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My Scootering Life |
Aprilia Action
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September 2007 - Present
June 2007 - Present
May 2004 - April 2007
March - April 2004
May 2003-March 2004
BOUNCING ALONG ON A BAJAJ SPIRIT March - April 2003
Coming soon....
Gears V Auto's
My personal favorites
E-mail link
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The Aprilia Sportcity 125cc The sudden demise of the X-Max was a shock to the system and initially I considered giving up this scootering lark altogether. However the insurance paid up quickly and the novelty of regular public transport soon began to wear thin, so thoughts returned to two-wheeled transport. Not being in any great hurry I kept and eye on e-Bay and had a browse around a couple of local dealers. During one of these visits I noticed a second hand Aprilia Sportcity 125cc for sale. Checked the reviews of the bike out on the internet and then had a chat with the dealer. The bike was three years old but had barely covered 2000 miles. It's one previous owner had been an elderly gentleman who used it to trundle a couple of miles up the road from his home. It seemed in immaculate condition and the dealer promised to throw in a full MOT, tax disc and a new battery. Looked like a good deal to me so I put my deposit down and collected the bike a couple of weeks later. The dimensions of the Sportcity are very similar to my old Dylan. The obvious difference between the two being the larger wheels on the Aprilia which make a huge difference to the ride quality. I can see why the bike is called "Sportcity" as it is by far the best scooter I have had when it comes to inner city traffic. It's extremely stable when it comes to filtering which makes a tricky manoeuvre all the easier. The engine is smooth and responsive although it does take a mile or two to fully warm up.
The panels are very well designed and allow easy access for carrying out any basic maintenance jobs. Luggage space is obviously limited on a large wheeled scooter, however the Sportcity comes with a built in rear rack which I'll be fitting a top box to in the near future. It's worth noting that Honda charge a whopping £350 above the OTR price to supply a rack and top box for their high wheeled 125cc scooter, now that's a real rip off. I've been out once or twice so far in the wind and rain, and again the Aprilia scores very well. Surprisingly it's far more stable in the wind than the X-Max was. The tyres give no cause for concern and grip the road like glue. If I had to pick faults then the horn button is a little too near the turn signal switch, I've tapped it by mistake a couple of times. It doesn't start quite as easily as the Dylan (or obviously the X-Max, but that was fuel injected), it can take 3-4 seconds on the starter button for the engine to fire, but these are very minor points. All in all it's a solid and confidence inspiring machine, something I certainly need after the last few months ! Further updates and pictures to follow over the coming weeks.
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