I hope Bangalore OTR price is below 80K.

Test rides are available from tomorrow. This I got confirmation from two of the dealers. Even I am looking at checking two up riding before confirming the booking. Bangalore OTR price as I had mentioned in my earlier posts are around 83K but this includes accessories + insurance and all as hemanth has mentioned!

[salbin]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Thankfully number plates are not an accessory like Activa!!!

Any idea where the number plates are mounted on the front?
I could not figure-out any mounting brackets on the front fascia.

BTW, I had booked on 12th Aug and so far no info on the delivery date.
They have told that mine will be there in the first batch delivery.
Eagerly waiting to hear from them ..

I won't be interested in any of the accessories offered by the dealer.
Also I will tell them that insurance will be organized by me directly hoping that I should gain atleast 1K (I have done it when I bought Chevy Beat and got a benifit of ~ 5K)

[danlalan]

Took the test ride. This isnt for everyday use. With the roads in bombay right now, you will either break your back or break something on this scooter for sure.
Again looking at our roads doesnt look like this scooter will last long. Be sure to have a lot of niggles here and there with the kind of quality your getting.

Now if this is an introductory price with this quality, will the quality get better with increase of price later?

[omar]

Originally Posted by danlalan

Took the test ride. This isnt for everyday use. With the roads in bombay right now, you will either break your back or break something on this scooter for sure.
Again looking at our roads doesnt look like this scooter will last long. Be sure to have a lot of niggles here and there with the kind of quality your getting.

Now if this is an introductory price with this quality, will the quality get better with increase of price later?

I haven't yet driven the scooter but I had high hopes about the SR150. I have a Vespa S125, was thinking of getting this.

Can you please answer a few questions I had:

- What do you mean by quality not being good?
- Is the suspension not good?
- Does the scooter rattle while idling ?
- How is the handling at high and low speeds?

Thanks

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by danlalan

Took the test ride. This isnt for everyday use. With the roads in bombay right now,

Where is the mumbai showroom Dan? Thanks.

[omar]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Where is the mumbai showroom Dan? Thanks.

The scooter is being sold through Vespa dealerships. This is the store at Goregaon west, below:

[Weathered]

Dan, your review has put a real damper on my enthusiasm ☺
I'll test ride by this weekend to see if I can live with the shortcomings and just enjoy riding this beauty for what it's offering. Hopefully no deal breakers for me, please!

[hellraizer]

I took a test ride yesterday at Falcon in Bangalore. My experience was quite underwhelming.
These are the points noted.
- Suspension is really stiff. Did not feel that comfortable
- The 14" wheels for me was in no way helpful. It rather felt very heavy at the front end, I found it rather difficult to weave it. I am coming from an Activa
- The under seat storage is below average
- The plastics are tacky but an acceptable quality
- Nothing to write home about the console. It's really small
- The footboard size is rather small. No place for a 5 year old kid there.
- Rides with some vibrations. Not as smooth as the Honda and Suzuki engines.

Like someone has said before in this thread, it's more an upgrade of Dio rather than a practical Activa, Access.

Overall, it's a no-go for me. I have to wait for the PCX150. Honda, bring it on please.

[DRIV3R]

Anyone else who have test ridden the vehicle?

The last few opinions have been real dampening the initial hype the motoscoot had.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by hellraizer

- The footboard size is rather small. No place for a 5 year old kid there.

That sounds like a blessing in disguise.

[Urban_Nomad]

Hope to get my hands on a test ride vehicle this weekend

Thanks to all who have shared their unbiased opinion about the scooter. A few questions:

Stiff ride - It is stiffly sprung; as reported by every single mag review. But is the ride quality really worse than say ....... an Activa? Having ridden these extensively, I can easily say that bullock carts have better suspension. Smallest of potholes make the damn thing CRASH. Not just "feel stiff"; but literally crash. How does Aprilia compare?

Handling - I am guessing that those who are more accustomed to riding motorbikes would be happy with the handling. The 10 inch wheels on regular scoots do absolutely nothing for me. The handling is twitchy at best and I never know what the front wheel is up to. Will confirm post test riding one

Power - No comments? Strange as that is one of the USPs of this scoot; at least as per the mag reviews. I myself was surprised to see the way speedo climbed till 80 from standstill in the youtube vids. And it does a solid 100 KPH; and beyond!! That's gotta be a good thing; no?

Plastics - I am a Duke 390 owner. Plastics are the last thing I care two hoots about, as long as stuff doesn't fly off every time I thumb the starter

Will reserve further comments till I actually get astride one. Will be going with the Mrs. for a test ride and will post my impressions on both single and two up riding

[nitrogary]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Hope to get my hands on a test ride vehicle this weekend

Stiff ride - It is stiffly sprung; as reported by every single mag review. But is the ride quality really worse than say ....... an Activa? Having ridden these extensively, I can easily say that bullock carts have better suspension. Smallest of potholes make the damn thing CRASH. Not just "feel stiff"; but literally crash. How does Aprilia compare?

Handling - I am guessing that those who are more accustomed to riding motorbikes would be happy with the handling. The 10 inch wheels on regular scoots do absolutely nothing for me. The handling is twitchy at best and I never know what the front wheel is up to. Will confirm post test riding one

Power - No comments? Strange as that is one of the USPs of this scoot; at least as per the mag reviews. I myself was surprised to see the way speedo climbed till 80 from standstill in the Youtube vids. And it does a solid 100 KPH; and beyond!! That's gotta be a good thing; no?

Plastics - I am a Duke 390 owner. Plastics are the last thing I care two hoots about, as long as stuff doesn't fly off every time I thumb the starter

Will reserve further comments till I actually get astride one. Will be going with the Mrs. for a test ride and will post my impressions on both single and two up riding

By stiff ride - I think every one means that their palms have clearly experienced each and every small bump and undulation on the roads. Try the vehicle on a cement road and you'll intimately understand the texture of the road.

Having said this, its not bone charring and neither does this upset the balance of the vehicle - that never happened and I was always in control of where I was going. I might go for another test ride to try the vehicle on a better road in dry conditions. And I am going to carry my air filling pump with me as I thought the tires were over inflated.

Maybe we need progressive springs and a steering damper to sort this.
Also please note that I have never ridden an activa in my life. Same goes for suzuki access / dio / etc. So my baseline is skewed. In my mind, I am (unintentionally but still) comparing this to my Triumph so yeah, there are some significant differences.

Power - yes its there. Ample amount and there is no rubber band effect on it. The response is direct, crisp and rather sharp. Point and squirt. But there is a limited amount you can do with a 150 cc engine. It does that.

Plastics - its early days to comment about the plastics, hence maybe everyone has refrained from saying anything much. But I think they are reasonable for the price. Don't think it ll start falling apart as such.

Having said that, I think the most important thing this two wheeler will need is respect.

You treat it well, it treats you well. Buy it only if the journey is your destination and if you are looking for recreation more than everyday utility.

[TorqueyTechie]

So today on my way to office and stuck in traffic right near Forum mall, I noticed that I was right in front of Vespa showroom. So instead of waiting in traffic, I simply parked my bike and walked into the showroom. Being the only customer, I could see the bikes happily without the crowd and the showroom person were also courteous enough to explain to me the features. I did not take the test drive as they said they will give only after 11 but anyways I had planned to take one on saturday along with my wife. Below are my observations :

1. At idling the vibrations are present but its not huge. Engine note I felt is slightly different than Vespa.
2. Plastics quality is definitely better than Activa (2010 model which I have). No complaints.
3. Console is definitely basic. With all the competitors providing digital displays and more, the console of aprilia looks like from the early 2000's.
4. I could place my full face Vega helmet under the seat console without any issue. But yes there was no space left to keep any other item.
5. Front legroom is at a premium. You cannot keep anything more than a small cover/basket/bag in the front. Activa has more space.

One thing which I was curios to know was the price. Ex showroom price in Bangalore is 68000 rs. On road price is 83000 rs (Ex-showroom price + road tax + insurance). This does not include any accessories. That is extra. When I asked about the huge difference they were saying that it may be because of high road tax. They did not yet have the quotation as it is waiting for RTO approval. (at-least that's what they said). I was seriously contemplating buying Vespa itself by paying an additional 20K for which I will get a better premium quality scooter. Anyways I will keep my options open until the test drive this Saturday.

Sharing couple of pics which I took . Liked the white more than black!







P.S : Mods, the pictures are coming as rotated even though original picture is showing properly. Please correct it if possible.