[MartinVirage]

Hi! I would be joining the SR Club soon. So have you considered the Phillips Rallye HS1 45W bulb for the headlight upgrade. I was thinking about the same? Any reviews? Will it be a problem on the battery?

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by MartinVirage

So have you considered the Phillips Rallye HS1 45W bulb for the headlight upgrade. I was thinking about the same?

10 additional watts will not put undue load on the battery or the reflector, however the issue with the SR's headlight is not the brightness of the bulb but the positioning and focus of the headlight unit as such.

The bulb upgrade will improve things, but only slightly.

[Speed.Demon]

Originally Posted by MartinVirage

Hi! I would be joining the SR Club soon. So have you considered the Phillips Rallye HS1 45W bulb for the headlight upgrade. I was thinking about the same? Any reviews? Will it be a problem on the battery?

Well, I did think about it. It was that or getting 55W bulbs. But is the alternator going to stand up to such a load? I am scouring the interwebs for a good 35W bulb. I might go the LED route if I am convinced it will be usable in rainy weather.

[FasterSon]

One heck of a opening shot demon! Felt like I was sitting in the theatres with popcorn in hand! I could hear the rain drops on the shelter of the tea shops rain shelter and the first dialogues delivered! The bevildered look on tea guy's face and your far gaze with a grin on your face sipping the steaming coffee!
What narration!

I should equally congratulate you for your choice of the scooter. Something very similar happened with me when I bought the r15 in 2009. I wanted a top notch bike to induce some fun and I had 'I will take one in black' pulsar guys trying to put some sense into me.

Anyways I did go ahead and took a r15. The guy at the showroom told me that I did not have to run it in because it had fuel injection like cars!
Well I am acting all showy now, I did believe him then!

I landed a job in Calicut just about then and had a blast driving in those twisty roads from mysore leading upto Calicut and beyond. Exactly the same combination of stiff suspensions, committed positioning but the joy it gave me was immense.

I totally understand your feeling of joy of having a performance partner!

I first saw sr150 in erode before its launch! The guy passed me up and my r15 ego a bit hurt, but equally intrigued by the look of aprilia in flesh, I thought I will catch up but could not on the city road till the next traffic light! It got my due respect!

Enjoy the adventure and let midnight know that my Gowri said hi!

[Speed.Demon]

4th service update:


So, got the 4th service(9 months/9000km) done a few days ago. It was a fairly routine affair, just some inspections and checks. The oil change is done every 6k kms, and the technician checked the oil and gave me a thumbs up - all good.

For a change, I decided to try out the newly opened Muvattupuzha service centre instead of the Palarivattom one. The showroom and service centre are located around 2km away from each other, so don't be surprised when you head to the showroom location on Google Maps and can't find the service centre there.

I went to the service centre, and was quite surprised when I got to see it:





No, it wasn't closed. The entrance is towards the side:





There's only one technician there, and he is a friendly chap. But what really surprised me was the lack of any 'proper' equipment that one might expect to find at an authorised workshop, like lift bays, alignment machines and all the other jazz. It looks more like a roadside mechanic's place rather than a proper ASS. The technician said that those things are in the pipeline, but he's currently got everything he needs to do a regular service. Hmmm. I don't know, let's see how things pan out in time for the next service.

One advantage of having such an informal setup, was that I was given a free rein to walk around the shop floor, and check out the place. He patiently talked me through all the work he did on Midnight, and did a good job washing the bike too.


The air filter was a bit clogged up, so it got a good cleaning:





Look at all these beauties awaiting a PDI:






The 4th service is a paid service, and the total bill came out out to be around ₹380/- after taxes. On par for the course, I guess.

Nothing much else to report after the service, Midnight's running well. The next service is due at the 1 year mark, and it's a big one. Quite a lot of things will need changing, including the fuel filter, the spark plug and the oil and oil strainer.


During the service, I had a chat with the bloke there, and got some nice insider info about the goings on at Aprilia:

The rumours are true. There will be an SR125 coming very soon, with 12" wheels. Other than the wheels it looks identical to the 150.

There is one mega service centre opening in Palarivattom, with 40 bays. The existing one will be converted into a superbike exclusive service centre, for Aprilia and Moto Guzzi.

After listening to customer feedback, Aprilia has now launched a more 'off road friendly' block tire option. Like the Vee Rubbers, this too is a full import. Costs 8k a pop. Yikes!

The race accessories, which were announced alongside the 'Race edition' SR150 are now available, but none of the ASS in KL have stock yet.

Aprilia is aggressively expanding its dealer network, with a new one just inaugurated at Aluva and another one coming soon to Kothamangalam. Interesting times ahead.


Well, that's it for now. Take care everyone, and ride safe!

[tilt]

Originally Posted by Speed.Demon

*SNIP*

and then cruised back home. Well I did anyway. Both TVS twins sped away as one off every junction before the Aprilia's CVT clicked into place and I could make use of Midnight's ample torque to catch up. I'll bet my house that both of them were grinning as they watched me getting smaller in their mirrors, atleast initially

Huh??? Do you mean to say that the TVSes had much better pick-up than the April? I was under the impression from your review (nice job BTW) that this scooter was the bee's knee's and that the one and only issue was the headlight?

Cheers

[Speed.Demon]

Originally Posted by tilt

Huh??? Do you mean to say that the TVSes had much better pick-up than the April? I was under the impression from your review (nice job BTW) that this scooter was the bee's knee's and that the one and only issue was the headlight?

Oh yes, the TVS twins do have some very good low end grunt. You see, they are, like most scooters designed to excel in the city. And in the city what you need is instant acceleration. The 0-40kph dash in a TVS wego is very quick, even quicker than some much bigger bikes.

The Aprilia on the other hand, hates city limits. The CVT too, shows a lot of lag and rubber bandiness at crawling speeds. You could of course, crack the whip by wringing the throttle, but even then you can feel the gearbox slipping and protesting, before it finally gets going. What the SR150 has is a very strong midrange.

Now, I don't like to stress the bike unless I really need a lot of oomph. So at those 'traffic light drag races', I didn't use more than 70% throttle, while both TVS boys were maxed out. And yes, I easily wooshed past them once the speedo crossed 45 or so.

Maybe if I had also used 100% of the throttle, I could have overtaken them a bit quicker, but credit where it's due, TVS has really worked on their products to excel in the city.

[Mortis]

Very interesting news on the SR 125. Any idea what the possible time frame could be ? This year for sure or early next year ? Im keeping an eye out for it.

[Speed.Demon]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Very interesting news on the SR 125. Any idea what the possible time frame could be ? This year for sure or early next year ? Im keeping an eye out for it.

I was told to expect the SR125 sometime during the first half of next year.

[vinukm]

Originally Posted by Speed.Demon

Now, I don't like to stress the bike unless I really need a lot of oomph. So at those 'traffic light drag races', I didn't use more than 70% throttle, while both TVS boys were maxed out. And yes, I easily wooshed past them once the speedo crossed 45 or so.

Maybe if I had also used 100% of the throttle, I could have overtaken them a bit quicker, but credit where it's due, TVS has really worked on their products to excel in the city.

I own a first version of TVS Jupiter and planning for a second scooter in home and did a test drive of SR150 yesterday. The seating position is the only difference I felt is sporty rest is more or less same for me. May be it was because of a short distance test drive in traffic. I felt Jupiter more comfortable to drive.

[vinaydas]

Originally Posted by Speed.Demon

Oh yes, the TVS twins do have some very good low end grunt. You see, they are, like most scooters designed to excel in the city. And in the city what you need is instant acceleration. The 0-40kph dash in a TVS wego is very quick, even quicker than some much bigger bikes.

The Aprilia on the other hand, hates city limits. The CVT too, shows a lot of lag and rubber bandiness at crawling speeds. You could of course, crack the whip by wringing the throttle, but even then you can feel the gearbox slipping and protesting, before it finally gets going. What the SR150 has is a very strong midrange.

Now, I don't like to stress the bike unless I really need a lot of oomph. So at those 'traffic light drag races', I didn't use more than 70% throttle, while both TVS boys were maxed out. And yes, I easily wooshed past them once the speedo crossed 45 or so.

Maybe if I had also used 100% of the throttle, I could have overtaken them a bit quicker, but credit where it's due, TVS has really worked on their products to excel in the city.

My vehicle also experiences sudden power loss when I twist the throttle really fast.
Is this common ?
Initially it used to happen only at higher speeds ( 70+) , now i can experience it even in the 30's .

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by vinaydas

My vehicle also experiences sudden power loss when I twist the throttle really fast.
Is this common ?

Yes it is, for any CVT tranny and is commonly called the rubber band effect. Also sudden spurts to the throttle accelerate drive belt wear and tear significantly.

[Speed.Demon]

Originally Posted by vinaydas

My vehicle also experiences sudden power loss when I twist the throttle really fast.
Is this common ?
Initially it used to happen only at higher speeds ( 70+) , now i can experience it even in the 30's .

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Yes it is, for any CVT tranny and is commonly called the rubber band effect. Also sudden spurts to the throttle accelerate drive belt wear and tear significantly.

Indeed. This is the infamous 'rubber band' effect of the CVT in action. The gearbox used in the SR150 isn't particularly efficient at low revs, and does take some time to get things in order if you just suddenly wring the throttle. You feel that momentary lull in engine response, before the torque kicks in and you are on your way.

Instead of giving it the full potatoes, try using slightly lesser amount of throttle. This way, the surge of torque builds up sooner, and once you're in the 'powerband' as it were, use more revs. This time the gearbox ought to respond much quicker, and you'll be covering ground at a much more rapid pace.


As Devdath said, making the gearbox slip frequently will cause a lot of wear and tear on its components, so that's something to watch out for.

[Speed.Demon]

Winter is here.


While the monsoon is my favourite season for driving, winter is the time to go explore the countryside on two wheels. So after what was a rather wet November and a busy December, Midnight was raring to go stretch his legs on a long ride somewhere.

I had some days off during the holiday weekend on New year's eve, so a ride was planned to the hills. It was not to be however, as fate had decided otherwise.

So a couple of days before we were set to go, I was inspecting the rear tyre and saw this:



A spot had sort of deformed and gone into the tyre!




What on earth..?



I ran my finger over it. It was smooth, no debris or nail was stuck in it, and as far as I could tell, the rubber didn't have an actual hole in it. How did this happen? Of all the days..

Right. Staring at it wouldn't help, I needed to see if something could be done. I gingerly rode it to the nearest proper tyre shop, and the chap there looked it for a while, then checked for any leaks. A few minutes later, he declared that it was a manufacturing defect of some sort and it was best if I replace the tyre as soon as possible.

I consulted with the tyre gurus at DBS,Edapally and they too confirmed that the tyre had to be replaced. Tyre replacement was easier said than done however, since nobody stocks Vee Rubbers in this size other than the Aprilia ASS. And they won't do anything until after the holidays.

I was crestfallen. I had been planning this ride for a while, and I'm a person who takes good care of the tyres. It certainly wasn't caused by any off roading or anything of that sort. Sigh!


"What do you mean you're not coming?"

I had forgotten to tell my mates that I was dropping out of the ride. They were least impressed to see me not at all ready and with a long face.

"The tyre's broken, doing a long ride on it ill be very risky."

"Right. And let me guess, that's the reason for that stupid look on your face."

I nodded dejectedly.

"So leave the scooter at home, climb aboard! Pillion seats were made for a reason, you idiot."


Well, there's no arguing with that. So off we went into the distance, in a rush of excitement and exhaust noise. I know it's late, but Happy New Year everybody!

[Speed.Demon]

5th service, and a solution.


I needed to get the tyre fixed, and it was nearly time for the 5th service as well, so I decided to get both done. Like the last time, I went to the Muvattupuzha dealer since it was closer to home.

The 5th service is the 1 year/12000km service. As part of the service, the spark plug, fuel filter and oil are changed. The moment I reached the service centre, I showed them the tyre. They took photos of it and sent it to the service manager, who was located at the Kochi showroom. In the meantime, the scooter was taken to the workshop to do the rest of the service.






Starting with the oil change. The old oil was drained out,




And a new can of oil was brought to be poured in. Wait, what? 20W40? But the manual recommends 5W40! The technician said that the company has switched to this new grade starting from December. I wasn't sure about this, was he pulling a fast one on me?

He said that all Aprilias were being serviced with this oil now, and that this was the only oil they were stocking.




Looks legit. But I wasn't happy. Such a huge grade difference surely isn't a good thing, right?





Blood red oil. Is this a Castrol thing? Noticed that their car oils are red as well. The SR150 gulps in 750ml of oil, after draining.




Next, the spark plug was removed. It wasn't in need of immediate replacement, so the spark plug change has been pushed to the next service. The fuel filter too was fine. The air filter was removed and cleaned, and the scooter was washed thoroughly after that.


In the meantime, while Midnight was being serviced, I was poking around the workshop. They hardly have any spares in stock, other than the basic necessities needed to do a regular service.






Here is the part number and price of the air filter, in case any of you were interested.





The one lone scooter left in their 'yard'. The SR150 is doing better numbers than I thought it would, to be honest.

Since nothing apart from the oil was changed, the final bill was 350/- rupees. By the time the service was over, I asked the SA whether the manager had said anything regarding the tyre issue. He hadn't, so I had no choice but to head home. I wasn't too optimistic regarding warranty on a tyre, but never hurts to try, right?


In the evening, the SA called to tell me that the manager had rejected the warranty claim. Crap. Apparently he took one look at the pictures and rejected it straightaway.


Well that simply wouldn't do. So the very next day I headed straight to the Kochi showroom to meet the manager personally. I had a talk with him, he acknowledged that he had indeed seen the pictures, but he just couldn't assess the damage properly through pictures. So he along with the warranty claims guy properly inspected the tyre and finally came to the conclusion that it was indeed a defect of some sort. They had to ask the head honchos at Pune for final approval, and in the afternoon i got a call saying that the tyre would be replaced under warranty.

By sheer chance, they had just taken stock of a set of new tyres 2 days before I went there. So a replacement was readily available.





HUZZAHH!!!







I was in for a pleasant surprise. I got a new alloy wheel as well! It seems that the initial batches of the SR150 had some problem with the rear alloy, which causes the driveshaft bearings to wear out very quickly, and that is the reason for the infamous 'clicking' noise which plagued earlier SR150s. Now I didn't have that issue yet, but they said it was only a matter of time, and so they decided to go the whole hog and get that replaced as well. Thanks a lot fellas!



The new alloy, which has some internal design changes compared to the older one. Look at it! All clean and shiny. :P





And finally, the new wheel was fixed onto Midnight.



And yes, in the midst of all the excitement, I hadn't forgotten about the engine oil. The manager confirmed that Aprilia had indeed switched to 20W40 oil. The reason he gave was that most of the 'younger' customers don't wait for the engine to warm up slowly on cold starts, and instead just whacks the throttle wide open the moment the engine starts up. This was causing a lot of internal wear and tear on the engine, and so they changed to a thicker oil. I don't buy this. Won't thicker oil cause cold start issues and take a lot longer to circulate through the engine? Plus, won't it reduce performance and economy as well?

He shared an internal bulletin they had received from Aprilia which mentions the introduction of the new oil, and also its part number.





Here is the final bill of the warranty job they did. I had to pay a small amount as they went to an outside shop to mount the tyre onto the alloy, and I also needed to replace the front brake lever as it was slightly bent.







That's it for now, everyone! Take care and ride safe. Cheerio!