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Ownership Review - 2022 Yamaha Aerox 155

Starting with a small teaser, assuming you would not have scrolled through the pics before reading this -

What we like -

• A game-changer, even if too late for ICE scooters! Dream purchase for wife
• Sporty, unique and attention-grabbing looks
• The colour! Was not our first choice, but loved the paint scheme and quality in-person
• Performance - 155 cc, liquid-cooled, VVA motor derived from the R15 produces 15ps & 13.9Nm
• Decent CVT with the rubber-band effect not pronounced under city riding conditions
• Excellent handling, courtesy stiff suspension and good quality, wide, 14” IRC rubber at both ends.
• Effortless in the parking lot. Very light and nimble, thanks to the low CG
• Good braking performance, disc brakes up front, good tyre grip and single-channel ABS
• Features - LED headlamps, digital instrumentation with tachometer, instant and average FE calculators, battery voltmeter, side-stand engine cut-off, mobile app connectivity, phone compartment with 12V charging socket, etc
• Auto start-stop works seamlessly with the silent SMG start
• 24.5L under-seat storage. Can swallow a full-face helmet + small items extra
• Fuel filler positioning is very convenient. Good FE too!

What we don't mind, but could be deal-breakers for you -

• Limited sales network. Had to take delivery of the scooter from a showroom 6 hours away from home
• No footboard storage. If you need it, this scooter is just not for you. Period
  

What we don’t like -

• Pathetic handling of the launch! This is no superbike, Yamaha!
• Hometown showroom took booking 3 months back and is still sitting on a backlog of orders with not even a display vehicle in sight. No official communication from Yamaha either!
• Un-necessarily harsh ride quality at the rear. Evident cost-cutting just for India with a cheap, ill-suited setup
• Sporty styling compromises knee room for tall (~ 6') riders
• Character-less engine note, especially with the silent SMG start
• Fit and finish of some elements do not match the premium feel of the rest
• Front phone compartment accommodates, but is useless for charging large modern-day mobile phones
• Connected features are made available using Bluetooth. Not useful as SIM-enabled tech in modern electric scooters
• Feature list is lacking by modern electric scooter standards - lacks onboard navigation, reverse assist, rear disc brakes, etc. Smartkey system also skipped for the Indian market

Without further ado - presenting our 2022 Yamaha Aerox 155 in Racing Blue -

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

In these opening posts, I’ll go over the following topics. The scooter has completed 500kms at the time of compiling this initial report. Relevant thread links will be updated below during various stages of ownership.

• Likes & dislikes. Our Aerox 155 experience in a nutshell
• Glossary & anecdotes

• Why a new scooter? The Maestro story. Competition check. Why not an electric scooter?
• Yamaha's totally incompetent launch of the Aerox 155 & the cancelled booking!
• Booking and delivery

• Introducing my Aerox 155
• Aerox walkaround, in detail
• Ergonomics and comfort

• Power, Transmission and Performance. Fuel efficiency.
• Ride, Handling and Braking
• Features and instrumentation

• Practicality. Touring abilities. Service Experience. Accessories

Starting on a lighter note:

1. April 2020, when Covid struck and all of us were confined to our homes, I finally decided to complete my 2019 Thailand travelogue. In it were the words -

Yamaha doesn't care about the Indian market, but the XMAX could be a welcome addition here. Or if nothing else, at least this Aerox 155 - which was caught in India back in 2018, never to be seen again. Such a beautiful little machine would totally stand out in a sea of boring scooters from competing manufacturers.

Little did I know that I would be owning one, in the exact same colour in less than two years.

2. Life in 10-year cycles! Both the Punto and the Maestro were purchased in 2012. Both were white! The replacements for both - the Aerox and a new car should arrive in 2022. And maybe both can be blue!

3. Filmy sequence - I went to the Trivandrum Yamaha showroom on my Aerox, to cancel my three-month-old booking of the same! It was the first time the showroom folks were seeing one! Almost all the staff members were outside, checking the scooter - while I was sitting inside writing a cancellation request.

4. Takes my personal record for the longest drive from showroom to home, post-delivery. 210 km and 6.5 hours.

5. "Is that an R15 scooter?", "Rear tyre looks big" etc seems to be the most popular questions from strangers, trumping the likes of ever-popular questions like 'kitna deti hai?'

6. Grabs too many eyeballs at this point - from elderly folks on scooters to middle-aged guys on bullets, and even queries from women scooterists on the road - but the scooter seems to be most popular with college kids. Kids in Dio and NTorq are seen stretching their neck out the maximum to check out this new-comer, and the same observation came from wife too.

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The Maestro story -

We already have a scooter in the garage, a humble Hero Maestro that was purchased in 2012. Perhaps the one vehicle in the garage for which I never had an ownership report running. Reason? No emotional connection with the scooter - even though in retrospect - it did a good job over the last 10 years! Sure it tried to kill her once in a scene that could be a right fit in the final destination series, needed major engine work within 30k km and the Hero service centres were never nice to deal with - but still, it did manage to give her a lot of freedom in the city.

Why did I not have a connection with this scooter? Because it was never the best - even in our own test ride experiences! The scooter with the best appeal back then was the Vespa and it was grossly overpriced (prices were slashed by up to 10k later!). The scooter with the best mechanical package was the Suzuki Swish 125 - which both of us really liked and would have been our first choice. Why the Maestro then? I'm still not sure what happened last minute - but she said she liked the Swish best, but preferred to purchase the Maestro instead, based on her past experience with Hero Honda!

And so a comfortable family scooter with the same old (109cc, 8.2 PS, 9.1 Nm) Activa engine came home! It was big (for a 110cc scooter), comfortable, spacious, had mature looks, no ugly sticker work and was reliable - just never really special!





She later got a job that required her to use tight parking spots in the city and hence we had to add these boring steel frames all around to avoid scratches. Spoiled the looks, but took her safe and sound on her long office commutes. Took me on some minor local explorations too! Also by this time, we had shifted base to Bangalore and the Meastro had LTT paid in both TN and KA.

Why a new scooter?

The humble Maestro is not getting replaced, for now.

Ever since Covid started - Maestro has been sitting alone in our apartment parking in Bangalore. And it will continue to be used in Bangalore for when we return because the wife has taken a career decision that should keep her in Trivandrum and Bangalore for half of her time in a year. And that meant a new scooter was required in Trivandrum! While the Maestro will be retained till we are required to be in Bangalore.

What started as discussions for purchasing a used Scooty, ended up with a brand new Yamaha Aerox 155! The decision, of course, was her own! I only take responsibility for pointing her in that direction. She helped me buy my first big bike - and this, ladies and gentlemen, is officially her first sporty scooter!

Why the Aerox 155? Competition check.

In her mind, she only had one real competition for the Aerox - Aprilia SXR 160. Managed to take a test ride and was not impressed, except for the road presence and ready availability! The maxi-scooter front-end styling really works well for the Aprilia and it has got the size to match too!

However, for all that displacement - the 10.9ps motor felt rather average and the pricing was just the same as the Aerox. After having sampled excellent electric scooters like the Ather and OLA - the Aprilia with its weak low-end response and prominent CVT rubber band effect felt like a let-down and the motor came into its own only in the midrange. There were some compromises too that made this look like a beefed-up plain-jane scooter - 12" wheels for example.

Aerox in Thailand

She/we also had fond memories of the Aerox from our Thailand visit in 2019, drooling over it wondering when such scooters will make it to the Indian market. Needless to say - Aerox is nothing more than the NTorq of Thailand, a market where it is very common to spot bigger scooters like the PCX, NMax, XMax, or Forza.

Why not an electric scooter?

Thanks to Team-BHP, I have had the chance to review both the leading electric scooters in the market. Leaving a link to both the reviews in case anyone is interested -
OLA S1 Pro - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...er-review.html (Ola S1 Electric Scooter Review)
Ather 450 - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ed-review.html (Ather 450 Electric Scooter - Detailed Review)

Both are good choices to be considered, but the wife was not ready to compromise! I couldn't recommend the OLA due to the weird power delivery characteristic (upon braking), especially since she already hated the silent and lifeless (her personal remark - not a drawback of the product) feel of the Ather. Lean and retro looks with skinny tyres weren't going to impress her either!

She was very particular with her requirements - it had to have good looks, good road presence, good power and be good fun to ride. And the electric scooters failed the looks and road presence department.

Hence the Yamaha Aerox 155!

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Yamaha Motor India's totally incompetent launch of the Aerox 155 -

Yamaha launched the Aerox 155 on the 21st of September 2021, the company's (and the market's) first sports scooter with a liquid cooled, 155cc motor derived from the R15. The product was well received by the market and even went on to win our 2021 Two wheeled ride of the year award

However, reality-check almost six months into the launch - the scooter remains elusive, display units unavailable across the nation, customer deliveries limited to a few Blue Square dealerships with no official communication on this, months of waiting period with other dealerships and no clear answers to be had! No dispatch numbers were revealed either.

Absolutely ridiculous to see such a sad launch effort from Yamaha. To interpret an ACI quote from a recent article, the bosses at Yamaha seem to have expected a big flop show!

Yamaha says that it never expected the Rs 1.32 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) scooter to receive such a positive response, and it has been overwhelmed with the number of bookings received.

The cancelled booking -

Coming to my own case, after realising that it is futile to wait to see/TD the vehicle, and post receiving no replies to multiple enquiries in several dealerships in my district - I finally booked the Aerox on 8th of December with Shivaji Yamaha, Kaimanam, Trivandrum - with a promised waiting period of two weeks. They were extremely confident that although display units were not arriving, Yamaha will despatch bikes against bookings. Mine was the first booking for the Aerox Monster Edition, at least from this particular network of dealerships.

And then the confusions started -
Mid-December became end-December.
End-December became the first week of Jan.
Mid-Jan and so forth...

Meanwhile, there was a rumour spreading on the forum that the deliveries seem to be restricted to only the Blue Square dealerships. Sent a message to BHPian neil.jericho on this and he confirmed that the Blue Square dealership in Kochi seems to have delivered a few vehicles. Called them to double check if the deliveries are limited to only Blue Square dealerships, and they also informed that there has been no official communication from Yamaha regarding this.

Anyways, Mid-Jan became End-Jan
End-Jan became mid-Feb
Mid-Feb became "Sir we are very sorry and are absolutely clueless. There is a Yamaha ownership meet scheduled by end-Feb where all the owners will be seeking clarifications on this. We are having bookings and are taking the heat from customers!".

I never bothered to follow up further.
On the 12th of March - requested cancellation of this booking, after waiting for more than three months!

Oh and something funny - I went to the showroom to do my cancellation on the Aerox, my Aerox. It was the first one the folks at the showroom had ever seen and created a lot of interest with many staff coming to check it out.

In fact, I do not really blame the showroom for this booking confusion - Yamaha should have handled this launch better! Meanwhile, the dealership continues to advertise and take bookings for the Aerox.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Booking and delivery experience - Hats off to Yamaha Blue Square, Kochi

As mentioned in the previous post, I had enough of fun following up with multiple dealerships in Trivandrum regarding the Aerox, and finally decided to check with the Cochin dealership. Even though they denied having any confirmation that the Aerox will only be sold through Blue Square dealerships - I thought it safer to book there as well, just in case! And thankfully so - because only that booking finally came through!

On the 7th of Jan, one month after booking the bike with the Trivandrum dealership - I booked the scooter with the Kochi dealership as well.

Hats off to Mr. Rejith who handled this sale. Prior to delivery - I never even once visited the showroom. The dealership was a good 5-6 hours away from home, and I was in the middle of a job change, so a visit for the smaller requirements was not going to be possible. Thankfully, Rejith handled this with extreme professionalism and I just can't praise him enough. Took the 5:50 AM train on the morning of delivery, reached the showroom by 11:30 AM, took delivery by noon and rode the scooter back home a straight 6.5 hours - that was all that was required of me!

(Statutory disclaimer: Please don't try this at home. It is always advisable to do a proper PDI before registration)

Delivery Day - 5th March 2022

Sharing some snaps from a nice little day. Took the 5:55 AM Jan Shatabdi to Kochi -



You can't visit a showroom in Kochi without neil.jericho. He has contacts everywhere. Poor guy was ready outside the railway station to pick me up - a/c running, seats pushed back and nicely reclined - Boy o boy - the moment I stepped into his car, it felt like a warm (or chilling, to be more temperature accurate) welcome to Kochi. Must be a hit with the ladies, this man!



And cold-blooded guy too! I don't know how he could resist trying out this Strawberry French Toast! I could have had another! I could travel to Kochi again just to have another!



But Neil just sat with a smile, possibly wondering how I could eat 1000 calories in the morning itself!



At the Yamaha showroom, my first look at the Aerox. Had not even seen the bike, ever, till this point.



First glimpse of my scooter after it was brought in front of the showroom for delivery -







My experience with Yamaha has been of opposite extremes. Sree Vigneshwara Motors (Yamaha Blue Square), Kakkandad, Kochi (and especially Rejith - the SA) was absolutely brilliant, to say the least! Very highly recommended.



Thanks to Neil for these clicks. Loved them.



By 11:45 AM, I was able to start the ride back home. Although the distance was only ~210kms - this was going to take 5-6 hours due to the traffic, two-lane highways and much slower overall speeds. After a quick full tank at the nearest COCO bunk, I took the Seaport-airport link road out of Kochi. 1 hour later, clicked this when I had stopped to message family -



Another hour later, stopping for tender coconut water! One thing was getting obvious - the scooter could easily munch miles, I could do more on this scooter, but the heat and the humidity were the main reasons forcing me to take breaks.



Another hour later, stopped for a lunch break. It was 4 PM already, but then my 1000 calorie breakfast had kept me going. Stuffed some more! Clicked in front of Indian Coffee House, Kottarakkara -



Finally, home by 6:15 PM. 6 hours and 30 minutes including the breaks! Fresh and no body pains!



Fuel efficiency at an incredible 51.4 km/l at the fuel-top up. The overall figure on the MID stood at 51.1 km/l.



And that's much lesser than the full tank calculation! An incredible 54.1 km/l. I was just aiming to keep it within 50-70 km/h with the Kerala traffic ensuring that the motor keeps spinning within a good range.

Breakup of prices -

The on-road price in Kochi came up to Rs 1,64,593/ excluding accessories -

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Design and Styling -

Positioned as a sporty scooter, Aerox looks different compared to most scooters on the Indian roads! Not as futuristic as the Ather when it came out, however - there are a couple of reasons why the Aerox still grabs eyeballs, and quite a lot of them when at it - 1. The unique design philosophy with a huge "X Centre Motif" (central tunnel), 2. slightly larger size and proportions compared to other products in the market and 3. the tyre size! Get this - the front tyre on the Aerox is wider than the rear tyre of most competitors. Despite the size though - the Yamaha does not come across as bulky and has a very youthful vibe to it - and seems to be a hit, especially with youngsters on the road.

Build Quality, Fit and finish -

Build quality is really good by scooter standards, with just one or two exceptions that will be noted in the below post. The overall plastic quality is quite unlike anything seen on the market, with a nice texture and feel to it.

The paint quality is excellent too! A delight to polish - the racing blue just sparkles in the sun and reveals multiple layers within. I have never been a fan of this colour on the R15 (and possibly because of the much larger painted surface area), whereas on the Aerox - it definitely has become one of my favourite features.

Wheels & Tyres -

As mentioned above, the Aerox comes with some of the widest tyre options in the Indian market. So much so that finding a replacement is going to be a headache! Stock tyres are imported (from Indonesia) IRC SCT-005 ones and I hope Yamaha supports owners with replacements till options are made available locally. As of now - I could not find any!

The front end is adorned with 110/80-14 T/L whereas the rear gets 140/70-14 T/L tyres on bright, blue-painted cast wheels.

Ground Clearance

At 145mm, ground clearance is certainly on the lower side (Just for reference - Ather - 160mm, SXR 160 - 160mm, OLA - 165mm).

However, also do note that the rear suspension setup on the Yamaha is one of the stiffest in the market and the scooter barely sags even with a pillion. Hence it is quite unlikely that the clearance will become an issue as the above number suggests.

The Aerox 155, in detail -

The front end is sharp looking though it reminds me of the R3 from some angles, and the Honda Grazia from some other -



DRLs are semi-bright! It is not very visible in broad daylight and gets prominent in the evening



Low beams are always on, once the scooter is started -



Makes for an imposing image with the high beams on! Good thing these won't sell in huge numbers and might only be picked up by enthusiasts, because as a car owner - you do not want this setup coming against you! If the recent Activa LEDs feel like a menace, these are at least 3X the brightness and glare when viewed head-on!



The actual, tiny LED inside -



With the low beam ON -



With high beams as well -



Aerox makes for a unique stance from the side, thanks to the X-design motif, which covers the fuel tank and engine bay.



Perhaps the most striking and sharpest looking angle of the Aerox is from the rear 3/4th -



Rear-end is tall and sleek, almost like a Honda CB-naked series motorcycle. Though visible grab rails are missing, the shape of the under-seat cowl provides a comfortable grip for the pillion.



To give a perspective of the size and road-presence factor. Two significant protrusions on either side, one for the transmission+airbox and the silencer on the other - give away the fact that this is a scooter.



The fairing design is neat and clean, with only a subtle black stickering in between -



Gets 14" cast wheels at the front, painted in the same shade of blue -



And 14 inchers at the rear as well -



This paint shade is a delight to detail, and really pops with some polish applied -



The paint quality is excellent for the segment. The colour really does sparkle under sunlight!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The front end gets a significant dose of black plastic, and I feel it does a good job of breaking the monotony of the racing blue. I am not a fan of this colour on the R15, but feel it works better here, due to this reason -



While not very obvious from a distance - the fairing comes with two large winglets under the headlamps -



The winglet design is carried forward to the side profile as well, and clearly demarcates the upper and lower fairing -



Fender comes half-painted towards the front. Once again, special mention to the paint quality that is better than generally seen in the scooter segment -



The design gets sharp and sleek towards the rear -



Ending with 12-LED tail-lamps that look sleek in action -



Yamaha logo takes pride-of-place at the rear as well -



Indicator units are of the bulb-type, look out of place and got fogged up after a small wash! Soon to be replaced with sleeker-looking LED units -



'Blue Core' badge at the front. But what is really worth noting here is the plastic quality -



The same quality and grain of the plastic is carried forward on the inside too. Yamaha Motorcycle Connect logo tries to show off the BT capabilities of the scooter, rather unnecessarily. There is also a small phone-holder compartment/glovebox on the LHS side, shown in a later post.



The fuel tank is placed at the floorboard area and is neatly concealed by the sporty X-motif -



That said, the fuel lid is the one area where the quality and attention to detail is lacking - It does not close very tight as shown below, and also feels flimsy once open. Comes spring-loaded though and catches attention at fuel bunks when it opens at the press of a button, especially since the scooter is a rare sight, for now -



The Smartkey system was given a miss for the Indian market. We get this conventional arrangement, though with a convenient button mechanism for the fuel lid, as well as for opening the seat -



One of the rare 'made-in-India' parts on the scooter. Single-tone horn is rather average -



Swingarm on the RHS side is a very large and unconventional looking unit -



The side stand feels weak and does not inspire confidence. Also, do note - the Aerox does not come with a brake-lock mechanism. Along with this weak side stand, need to be careful when parking on inclines.



Center stand is available as standard -



VIN, neatly hidden in the under-seat storage bay -



Un-necessarily long key -

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Ergonomics and Comfort

Overall, the seat on the Yamaha is comfortable for the rider and pillion, but as mentioned earlier, there are some obvious omissions that could become potential deal-breakers. But before I get into that, a quick mention on the overall plastics and quality that is excellent for the scooter segment.

The switchgear is exactly like you would expect on a Japanese scooter, with one major exception! The very useful high beam pass switch has been swapped for a console menu switch! But in case you need to warn other road users – the horn, although a single unit and one of the rare 'Made in India' parts one could spot on the scooter, is decent enough.

The seat is two-stepped and slopes towards the front, but the ride height (I believe measured at the lowest point) is on the higher side at 790 mm, 2.5 cm higher than many entry-level scooters in the market. Wife has to tip-toe with this scooter and I have to sit as far as the seat allows, to accommodate my knees - and at this point, it does feel like a tall scooter. The footwell is also higher than in regular scooters and has a huge central tunnel design too! Once seated, the stance is comfortable - and I could ride 6.5 hours without getting body pains.

That said, the story isn't all positive and there is one serious shortcoming, especially for the taller riders among us - and that is legroom. The sporty fairing curves in and almost brushes with my knees, causing issues even when slightly sliding forwards, especially when riding to the gym in the morning. Tight braking situations can cause the knee to brush against the mobile storage compartment knocking it open! I wonder how safe this design is - in case of an accident!

The mirrors are well-shaped, but could have been a size larger. Brake levers, although not of the adjustable type, fall to hand easily. They don’t require much effort to use as well.

Pillion sits even higher, though perched in a comfortable stance. The seat is decently flat and wide, and though visible grab rails are missing, the shape of the under-seat cowl provides a comfortable grip for the pillion. He/she will have no complaints if they are seated facing forward (I doubt sitting sideways would be a comfortable option here!).

The 24.5L under-seat storage is good and probably bettered only by the humungous storage on the OLA S1. My large MT helmet fits comfortably (upside down) and a small pouch could also be accommodated with it. The addition of small light and the provision of a charging point here (instead of the front compartment) could have made it even better.

The console feels way too low. Have to take your eyes fully off the road to look at it! You get a feeling that the handle is right below you.



RHS switchgear gets the starter switch, and the Auto Start-stop ON/OFF instead of the usual engine-kill switch -



LHS switchgear is just as you would expect on a scooter, with one major exception/blunder -



Instead of a pass/HighBeam-flash switch - you get a Menu button to scroll through the various console options!



Mirror design is sporty, but could have been a size larger -



The handlebar is positioned lower than normal for scooters-



Seat height is officially at 790mm, where 765 mm is the standard followed by most of the scooters in the Indian market. Even then, I believe the official figure is calculated towards the front of the seat, whereas the taller riders among us have to sit as further back as the two-stepped design allows. It sure feels tall and I do like it because I can see ahead of hatchbacks, sedans and even some crossovers, and this reduces some tension while riding in traffic.

On the minus side - wife has to tip-toe and cannot flat foot on this scooter. Has not affected her confidence level though, thanks to the excellent weight distribution of the scooter.



The low handlebar combined with the taller seat height - results in you sitting with the arms down, rather than in a 90-degree position. Comfortable posture otherwise, and I had nothing to complain about even a couple of hours into the ride! I'm 5'11" with a heavy build and the scooter doesn't look under-sized (for reference - here is me sitting on the OLA S1. Also do note the significant difference in handlebar positioning between the two!)



The large central tunnel means, footboard space is restricted on either sides -



However, the space isn't too bad and I have room to move my feet a bit, even wearing large Woodland shoes. That said - there is no space to keep your feet stretched-out on the fairing, as seen in many maxi-scooters abroad -



Legroom is in short supply, especially for taller riders. The sporty fairing curves in and almost brushes with my knees, causing issues, especially when riding to my gym in the morning. Tight braking situations can cause the knee to brush against the mobile storage compartment knocking it open! I wonder how safe this design is - in case of an accident!



The pillion seat is decently flat and wide. Though visible grab rails are missing, the shape of the under-seat cowl provides a comfortable grip for the pillion. He/she will have no complaints if they are seated facing forward (I doubt sitting sideways would be a comfortable option here!).



Alloy footrests for the pillion. The lack of a side-step footrest could become a deal-breaker for some.



The accessory seat cover from Yamaha is of average quality. The finish isn't perfect because it is just tied underneath and won't get stretched evenly no matter what!



However, I really do like the material and finish of the pillion-half. The grey finish towards the front half looks below average in comparison.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Power, NVH, Transmission and Performance

Yamaha Aerox is powered by a 155cc, Blue Core, SOHC FI Engine borrowed from the R15 with VVA tech included. The motor produces 15ps of power at 8000rpm and 13.9Nm of torque at 6500rpm.

Class-leading figures and that too by a good margin, when it comes to mainstream scooters. Modern electric scooters have better torque, but as a recent drag published by ACI showed - Aerox has enough pep to keep them at bay as well.

The engine is horizontally mounted just ahead of the CVT transmission, with the fuel tank placed just ahead within the footwell, giving the Aerox a low centre of gravity and excellent weight distribution characteristic. Refinement is excellent, just as you would expect from a Japanese brand, and so is the sound character-less. Perhaps a nicer sound as in the TVS NTorq would have added some more jazz to this motor.

Press the start button and the Aerox purrs to life in the most silent fashion possible - the SMG motor does not make the typical gear-meshing sound. Idle rpm is on the higher side between 1500-1700, almost seen as 2k on the console during a cold start!

Even with a slight twist of the throttle - the torquey nature of the engine is evident. Although a square motor, combined with the CVT - a slight twist of the accelerator is enough to get to 50kmph speeds and the Aerox makes light work of city traffic. Even on a 2-lane highway, a very slight throttle input is all that is needed to maintain 60-70 km/h. This IMHO is a very evident advantage over competing scooters like the Aprilia SXR160, which not only has a ~5hp disadvantage but also does not feel alive at lower RPMs.

At these speeds, the CVT transmission is excellent and shows minimal lag. It is only when you open the throttle for an overtake, or when trying to pull off a quick 60-100kmph - that the throttle lag becomes evident as it does in any other CVT. And of course, when climbing inclines or carrying pillion - as is the nature of CVT.

With a harder twist of the throttle - the VVA light comes on and the scooter gets a second wind. Performance picks up and highway speeds can be easily attained. With a constant throttle - Aerox can maintain 60km/h at ~4500rpm, with 80 km/h coming up at ~6000rpm. At 100km/h, you are at ~8000rpm (peak power range) with some juice still left for emergency overtakes. Not bad for a scooter!

Shows off VVA badge with pride -



The first mainstream liquid-cooled scooter in the Indian market? The radiator is placed sideways, away from damage caused by the debris from tyres.



The engine is horizontally mounted just ahead of the CVT transmission, with the fuel tank placed just ahead within the footwell, giving the Aerox a low centre of gravity and excellent weight distribution characteristics.

Fuel efficiency

Below are the results from 4 tankful calculations -

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Ride, Handling and Braking dynamics

For suspension hardware - the Aerox gets a conventional (26mm) twin fork set up at the front, with motorcycle-like twin units at the rear. Braking duties are handled by 230mm disc brakes at the front (with ABS) and 130mm drum brakes at the rear.

The headline-grabbing spec comes from the tyres though - with 110/80-14 upfront and 140/70-14 tubeless radials at the rear. The spec is not only wider than any other scooter in the market, it is not even available locally. Hopefully, owners have choices available by the time these 'Made in Indonesia' IRC SCT-005 tyres wear out.

"Effortless" is the first word that comes to mind when thinking of the handling - be it in the parking lot, slow speeds in the city or when showing the scooter through a set of curves.

Weight is extremely well engineered. The engine is horizontally mounted just ahead of the CVT transmission, with the fuel tank placed just ahead within the footwell, giving the Aerox a low centre of gravity and excellent weight distribution characteristic. Feels much lighter than even our old Maestro in the parking lot, wife mentioned the same as well.

Through corners - the Aerox feels natural, but still, it's a scooter and no motorcycle! Maybe it is just me - but I can't get a feeling of holding on to the centre tunnel while cornering (As Shumi mentioned in his Zigwheels scooter comparison- and understandable given his skill level) but just not for me! The front end still feels light though not as much as in the old Activa-format scooters, and combined with the low handlebar - I didn't particularly have much cornering fun. What it isn't - is scary, unlike other scooters. The wide rubber, large-diameter wheels and stiff suspension means the scooter can carry speeds into corners, naturally, even if you may not have much fun doing it.

Rear shocks are very, very stiff alright, and unnecessarily so! But personally, I don't feel it to be the deal-breaker stiffness that they are made out to be. Hard potholes are an issue - and you will need to slow down. But over smaller stuff like rough patches - these feel more sophisticated than the scooters in India like our Meastro which is equally stiff and at the same time useless in providing grip. At least the Aerox feels like it's holding the road even when transmitting everything to the rider, the larger bumps, especially so!

Will I opt for the KYB setup? Will see once the finances stabilise. Interestingly, the setup becomes nice with a pillion, potholes dismissed with aplomb. The shocks feel like they were designed to operate with the pillion weight in mind - and does not even really sag under the weight. A few times when I had to take her - she was one happy pillion.

Straight-line stability is better than scooters with 12-inch wheels and the Aerox doesn't feel nervous at highway speeds.

Braking is excellent with the wide rubber at both ends providing adequate grip. Front disc brakes (with ABS) provide excellent braking force, though I would have appreciated a little more initial bite. The rear drums are the opposite though - good, confidence-inspiring initial bite - though it's advisable to rely on the front end more.

26mm twin fork suspension setup at the front (also look at all the gaps where slush will accumulate post the monsoon season! )



Motorcycle-like twin units at the rear, evidently de-specced for the Indian market. The scooter is made available with a gas-charged shock as standard in markets like Thailand (refer pic above) and Indonesia. Adjustable KYB suspension is made available as an optional accessory in India though!



230mm disc brakes at the front (with ABS)



130mm drum brakes for the rear.



'Made in Indonesia' IRC SCT-005 tyres at both ends-



For the front - 110/80-14 M/C 53P SCT-005F T/L



And for the rear - 140/70-14 M/C 62P SCT-005R T/L

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Features and instrumentation

No touchscreens here, the Aerox just comes with a well-integrated digital console. Some of the features include -

• Odometer
• Two trip meters.
• Instant FE
• Average FE
• Battery Voltage
• Oil change trip meter (Manual reset)
• V-belt replacement trip meter (25000kms replacement interval) (Manual reset).
• Backlight dimmer, etc

We miss out on some equipment for the Indian market - like the Smartkey system (and the gas-charged rear suspension).

The scooter is also equipped with a Communication Control Unit /CCU which provides connectivity to mobile phones over Bluetooth.

While the app and the supported features in itself are good, BT enabled features are nowhere as useful as the SIM-enabled features on modern electric scooters. For example - while the app shows where the scooter was last parked, this only has details of the last time the scooter was connected to the phone over BT and cannot be used to trace a borrowed or stolen vehicle. It also allows the user to track their riding styles using the phone, but once again - only if connected via Bluetooth. Maybe someone should sit pillion watching the app!

Fuel efficiency and trip log calculations are more useful though - but easier to just track these using the console itself. And surprisingly - the FE on the MID was lesser than the actual tankful figure - at least for the first instance.

The instrument console is quite well designed and the well-painted panel surround is a joy to look at! Paint quality is quite evident here and lends the instrumentation with some class! The console feels way too low for my height. Have to take the eyes fully off the road to look at the meters.



However, no touchscreens here! In the age of modern touchpad consoles - a negative LCD display does not provide any bragging rights. On the plus side - it is legible even under the afternoon sun.



Warning lamps get their own small section. These include -

• High beam indicator
• Coolant Temperature Warning Light
• Check engine light
• Auto start-stop indicator

The various options provided in the instrument console -



The scooter is also equipped with a Communication Control Unit /CCU which provides connectivity to mobile phones over Bluetooth.



With the phone connected, the console displays "APP" symbol and also phone battery status. On the LHS side - it displays missed call and message alerts, although the latter never works for me.



Some of the highlights of the Yamaha YConnect App. The home screen displays odometer, fuel and battery status -



The various options available in the app-



Rpm can be accurately checked on the app, but I don't see any utility for this unless there is some technical troubleshooting required.



Throttle input, acceleration, and rpm can be measured on this screen. Very nice info, but not very useful to have over BT.



Last parking location (shows the location where the phone was last disconnected).



Riding log information. Once again very useful, but works flawlessly only if the phone was connected before the ride.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Practicality.

Aerox is a practical machine, except for the one obvious disadvantage - lack of floorboard space! If you need it, this scooter is just not for you. Period!

Yamaha tries to make up for this by providing a large, 24.5L under-seat storage that can swallow a full-face helmet in addition to a few small candy bars. Helmet hooks are provided with under-seat storage. The compartment can be used for carrying items up to 3kg of weight.

The scooter also comes with a phone storage compartment at the front - sized just about enough to carry modern-day smartphones. Although equipped with a 12V, 1A power socket - the charger won't be useful while running because a large phone + charging plug cannot be accommodated in that closed space.

Touring abilities

Right out of the showroom, I had to ride 6 hours, 210kms to get back home. Don't get the timings wrong - the scooter isn't slow, but the roads in Kerala are challenging enough and was recently voted one of the worst in the country on our polls. I had good two-lane tarmac throughout, with some fast winding roads thrown in.

Kerala's State Highway-1 is not something to be taken lightly. And the Aerox dismissed this highway with aplomb!

I didn't have to worry about luggage, and in case that need arises in the future - I don't think it will be a major worry either! All the below solutions look simple enough -


Courtesy - Vikrant Singh from Bikewale


Courtesy - Bulu Biker on Instagram

Or perhaps, a nice tailbag like this one BHPian Sebring has -

Service Schedules

First service has to be done within 1000kms / 30 days from the date of billing. From then on - a service has to be done once every 3000 kms / 120 days.

The oil used for the Aerox is different compared to the R15. Though 10W40, the grade is different -





Few of the common parts seem to have unusually large replacement intervals (going as per the owner's manual). For example -
Air Filter - Every 16k km
Fuel filter - Every 13k km

However, there are also a few parts to watch out for, not commonly available in the Indian market.
Tyres - Aerox comes with Indonesian-made IRC tyres with no replacement available in the market for now.
Battery - Yuasa YTZ7V 12V, 6.3 Ah - which is not a common spec in the market. Hope TATA Green's Velocity Plus YTZ7-H (licensed from Yuasa) is a direct replacement.

Standard & Extended Warranty

Aerox comes with a warranty of 2 years /24,000 km standard and extended up to 5 years / 60,000 km bundled into one package backed by 'Yamaha We Care' (Toyota Tsusho Insurance Broker India Private Limited).

Accessories

As of now, only two small purchases have been made -

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Axe77]

What a brilliant review that this bike truly deserves. I had been waiting for this one to pop out of assembly line for the forum.

Speaking of botched up launches, I have walked into the Yamaha showroom multiple times since its launch, the last time got revived after I saw your bike purchase post. I was sure by now it should be available, a good 3 - 4 months since its launch. It still isn’t. I queried the completely disinterested sales person at the Lower Parel showroom and got the explanation with him after some casual cross questioning.

Apparently Yamaha wants showrooms stocking the Aerox to have some blue theme and basic visual standard which would cost approx 30 - 35L, which the dealerships are pushing back on because they don’t find it worthwhile - ergo this standoff. (Just repeating what the salesperson told me).

Net result: to the best of my knowledge there is no Aerox available in a metro city like Mumbai. What an absolute pity and disaster. Incidentally, in this same showroom more than a decade ago I have seen the mighty V Max standing - it was then twice the floor plate than its current avatar - clearly telling of Yamaha’s India trajectory over the last decade and a half. After years of yearning after maxi scooters its Yamaha that finally launches a gem of a product and its unpurchasable in Mumbai.

Great to see pics of Neil too at the launch - he’s a treasure trove of grounded opinions on all things riding (including gear). Good to put a face to the name, even if masked.

Good luck to the wife and you with the ownership of the Aerox and will be tracking this for the steady stream of ownership updates.

[Aditya]

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed reviews of motorbikes have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also gone here. Thank you so much for sharing .