Yamaha Aerox 155: My impressions after 140km with the scooter

Took the same route the Top Gear trio did, and it returned a fuel efficiency figure of ~42 - 45 kmpl.

BHPian WD-42 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Rode this in Vietnam, where it's called the NVX 155; here's my mini-review of it after riding it for a day.

Rode up from Hue to Hoi An, via the Hai Van pass, the same route the Top Gear guys did in the Vietnam special. A distance of ~140 km over 8 hrs with lots of stops for sightseeing.

It's a fantastic touring vehicle for those who don't want to tour on a motorbike.

The Good:

• Fantastic ergonomics for the rider.
• Great rider seat: Wide and well-cushioned for your derriere while jutting out ever so slightly between your thighs to give you the 'between-the-thigh-grip' you need while you corner like on a sport bike.
• Controls all fall perfectly to the hand.
• Brilliant canyon carver due to the following characteristics which are spot on
• Weight is well balanced. Moving the fuel tank up between your legs allows for a very nice weight distribution.
• Wheel size and wheel base.
• Braking: Is linear, quick with no fuss. Not much dive on panic braking either.
• Ride quality: Suspension is soft yet stiff. In the sense that you can corner in the twisties without any hesitation yet is comfortable on the highways (not soft but not stiff either, a bit in the goldilocks zone).
• The engine and CVT gearbox combo delivers power linearly and it pulled like a train even on the mountain twisties with a two up payload of ~150kgs. Power is always available and it runs out of steam only at like 110-120, and I'm talking two up!
• It sat comfortably at 100kph all day without whinging about
• Under-seat storage is scooter equivalent of the cargo area of a station wagon. I took a full face helmet + our jackets, or our massive camera bag and 2x1L bottles.
• Good ground clearance and tyre size for soft off-roading.
• The black-grey combo (the one we had) without all the teenage stickering looks menacing in a restrained subtle way
• Sounds classy: Has a nice bassy thrum that is present, yet muted. So it's there when you want to hear it and blends into the background when you don't. Doesn't go about shouting out your arrival like a hooligan scooter yet will classily announce your presence when you arrive.

Based on those two points, I'd say it's the scooter Bond would take to Casino Monte Carlo if he had to ride there.

It gave us something like 42 - 45 km/l

The Bad:

• Pillion seat
• Ergonomics or lack of: Quite literally a pain in the arse. Felt narrower than a bicycle seat with as much cushioning as a worn out state transport bus seat. 3/4 of your pillion's derriere will be on the body panels soaking up all the vibrations from the engine. It got very painful to a point where the Mrs and I were switching between riding and pillion duty every 45 min. I couldn't take it anymore after half a day and my Mrs somehow soldiered on the pillion for the last ~3 hrs.
• Lack of grab rails: It has these slots under the rear seat like in a KTM RCXXX, so your hands are going to be sore from holding on. Or alternatively you'll have to grab the rider's midriff like on a sports bike, but since you are seated upright and not leaning forward your lower back will get sore if you do this.
• The pillion is a balcony seat like on a sport bike. Quite difficult to get on and off.
• Wind protection: None. Your head is now a rag doll, congrats. If you been on the pillion and then riding, well now you have both a pain in the arse and a pain in the neck.
• Fuel filler: The fuel filler is on the spine between your legs. Gets real awkward at the filling station.
• Stepping through: The frame forms a high spine and the scooter is quite wide at the step through, means you have to reach over really far. Makes stepping through rather difficult unless you are on perfectly level ground, even a little slope laterally (width-wise) of the scooter i.e. if one foot is lower/higher than the other on the road makes it quite difficult to balance and step through. I ended up swinging my leg over the seat like I would on a motorcycle, found that easier than stepping through. Going to be tough those who are vertically and muscularly challenged.
• Fuel capacity: 5.5-litres with 5-litres fillable IIRC, so around a ~180-200km range, not much if you are touring.

Bottom line: It's a fantastic and fun-touring scooter for a single person.

1. I had a lot of fun riding this on the twisties, it's a wonderful canyon carver. Well balanced, good road manners, power always on tap.
2. I dare say I had more fun riding this than a motorbike, no more hunting for the perfect gear for a corner, no more trying to stay in the power-band. Just twist the throttle and go WHEEEEEEEE! And the best part is you go WHEEEE! At safe speeds, not unsafe speeds.
3. It was comfortable for the day long ride and the only soreness we had was from riding pillion, the rider's seat would've been comfortable for multi-day touring.

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