re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

When I tried fueling, the nozzle itself was not going in. The mouth of the tank is very small..

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Let me clarify,
1. It is better to stick to the manufacturer recommendation, especially when one doesn't have an idea/knowledge about other options - holds good not only for batteries but for other parts as well.
(you still haven't mentioned the brand/model/rating that came with this bike)

2. In the Indian market, the most common types of batteries available are: (Exide Motorcycle Batteries | Two Wheeler Batteries India) << Read this for more information.

a. Conventional Lead-acid batteries (e.g. Exide bikerz) - this need a top up of distilled water every few months. The life of these batteries is 2-3yrs if maintained well. And these batteries must be mounted vertical (say 90 deg), and as you mentioned these batteries sometimes have an electrolyte leak from the vent hose. Also their ability to hold a charge when idle/unused is not as good as the other types. Cost wise, these are the cheapest.
These are slowly being replaced by the second type mentioned next.

b. The Maintenance Free (MF) type (e.g. Exide Xtreme) - Most commonly used these days on bikes sold in the Indian market. These are built better and are leak proof to a good extent and do not require topping up of water under normal use for a couple of years. Cost wise, they fall in between and provide a good balance of reliability vs price for most small applications.

c. The VRLA batteries (e.g. Exide Xplore or the Amaron's): The Chemistry/construction of these batteries is a lot different compared to the other two mentioned above. These are 'sealed' for life, and some of these are also sold 'dry' and provided with electrolyte in cartridges to be filled up before installation (e.g. the exide that ktm provides as oem).
These batteries have better life and can also hold their charge better when left unused for long periods of time. They also have a more consistent/better CCA (Cold cranking Amps). These batteries can be mounted in different orientations (at an angle/tilted e.g. like in a ktm duke) and require no ventilation.
These cost the 'most'. The price gap though is not as much these days and one of the reason why a lot of folks switch to these vrla's during replacement.

Now coming to your question about the cost of these batteries on superbikes/abroad.
It doesn't make sense to compare prices in India vs Abroad. The battery technology is the same on those vrla's too.
Higher capacity bikes use a bigger battery (not necessarily by size but by its spec such as Ah/CCA)
Let me give you an example:
- Did you know that an oil filter for a ktm duke which costs around 100rs here in India, costs almost 10x in the UK ?
- Same goes for parts for a scooter such as a Dio (sold as the scv lead in the UK)
- How much does a biriyani or samosa cost here vs in the USA ? Trust me, I've paid the equivalent of Rs.100 for a samosa abroad

The reason a lot of super bikes (not just superbikes, mind you even smaller 200~600cc one use it) use vrla's is because of the advantages that I have mentioned earlier. Space is a constraint (batteries are installed at an angle), they need better CCA, stabillity to vibrations, and such bikes are more often than not left unused for longer periods etc.. all these and other factors tilt the favor towards vrla's which have an advantage over the other two types.

Finally, there are the less commonly used AGM, Lithium Ion (way more expensive but a lot lighter) etc.. the price vs performance (and ofcourse availability) benefit of these might not be suitable to everyone (including the manufacturer's). Hence why you see a lot more of the MF and VRLA being used currently.
Maybe in the future we might be seeing more of the AGM, Li-Ion types.. but not anytime soon.

Your service advisor might be right in recommending the stock battery, but he definitely is wrong in saying an equivalent vrla will cause issues. Ofcourse if one ends up with electrical modifications and a vrla with a wrong spec, it might cause trouble.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

First, Let me post pic of this battery.

Dont have any with me now do it soon.

Second... the cca/Ah were exact... let me post the model names along with ratings...

and then lets compare them spec to spec with vrla from superbike batteries...

my point is not to just argue... I wanna know if there is some thing I am really over looking... that discussion regaring price point of batteries came out on a wrong foot... and discussion going off topic as a result.

yes sticking to manufacturer recommended stuff is always safe bet. But the manufacturer also usually gives a range for types and capacities of batteries that can be used, just like he does give a range for engine oil etc...

trust me I wanna know as much as you do as to why that mishap took place. Like I explained earlier, if there is a possibility to buy and use a vrla or an Agm battery at a resonable cost, I am all game for it. Again the same reason rusted chassis.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

first, nobody is arguing. we are just having a discussion
manufacturer's usually only give one specification for the battery. reason being any variation might have electrical issues e.g. the stator not being able to charge a bigger battery, over loading , electrical failure etc..

If there is a equivalent (same size , same Ah) vrla from Amaron or Exide then you shouldn't be having any issues.

I've heard a lot of stories from different svc's on various topics, some are best brushed aside. But again, their recommendation to use the stock variety of battery is not wrong and if they say that they will void warranty on using other similar batteries, you might as well stick with the recommended one.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

HI Aprilia FAM,

I am back again with some more feedback ..

I have done some 600+kms on this machine and self starter has refused to start this machine. I have to start this machine using kick started. After doing some 10kms , I again tried with self started and it worked this time.

I have always started this machine with kick starter and choke on in morning as recommended by the manual.

getting apprehensive about its future performance.

Regards

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

🤔Did you get it checked by service center yet!! Do let us know the cause of this issue.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Anyone here from Kolkata?? I booked my Aprilia sr150 here in kolkata, but the dealer here is constantly delaying the delivery of the vehicle. First he said that i am supposed the get the delivery on 25th October, then he said that due to fewer vehicles delivered i'll get my delivery on 12-15th November. Now the dealer is telling me that the delivery might again get delayed by 2 weeks.
Has anyone in here from kolkata booked or bought the vehicle??

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Me in queue awith serial no 13.. they have delivered 9 so far.. will get it in next batch

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Get a basic voltage check done, i.e. battery voltage at:
a. stand alone, without starting the scooter (ideally should be between 12.5~13.2V). If the voltage falls below 12, then get the battery charged and check again. then check it again after a couple of days.
b. voltage at idle (around the same or a wee bit more than the reading from step a. above)
c. voltage at 4000~5000rpm (should increase by around 1-1.5V from reading in b. i.e to around 14.5V) -- if this isn't happening, then the issue could be with either the RR(regulator-rectifier) or the stator coil (in most cases it's a faulty RR unit)

These simple steps will let you know if the battery is holding charge or if the charging system (stator & rr unit) is at fault. Some service center's also have more advanced battery tester that will perform a load test i.e. letting you know if the battery is healthy or no, by measuring the voltage drop during a load test.


Edit: If the battery/charging system checks ok, and you have cold start issues and it gets ok once warmed up, then i suggest you get the valve clearances checked and adjusted to spec.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

If it happens again, you might have to replace the alternator.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

I got a new engine today. Was delivered in a neatly packed box. To my surprise, the engine costs 40386rs. Rest of the bike is just 25k?
I unpacked the new engine and it has the same old number. Waiting for the heart transparent to happen. Will get the bike back on Monday. Old engine is being sent back to the factory for further analysis.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Good that you got a new engine with the same old engine number. I'd say you are very lucky to get an engine replacement this quick!
That's the complete Engine+Transmission and rear wheel assembly (or was the transmission bolted on to the existing rear wheel?) . And did the engine come with a new carburetor?
The rear tire and rim itself might set you back by 2500 at-least.
What's left is the frame, forks, front wheel, body panels and electricals.. The price seems ok for the complete unit.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

I opened the box and checked. Engine and transmission comes in the same casing along with the carb.
Just the wheel has to be taken out from the old engine and fixed to the new one.

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences


Get first service done yesterday. They checked the battery and found it to be ok. I have not faced that issue after that. But the thing is that they have not done anything to rectify it.

What I observed is that when I start it after 4-5 hours , the issue crops up. if I start within half an hour or so than it works fine.

Lets see how it works after first service.

Would like to add that the ride has become comfortable after 3 weeks ( as compared to initial days ) as suggested by someone earlier.

Warm regards

re: Aprilia SR 150 Owners Reviews and Experiences

this points to a need for a minor valve clearance adjustment, or a slight enriching of the afr by tuning the carb.