2021 Aprilia SR 160 vs Yamaha Aerox 155: Photo Comparison

Here’s how the new and updated SR 160 fares against Yamaha’s sportiest scooter in India

A few months back, Yamaha launched the Aerox 155 in India, stirring things in the premium-scooter segment. In retaliation, Aprilia spruced up the SR 160 with a host of updates. But are the updates good enough?

Well, here’s a photo comparison telling you how these two premium sporty scooters fare against each other:

Both look quite radical, with ‘premium’ written all over.

Up front, the SR 160 gets a new full-LED headlight with a revised, sleek aerodynamic cowl. However, it isn’t a match for the Aerox 155’s bigger, more muscular fascia featuring a twin-pod LED headlight.

Not to forget, the Aerox’s fairing-mounted indicators add to its charm. In comparison, the SR 160’s front indicators seem essentially the same as before.

The new SR 160 seems more appealing from the rear, thanks to its new grab rail and the ‘X’-shaped taillight and split seat. The Aerox isn’t shabby either but is a little more conventionally designed.

For the racing fans out there, both scooters get special MotoGP-inspired graphics. While we love the Monster Energy livery on the Aerox, the SR 160’s Race Edition livery takes the cake with its painstaking attention to detail.

Now, to the features. The Aprilia SR 160 gets a new LCD instrument cluster for 2021, but it still fails to match the Yamaha Aerox 155’s bigger, more informative LCD. Not to forget, the Aerox 155 gets Bluetooth and app connectivity as standard, while it’s only available as an accessory with the SR 160. Turn-by-turn navigation is absent on both, though.

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The Aerox 155 also scores higher on practicality. It gets a multi-function key, remote boot unlocking, an external fuel lid, and cubby storage, all missing on the SR 160.

Both scooters do get USB ports, but the position is more accessible on the Aerox.

Coming to engines, the SR 160 carries forward the 160cc single-cylinder motor (that makes 11PS and 11.6Nm) from the outgoing model. Meanwhile, the Aerox 155 takes the cake here with its Yamaha R15-derived VVA-equipped 155cc powerhouse, putting out 15PS and 13.9Nm.

Both scooters are sprung on a conventional telescopic fork up front. At the rear, a monoshock does duty on the SR 160, while the Aerox 155 employs twin shock absorbers.

The braking setup on these scooters features a disc brake at the front and a drum unit at the rear, aided by single-channel ABS.

With wider 140-section tyres (SR 160 has 120-section tyres), the Aerox 155 should also be better at sporty riding.

By now, it’s established that the Aerox 155 is undoubtedly the more premium, sportier scooter between the two. But all this comes at a price -- around Rs 11,000 more than the SR 160 -- giving the Aprilia the upper hand in a price-sensitive market like ours.  

We’re not declaring any winners for now; that’ll happen once we take these out for a real-world comparison. Till then, stay tuned to BikeDekho.