Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Lifestyle
Geoff Hill

Wave farewell to widgets - and conquer the world in style: Aprilia SR GT launch review

You know how it is. You’re riding your scooter to work for another dreary day as Head of Inhuman Resources at the Acme Widgets factory when something snaps in your head.

You ride past the factory gates, giving Jim the security man a last cheery wave, then turn right into the nearest ploughed field with a mad plan to ride around the world off-road.

Then get bogged down after 50 yards because you’re on a scooter. Sighing deeply, you wheel it back past Jim and clock in.

But fear not, young adventurer, for those nice chaps at Aprilia have come up with the SR GT, a 125 or 200cc urban adventure scooter designed not only for whizzing about cities, but heading off-road with mud on your tyres and a song in your heart.

And before the cynical BMW GS owners among you start laughing, first of all, we all know that your idea of off-roading is parking on the pavement, and second of all, the world’s previous adventure scooter, the 750cc Honda X-ADV, outsold the all-conquering GS in Italy in 2018 and has done so well since that Honda’s just launched a 350cc version.

So ya boo sucks, as we mature motorcycle columnists are wont to say.

Browse more than 19,000 new and used bikes for sale at Autotrader.co.uk/bikes

It’s hardly surprising the Italians dreamed this one up – 1.3 million scooters are sold worldwide every year, 200,000 of those in Europe, and in Italy, 75% of riders are scooterists, the opposite of the UK.

The SR GT’s off-road aspirations come in the form of long-travel suspension, decent ground clearance and dual-purpose tyres, but being Italian, none of that stops it looking great, with a sleek and stylish design down to lovely details such as the sinuous flow of the pillion grab rail.

Climb aboard, and it’s pleasantly roomy, even for your average 6ft 7ins scooterist, with a simple but informative digital screen, including a completely pointless tachometer.

But then, this is Italy, and every self-respecting chap needs to know how his engine is revving (not a euphemism).

The mirrors are surprisingly good for a scooter and the optional tall screen proved to do a splendid job of getting the wind at bay at speed.

I’d started on the 200cc version and with it weighing just 148kg, acceleration is brisk enough to get away from the lights ahead of most bog-standard cars, while braking has decent feel and bite to bring you to a halt tidily at the next set.

Even if you don’t actually go off-roading with it, that long-travel suspension and the highest ground clearance of any scooter soaks up potholes and rough roads nicely, whereas the 14in rear and 15in front wheels mean decent handling compared to scooters of old, on which the wheels were about the size of pound coins.

Having said that, it’s still quite light and mildly vague on the 200cc version, although neutral enough.

By now it was time to have a go on the 125cc version, which of course you can ride on a car licence in the UK once you’ve done your Compulsory Basic Training, which usually only takes a day.

Even though it’s 4kg lighter than the 200, acceleration is slightly more languid, although still perfectly adequate for whizzing around cities, but the good news is that I found the handling significantly more precise, although the Aprilia chaps couldn’t think of an obvious reason why. Weird.

Nice little details on both include a cubbyhole with USB socket to charge your phone, and an underseat storage space which Aprilia claims will take a full-face helmet, although it didn’t mine, so if you’re a larger rider, you may need to borrow a smaller head.

If you’re feeling particularly penurious, a button on the left bar allows you to make the engine stop automatically when the scooter does, although since the nine-litre tank gives a range of 217 miles, don’t blame me if all your mates call you a cheapskate.

Only minor complaint was that the seat is slightly firm, so after an hour or so you’ll want to get off and give your buns a rest.

Mind you, in Italy you need to stop after an hour to check your hair and have a coffee anyway – although whatever you do, don’t order a cappuccino after 11am, or you’ll be shot for being a heathen.

This is a national law in Italy, in the same way that people who aren’t interested in style, beauty, clothes, food, love, wine or waving their arms around while talking simply won't be tolerated.

This is all true. Trust me, I’m a journalist.

On either model, though, how fine it was to be out in the sun in Genoa, waltzing through bends on a scooter.

It made me feel so content that I decided there and then to move to Italy, marry a beautiful widow who owned a vineyard, and have 17 children, all called Junior to avoid confusion.

But then I realised that I was already married, so had to return, half happily and half reluctantly, to the real world, which I normally try to avoid as much as possible.

As would you if you worked for Acme Widgets.

Build your own Vespa!

Can’t quite manage £4,899 for a Vespa 125? As always, Mirror Motorcycling has the solution – build your own for £80.

OK, it’s made of Lego, but what do you expect for that price, you ungrateful lot?

The 1,106 pieces come together to create a lovely little model in classic pastel blue, complete with a bunch of flowers in the basket, spare wheel to the removable engine cover, kickstand and working steering. We love it.

It’s available from Lego shops or online now for £83.

Browse more than 19,000 new and used bikes for sale at Autotrader.co.uk/bikes

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.