APRILIA SR GT 400

[johnakay]

how reliable are these aprilia scooter.
I currently have anADV350 and could do with a bit more oomph in the acceleration for when I'm over taking cars.
the 2026 APRILIA SR GT 400 has 36 bhp and 37.7 torque, ADV 29.9bhp and 31.5 torque.
the nearest dealer is about 30 miles away.I've been there a couple of times teasdale motorcycles thirsk.
going touring soon on my ADV so I'll know soon enough if I need to change for the bigger.
with a combined weight of 29 st plus luggage some times I could do with a bit more oomph for overtaking.

[velocipede6295]

I have also found the ADV 350 could sometimes use a bit more oomph when overtaking cars, particularly if they "fight back" against being passed. It is fine if I relax, resist overtaking in some instances, and and don't expect the performance of a bigger bike. I have been considering a Forza 750, but found my previous Honda X ADV 750 somewhat heavy, and though I liked the power, I appreciate the lower but decent power and light weight of the ADV 350. It's good for me if I don't expect blistering overtaking performance.
A recent experience on the ADV 350 has prompted me not to go for as many overtakes, and only overtake really slow vehicles, and have a more relaxed ride.

With the weight your ADV is carrying, you may be as well checking it's maximum load carrying figure. I have seen it quoted at 397 lb ( owner's manual ) which is less than the 29st ( 406lb) you will be carrying, and that does not include any fitted accessories and luggage you would be carrying. The weight your ADV is carrying will obviously have an effect on the acceleration.

A 58 bhp / 69 nm torque, 750 Honda Forza would be more suitable for touring and accelerating with a heavy load, but even that may be overloaded carrying 406lb plus luggage, as may the Aprilia.

all the best, Malcolm

[johnakay]

as for max weight its to do with insurance purpose in other words covering their own ass in the event of a claim.
we went touring last year with no problem just when I want to overtake like you say some resent you passing.
I've had the Honda Forza 750 to heavy on the steering,once on the move she fine.
pushing it out of the garage and riding slow out of the drive it feels heavy.
took it back to the dealers 3 times but can't find anything wrong but they admitted it was unusually heavy steering.
weight is combined is 28 st lol
the forza was cheaper to insure than the 350.
anyway thanks Malcom.

[roadster]

As part of the Piaggio group the engine itself is well tried and used in other models. I have owned several Piaggios and their weak spot has generally been the electrics. Hopefully Honda imposed their usual standards on the ADV even if it may be manufactured in Italy. Personally the Aprilia's underseat storage space would put me off and if I was looking for better performance from the ADV I would start by changing the variator rollers.

[Andym]

I cannot reccomend Teasdale's highly enough

Having had two Moto Guzzi's though, I wouldn't touch anything Piaggio with a very long pole. A good dealer makes a massive difference, but when they just don't have spares, endlessly tweak minor details and reject all warranty as "mis-use" they aren't a good bet IMHO. The GT400 selling in such small numbers I can imagine fitting the same mould as Guzzi's, annoying details ruin the experience. You can get lucky and yours might be the good one of course.

Forza 750 everytime for me.

Andy

[johnakay]

thanks again for your input guys.
been to the local Honda dealer this morning and I do like the new Forza 750 but @ £10699 is a bit to much to pay when you can't test one.
their servicing charge is on the high side always in the £250 plus.
as for Aprillia I shan't be buying, the Italian electrics has always been on the iffy side.
we'll see how things pans out the rest of the year.

[MrGrumpy]

btw do we know for certain if the Aprilia 400 is coming to the UK? I'm a bit confused as to which new scoots and aren't coming. Haven't had an Aprilia for a long while but had a Piaggio Bev 350 a few years ago. One thing is that the Piaggio group certainly seem to have sorted out their spare parts service (it used to be appalling!!!). Never had the slightest difficulty getting spares through the dealer (I used the one in York). General reliability of the Bev was mostly OK, not many electrical gremlins that I can recall (unlike older Aprilia's I owned!)- though I do recall one time the Bev just seemed to run out of power and chugged to a stop, then restarted and ran if nothing had happened! Aprilia is no use for me now in the Lake District as the nearest dealer is the wilds of industrial Lancashire somewhere!

Yes, I agree that the ADV350 could do with a little more grunt. It ambles easily up to 60-70, but you have to work hard to get a bit more, especially if there's a gradient involved. The Zontes equivalent claims to have 36bhp, but seems to go no faster than the ADV, though this may be down to its variator settings (the ADV is superbly setup for low speed acceleration), whilst the Zontes may shine more at high speeds. The Bev 350 also claimed to have 36bhp and that was seriously fast - as fast as a Tmax at low speeds, and after a long tiring day hanging around at the York dealer, I found myself 'cruising' at an indicated 85mph! However, the Bev was pretty awful in most other respects.

I still have my Tmax mk3 as well as the ADV. Still goes well, but getting on a bit. I am more likely to consider a scoot in the Tmax class to replace it as it seems a bigger step up from the ADV than most 400cc scoots, and the chassis engineering is superior. Not sure about a proper Tmax anymore - so expensive, I had lots of issues with my mk6 before its unfortunate demise, and any metal bit went rusty in months! Apart from the Tmax, there a variety of clones eg the Sym 508TL, maybe the Kymco AK550 is still available? Zontes and QJ exhibited their own Tmax clones in Italy last year, though whether they will be coming to the UK is anyone's guess.

Hope this rambling is of some assistance to someone!

[johnakay]

Hope this rambling is of some assistance to someone!
its fine by me.thats what we are here for.
having a healthy discussion doesn't harm any one,its far better than discussing politics.

[MrGrumpy]

For Info, came across the video comparing the ADV350 with the SR GT 400 (from somewhere in Europe - no idea who the guys are).



As a brief summary, it seems that the Aprilia is a more sporty fun thing, whilst the ADV is more practical. The extra grunt of the Aprilia doesn't seem make that much difference. Aprilia only has a 9 ltr tank! Ouch!

[Andym]

An interesting video, Thank You for posting.

I'm still tempted to call into Youles (they are close enough to one of my customers to accidentally park there one lunchtime), as they seem to have both the Forza 750 and Aprillia.

It's really a case of head says Honda, heart say Aprillia. Unicorn scooter is probably a Honda response to Aprillia taking their sales, a Forza 500 type thing. I'm betting they aren't even working on such a beast.

This is probably where I ride away on a Triumph 660 though

Andy