Aprilia SR Storm

You would be hard-pressed to find any differences in body panels between the Storm and the SR models, as there aren’t any. The sleek, sharp precision tool that is the SR looks enticing with this style and the graphics combination plays well with its racy intent. However, the graphics might not evoke much emotion and the four colours offered fail to make the scooter pop. 

That said, there are still certain elements that make you feel that you have purchased a premium scooter. Take the pillion foot-pegs. They are made from premium plastics with a lovely gloss black finish to it. They are flush fitting and don’t look like an afterthought. The paint quality is exquisite and Aprilias have always scored well when it comes to fit and finish. 

While you will have to continue reading to know how the dual-purpose Vee Rubber tyres perform, the chunkiness of the rubber just adds to the rugged look of the scooter. The tyres aren’t as sleek as the older 14-inch Vee Rubber units found on the older SR 150 or even the new 14-inch Ceat Zoom Plus. The fat sidewalls have their own charm, with hardly any 125cc scooter boasting of having a similar appeal.

Now it doesn’t take much time to figure out that the 125cc single-cylinder mill hasn’t gotten a boost. Getting off the line, the Storm 125 isn’t all that quick but once on the move, the engine gathers momentum rather rapidly. The motor doesn’t feel as quick as other 125cc scooters but the engine isn’t boring. The BS6 updates have ironed out the roughness that one associates with a carbureted engine. Beyond that though, it is still the same hoarse engine that we experienced on the SR 125. The exhaust note is still raspy, giving an extra dimension of involvement in your pursuit of speed.

Aprilia claims that the scooter that we were riding might just be one of the early units off the production line and hence, had a few glitches. One of which stood out was the revs refusing to trail down, despite not giving it any throttle input. The engine would idle at really high revs and this resulted in the scooter having a car-like crawl functionality, requiring the rider to be constantly on the brakes to stop proceedings. The idling would subside after a while though. But we must point out that even the SR 160 Race that we were riding parallely also has this problem, so there's more to it than just early production niggles.

In comparison to the teeth-clatteringly jarring experience that was prevalent on the SR 150 and the still osteoporosis-inducing SR 160, the Storm 125 feels comforting. There is more absorption in the suspension units with the monoshock now offering preload adjustability that you can set for your liking. Still, calling the ride plush would be foolish. Taut is much better. The bumps still filter through the handlebars and floor but they no longer jolt you that badly.

Some credit must also be given to the block pattern Vee Rubber tyres here that come wrapped on smaller 12-inch wheels. These tyres have a thicker sidewall which helps in better insulation while going over bumps. 

Consequently, the chunkier profile of the tyres makes the steering feel slightly lazier. There is a moment of hesitation as the front momentarily feels heavy and reluctant to steer. Once you do start to go around the corner, the grip levels are high, inspiring great cornering confidence. 

The brakes too have great feel as they bring the scooter to a halt with minimum fuss. The progression in the front disc is quite nice. If you do go hard on the brakes, the rear end does feel a bit squirmy but not enough to scare you silly. CBS calibration could be improved, as the system tends to be a bit lenient with the front end, despite you grabbing a handful of the rear. 

The Storm 125 isn’t that feature rich. You don’t get a twin-pod headlight setup on the Storm 125, Aprilia instead opting for a more cost effective lighting option across all its models now. No LEDs here either.

The semi-digital console, the latest addition to the Storm, is only available in the premium variant. It has an analogue speedo with the digital bit displaying a clock, two tripmeters, an odometer and a fuel gauge. That’s enough info to satisfy the 125cc buyer but bits like DTE/range or even average fuel efficiency indicator would be nice additions.

Modern convenience features like remote boot unlocking, external fuel filler cap, underseat storage light or even USB charging is a miss, the last feature being the only thing offered as an accessory.