Aprilia And Vespa Scooters To Get ABS And CBS By The End Of This Year

The 2019 Aprilia and Vespa scooter range were launched recently with comprehensive upgrades and the models get some very features for the new model year. The 150 cc scooters though still lack ABS, which will be mandatory on all 125 cc and above two-wheelers starting April next year. Nevertheless, the Aprilia and Vespa ABS and CBS versions are well on their way, and the CarAndBike can now confirm that the safety-equipped versions will arrive towards the end of the year. Piaggio India - Head of Two-wheeler business, Ashish Yakhmi confirmed the development to CarAndBike on the sidelines of the updated scooter range.

Also Read: 2019 Aprilia SR 150 Range Launched In India

Speaking about the provision of ABS on its offerings, Ashish Yakhmi said, "We are fully ready with ABS and CBS technology wise and product wise, and will come out with the versions much before the actual date of norms. We are fully ready from the market perspective, whether its partner side which is our dealerships or the customer side or the common side. We are understanding how the festive season goes and depending on that we will fix up a time on that. Like the BS3 and BS4 shift, ABS and CBS on-ground registration will be mandatory. So we have to make sure that the on-ground registration is smooth and that depends on market stock as well as how soon the market adapts to ABS/CBS."

The Aprilia SR 150, as well as the Vespa SXL 150 and VXL 150 cc scooters, will be using a single-channel ABS unit to comply with the future safety norms. Whereas, the SR 125, Vespa Notte and VX 125 scooters will get the Combined Braking System (CBS) unit as standard. While costs on the 125 cc scooters will see a marginal increment, you can expect the 150 cc scooters to see substantial rise in prices for the single-channel version by about Rs. 8000-10,000 over the current asking price.

Also Read: 2019 Vespa 150 Range Launched In India

(Piaggio India MD & CEO, Diego Graffi and Ashish Yakhmi - Head of 2-Wheeler Business at the launch)

The Aprilia SR 150 uses a 220 mm front disc brake and a 140 mm rear disc brake as standard, which offers impressive performance and ABS is only going to help make the scooter much safer. With the price hike, the price difference between the SR 125 and the SR 150 will be much higher, making the former a more value conscious offering then.

There won't be any change with respect to the powertrain though on the ABS version, with power on the Aprilia SR 150 coming from the 154.8 cc single-cylinder 3-valve engine tuned for 10.26 bhp and 11 Nm of peak torque. The Vespa and Aprilia scooters, meanwhile, use a 124 cc single-cylinder engine that is tuned for 9.4 bhp and 9.9 Nm of peak torque. Both engines are paired with a CVT unit.

Also Read: Aprilia SR 125 Review

The 2019 Aprilia SR 150 and the Vespa 150 range have received comprehensive upgrades including a semi-digital instrument cluster, adjustable rear shock absorbers and new colour options. The SR 150 is now available in three new colours including the Carbon edition, metallic blue shade, and the RS-GP inspired white, green and blue livery on the Race version. The company also introduced its Connectivity app that connects with your smartphone with your vehicle and provides access to a host of features including navigation, vehicle tracking, find my vehicle and more. The Bluetooth equipped system is standard on the SR 150 Race and Vespa 150 cc scooters, while remaining optional on the rest of the range.

The Vespa VXL 150 and SXL 150 is now offered in matte red and yellow shades, along with a new retro light blue shade. The matte black Vespa 125 Notte edition is now the company's most affordable offering. Piaggio India is also working to update the SR 125 which was introduced earlier this year with new colours and possibly the semi-digital console. The latter is currently in evaluation on the 125 cc scooter.