2016 Auto Expo: Aprilia Motard 125 scooter to be launched in India

Aprilia has planned a big surprise for Indian two-wheeler enthusiasts. ZigWheels has learnt that the Italian manufacturer will launch the Motard 125 scooter in India at the 2016 Auto Expo. The Aprilia Motard 125 will be the second scooter offering from the Italian brand for our market. We also have found out that Piaggio, which is the parent company of Aprilia, has plans to manufacture the Motard 125 in India. The Aprilia Motard 125 will be manufactured at the Baramati production facility of Piaggio and be the first offering from Aprilia to be built in India. It will be put together alongside the Vespa range of scooters which is also owned by Piaggio and is being exported from India to other markets globally. Talking about styling, the Aprilia Motard 125 has a European design language which is edgy and contemporary. The sporty styling should make the Motard 125 scooter a hit among the youngsters. The beaky front apron has the headlight embedded into it while the turn indicators have been placed on the handle bar.

The beefy telescopic forks and the large 14-inch diameter wheels do give the scooter an aggressive stance which should help it standout from its rivals. The instrument console is a rather simple affair with a twin pod analogue unit for speedometer, fuel gauge and odometer alongwith various tell tale lights. In Europe, the Aprilia Motard 125 is powered by a air-cooled, 125cc single-cylinder producing 9.5PS and 8.2Nm of peak torque. For the Indian market, we feel that Aprilia will utilise the 125cc powerplant as seen on the Vespa 125 range. The air-cooled motor churns out 10PS at 7,500rpm and torque figure stands at 10.6Nm at 6,000 rpm. Power is transmitted to the rear-wheels via a CVT transmission.

The scooter employs telescopic front forks and monoshock unit at the back to handle suspension duties. The scooter runs on 14-inch dia wheels that get wrapped around with 120/70 section tyres on both the wheels. The Aprilia Motard 125 has a fuel tank capacity of 7 litres while seat height is 775mm. Braking is done by disc brake at front and drum brake at the rear. No information about the pricing of the scooter has been released yet. But we feel the Aprilia Motard 125 will be priced around Rs 75,000 to 80,000 ex-showroom in the Indian market.