Piaggio is an iconic Italian manufacturer and has production facilities around the world including in Southeast Asia, where it produces several models and brands for supply to the region.
VPPW Supplies, the exclusive distributor of the Piaggio Group in Thailand, recently organised an exclusive trip for Thai media to visit the Piaggio Group's factory in Vinh Phuc City, Vietnam.
Operating under the Piaggio and Aprilia brands, the site serves as a production hub for scooters that are shipped to Asia and other regions around the world. The plant was built in 2007 but has recently gone through a restructuring to support market growth and future lifestyle trends.
More than 10 new products are being slated for production here, and Thai media were invited to test ride four models at the factory's research and development test track.
So in addition to opening the factory doors for our visit, Piaggio also exhibited a line-up of more than 10 popular products, along with activities to test the performance of the four scooter models (from three leading brands within the group).
While pillion riding on a Vespa allowed us to enjoy a sightseeing tour of Hanoi, my focus was on the Aprilia SR GT Sport that we were to ride at the R&D track located back at the factory.
The adventure scooter is assembled at this factory and exported to various countries including Thailand.
Aprila SR GT 200 Sport: the adventure automatic scooter
The Aprilia SR GT and SR GT Sport were previously introduced in Thailand during a showy event at Lumpini Boxing Stadium.
Now that I've had the opportunity to test ride the Sport model, I think it's better than the standard model.
The general styling makes it clear that the SR GT series was designed for both road and gravel use. The higher ground clearance of 175mm is complemented by a Michelin Anakee all-terrain tubeless 14in (110/18) front tyre and fat 13in (130/70) rear tyre along with Showa 122mm travel front suspension and double adjustable rear shocks with 102mm travel. Thus this uniquely designed scooter comes with an excellent set-up.
The seat height is non-adjustable at 799mm, which means the SR GT stands high from the ground in comparison to other scooters, which is actually ideal.
Lastly, bright orange paint on the wheels adds some spice to the overall look.
The SR GT Sport may cost more than other 200cc scooters, but it comes with lots of nice features. First is the overall design, which gets two thumbs up. This is one of the best-looking scooters available, with its "Be A Racer" DNA from Aprilia shining bright. It looks like an RSV4, and this alone makes for a good selling point.
Engine
The new i-get 200 engine is a single-cylinder, four-valve, water-cooled unit with a capacity of 174.4cc mated to a belt-drive CVT, delivering 17.6hp at 8,500rpm and 16.5Nm at 7,000rpm. The block features a new aluminium cylinder coated with Nickasil, a technology utilised in high-end motorcycles.
Test ride
Our venue was the Piaggio R&D test ride track at Vinh Phuc plant, which is used for testing every motorcycle that rolls out from this factory.
There is one long stretch for high-speed testing before riders enter a fast corner to the left and a combination of quick left and right turns. It's a good track for evaluating capabilities at speed as well as cornering and braking -- and on all accounts this bike did a surprisingly good job.
The SR GT Sport has fine electronic features such as an automatic start-stop system controlled by ECU RISS (Regulator Inverter Start & Stop System). The switch on the right handlebar can be used to turn the function on and off.
However, there is no traction control and this can cause the throttle to not respond quickly enough. While this results in slower acceleration, it is needed for safety. There are also two types of foot positions (flat and inclined) to accommodate varied leg lengths.
As for cornering, the SR GT Sport is in top form thanks to a good riding position and the scooter's well-functioning suspension system. The bike is very stable and feels safe.
Unfortunately, we didn't go off road, but the test track gave us a good idea of the scooter's basic capabilities.
Verdict
If the price seems high, do consider everything this scooter offers -- among them killer looks and good performance, as well as a strong image reflecting Aprilia's motorsport success.
Aprilia SR GT 200 Sport is priced at 148,900 baht.
VPPW Supplies — distributor of legendary Italian motorcycles from the Piaggio Group including Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi — recently organised "Vespa's Factory Visit In Vietnam" exploring the manufacturing base at Vespa Factory (Piaggio Vietnam) located in Vinh Phuc — the production hub of Vespa, Piaggio and Aprilia vehicles exported to countries all over Asia and the world.
The company also unveiled a roadmap to enhance the factory's capacities in response to expected growth and developing lifestyle trends. Likewise showcased was a line-up of 10 popular models with exclusive test rides organised featuring four models from three brands.
One of Vespa's 12 production plants around the world, Vespa Factory (Piaggio Vietnam) is located inside an industrial estate in Vinh Phuc province. The factory's construction project was initiated in 2007 with construction commencing in early 2008. Fifteen years on, the factory is behind hundreds of thousands of motorcycles from Vespa, Aprilia and Piaggio.
Spanning across 265,000m², the factory takes in all aspects of production and includes cutting-edge technology and equipment, an R&D unit for Asia Pacific, and a test-ride facility.
The factory reports delivery of 1,000 units per day to different markets, including Thailand. Products include various scooter models popular worldwide such as Vespa GTS, the brand's top model dating back to 2004; Vespa LX and S which were first produced in 2009; Vespa Primavera and Sprint, first manufactured in 2013; Piaggio Liberty whose production began in 2011; Piaggio Medley S dating back to 2015; and the latest model, the Aprilia SR GT 200.
