Italian automaker Piaggio’s Chinese counterpart, Zongshen Piaggio Foshan Motor has introduced an all-new cafe racer under the Aprilia brand. Dubbed the Aprilia Pagani 150, the motorcycle is priced at 21,800 Chinese Yuan or roughly Rs 2.35 lakh ex-showroom. It is basically the faired and bigger avatar of FB Mondial’s HPS 125 — ‘300’ sibling of which was sold in India for a brief period.
In the Chinese market, it shares its internals with the cafe scrambler-like Aprilia CR150. Other Aprilia products based on the same platform include the Cafe 150 sports commuter, Terra 150 dual-sport, GPR150 faired-sports, etc. Interestingly, FB Mondial has already got the Pagani 1948 which looks similar to the new Aprilia Pagani 150. In other words, either product is an example of badge engineering.
Place the FB Mondial HPS 125 and Aprilia Pagani 150 beside each other and one can observe identical components such as certain body panels, fuel tank, seating configuration, swingarm, exhaust system, suspension, footpegs, wheels and more. The primary difference comes in the form of fenders (mudguards), fairing design and rider triangle (only a subtle change). Both motorcycles look interesting and showcase strong desirability for a made-in-China 150cc product. The Aprilia Pagani 150 would most likely remain a China-only product like its other ‘150’ alternatives.
Mondial HPS 150 (for reference)
Powering the new Aprilia 150 is a familiar 150cc liquid-cooled engine good for almost 18bhp @ 9,750rpm and 14Nm @ 7,500rpm. This is mated to a 6-speed transmission. ABS would be offered as an optional extra as most other single-cylinder or affordable motorcycles sold in China. The Chinese market recently received the QJ SRK 600, which is essentially the successor to the old Benelli TNT 600i sold in India as well as abroad. In most markets, the TNT 600i was the only Chinese four-cylinder motorcycle available new. Italian-origin Benelli is currently under Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle Group of China.
Aprilia India might introduce the much-awaited RS 150 and Tuono 150 at some point in the future. However, Indian motorcycle enthusiasts have started losing hope as they have been waiting since the faired- and naked-sports models were showcased back at Auto Expo 2018. Once launched, they would directly rival Yamaha Motor India’s YZF-R15 and MT-15.
Aprilia Pagani 150 on the road
Image Credit: newmotor.com.cn
Piaggio India has updated all its products to BS6 emission norms. In the process, prices shot up unreasonably by almost Rs 20,000 without any major upgrades in terms of features, performance or comfort. Aprilia and Vespa scooters appeal to a niche segment of buyers in the country.
Source
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
