What happened to the Aprilia RS 150 and Tuono 150?

“If everything goes in the right direction we have planned, we should be able to launch the motorcycle in India in the next 18 months.” -CEO of Piaggio Vehicles

Utkarsh

May 16, 2019

We all have been very impressed by the Aprilia SR 150 and the SR 125 moto-scooters. And we’d like to congratulate the company for their success in the Indian market. But we would also like to see more from Aprilia than just scooters. Remember the RS 150 and Tuono 150 that were put on display at the 2018 Auto Expo? We want bikes like those. What happened to them?

Diego Graffi-managing director-CEO-Piaggio Vehicles — Diego Graffi, managing director and CEO of Piaggio Vehicles

In a recent interview, Diego Graffi, managing director and CEO of Piaggio Vehicles, said that “having a brand like Aprilia and not playing in the motorcycle market is unaffordable. It can help us expand our motorcycle portfolio as well as powertrain options, and thus, investing in Aprilia is a must.”

“We need to bring the right product to India by seeing the right balance between performance, features and price. We are studying our competitors and have done some prototype testing recently. If everything goes in the right direction we have planned, we should be able to launch the motorcycle in India in the next 18 months too.”

While this news is still a blur and doesn’t mention the displacement of the upcoming bike or promise anything solid, we would still like to be optimistic about it, so, fingers crossed. But until that happens, let’s give you a quick recap of the SR 150 and Tuono 150.

We really liked both the bikes and we’re pretty sure you liked them too. They looked spectacular from every angle but it was the former that attracted more eyeballs. The engine was 150cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit with a power output of 18 horses and 14 Nm of torque. Other premium features include USD front forks, a 300mm front disc with 4-pot caliper, ABS, and an optional quick-shifter.

Providing all these high-quality features in a 150cc motorcycle will definitely push the price up high but perhaps, the Indian motorcycle market is now changing. We have the Duke 125 that costs Rs 1.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). That’s a lot of money for a 125cc bike. Maybe, people would happily pay a premium for quality smaller displacement motorcycles. Would you?