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Bangalore to Pune in a Yamaha Aerox 155: 1800 km ride review
I just finished an impulsive 1800km round trip on the Aerox over 3 days, from Jan 5th to 7th, from Bangalore to Pune and back with errand pit stops en route in Belgaum and Kohlapur. The scooter’s cubic capacity is dismissed as boring for highways, fuel economy as a hindrance, ride quality as harsh, ground clearance as risky, wind buffeting as intrusive…and so on. When work presented an opportunity to head far, on a road I knew, I thought I’d learn about Aerox’s proper long-distance ability first-hand. The same day Left Pune at 4 pm and rode back to Hubli, reached by 12pm with 3 tea breaks and 4 fuel stops.
I can understand for those with ortho chair jobs or long hours seated careers or conditioned to commuting car rears, ride complaints would be butt obvious, pun intended. Ghat bends or long sweepers on the highway, this goes where you point it, with no deviation from holding its line.
Will the low overall silhouette of the vehicle be imbalanced by my upper body weight and loaded top box? There was zero turbulence from heavy vehicles rushing past or the famed crosswinds that operate the Chitradurga windmills.
It’s also to be noted that this scooter keeps the wind completely away from feet, legs and lower body thanks to its faired construction. As a parting point to this category, I’d like to mention a thought that kept reoccurring – I never seemed to reach the limit of this scooter, where it gasped for performance.
Agreed no Himalayas, but over the mild western ghats I crossed en route, there was no change to performance described above. There were several heart-in-mouth moments where I would pass a pump for being inconveniently off the road, only to encounter tens of kilometres without a next one and my gauge indicator asking me why the hell wasn’t I refuelling.
However, it took away less than 5 minutes each time to identify a pump without any queue and swing into it, flip that conveniently located flap and ask for 500 ka fuel, a note I kept ready to quickly hand over in my upper jacket pocket. I actually found the coincidence of ATMs dispensing 500 notes, the price of fuel in India today and the 4 5 – 5 litre refuelling I did, to be a happy, convenient reason I could speed in and out of pumps in minimal time. The two most relaxed parts of me were my hands and legs, enhanced by having nothing much to do with the controls and being in positions that offered leeway for change and little to no stress.
I could vary my feet position forward or rear by about 6 inches, enough to keep me comfortable the entire way.
The seat, however, angled me such that I could not move many fronts or back on it, which over a long duration caused ample pinprick sensation to the rear. I did not find my knees fouling with the front apron even while braking hard, something that most reviews I’d seen, keep harping on. What was really worrisome was when coming downhill, at an angle of above 20 degrees descent, the rough track took the scooter out of its line very rapidly and the gearless nature meant it picked up speed on its own while doing so. Extra spacious under the seat, that fantastic Givi top box and a natural body to hold saddle bags mean the Aerox is really practical to pack in a lot. How desirable is this scooter to me, measured by whether I turn back to look at it after parking each time, and how long I would keep it, given I rotate my vehicles each year? The first one I can answer immediately to myself – I didn’t look at it too much anywhere I parked, nor was I inclined to take pictures of it in assorted dramatic highway landscapes.
Even though my scooter is in arguably its loudest colours, orange wheels etc, I still found its modern silhouette aka Dio-styled looks, to be not as endearing to my retro favouring sensibilities. There was good curiosity out there though about the scooter, but my gauge is that this is a fairly under-the-radar looker which doesn’t turn heads for style.
Since that has no implication on reasons I keep or sell my bikes, the second aspect, of how long this will stay with me, is still open to experiences ahead. For me, post this comprehensive ride experience, the Aerox appears to be great for – Solo airport runs where I park there for fly-out-n-back day work trips. Solo trips for errands that require me to bring back or ferry goods, thanks to that cavernous luggage capability. For the monsoons, the Aerox will be ever prepared with all the raingear in its under-seat storage and keeping some splashes away with its body style and fairing.
Yamaha Aerox 155 Review: An Enthusiast’s Guide to the Perfect Scooter
Yamaha fans and motorcycle enthusiasts can agree with me when i say that since the death of its four (two) stroke engines, the brand’s lineup (in India) wasn’t as exciting for a very long time. Now Yamaha has done a splendid job in matching the scooters exterior design with what it holds at heart. With its LED headlights, the step-through format on your foot, and the 14-inch wheels clearly suggests that Speed is its business. Also, in addition to a few panel gaps here and there, the scooter also gets flimsy plastic in places like the fuel filler cap. The lack of floorboard is due to the position of the fuel tank, which has also resulted in a bigger boot space of 24.5-litres. The 15hp on tap that is laudable by at least scooter standards, the Aerox is zippy and provides smooth overtakes in city traffic, while being capable of cruising on highway at 90-100kmph. Now, unlike other scooters in the market, the Aerox feels a but heavy around corners and demands a little effort to tip it in. The scooter feels planted on a rail while taking corners which inspires more confidence to the rider.
The 230-mm disc brake at the front, while being adequate with its duties even at high speeds lack feel at the lever. Additionally, the rear drum brakes is where we thought Yamaha should improve as the setup felt quite feeble.
Yamaha Aerox 155 review, first ride
The front apron mimics a bike’s fairing and houses twin LED headlamps complete with DRLs. Yamaha is also offering the company’s Y-Connect Bluetooth suite at an additional cost.
The fuel tank sits on the central spine and is operable by the multifunction key switch.
There is a small cubbyhole on the front apron which can house your mobile phone.
The underseat storage bin is huge and can accommodate a full face helmet. In place of the usual floor board, the scooter has a central spine running.
This section also houses the 5.5 litre fuel tank which can be opened via a switch provided in the ignition key console. On the downside, certain plastic fixtures like the fuel filler and cubbyhole lid feel flimsy. Thanks to the central spine section one has to swing the leg over to mount the scoot. A full face international spec helmet can be stored in it and that to us is a win. The rear section looks muscular and very much like a motorcycle thanks to its twin shock set up. Bottom line is that on the Aerox, you will never feel the lack of power and performance.
High speed stability is epic and even at 100kmph plus, the scooter feels planted. It is the kind of scooter where one does not want to slow down on speed humps and just enjoy the jump! The verdict then is that the Aerox is for the enthusiast who was not being allowed a motorcycle and yet does not want to miss out on the joys.
Yamaha NVX/Aerox/NMAX 125 155/XMAX 250 300
New Genuine Yamaha Keyless Remote Smart Key fob. Before starting the 1st step, please put aside the old remote from your motorcycle or turn it off.
M2R Smart Key for Aerox
– The Smart Key Security System with remote control can help your motorcycle keep away from thieves – Adjustable Shock Sensor, Flashing lights warning – 2 Buttons remote transmitters, Compact and Powerful 125dB Piezo Siren
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