After yesterday’s launch of Aprilia’s new Sportcity Cube scooter, we bring you some technical details from the press release.
For a full photo gallery of the new model, go to our gallery of the Sportcity Cube.
Aprilia has expanded on its tradition of large wheel scooters, while creating added elegant and versatile features.
Aprilia says:Thanks to 15 inch wheels, generous tyres, sporty engines and a superbly rigid frame, the Sportcity stood out immediately for its ability to combine the comfort of a large wheel scooter with the power and handling of a sports scooter to offer a dynamic and exciting solution to the problems of urban mobility.
The 2008 model maintains the technical solutions that made the Sportcity a best seller, but is more versatile and elegant than ever.
Larger dimensions, a superior finish, and a new 300 cc engine give the 2008 Sportcity an unrivalled price to content ratio.
While great as your urban run-around scooter, the 300cc engine gives the Sportcity Cube an extra boost.
As reinforced by Aprilia:Its impressive characteristics make it the perfect choice for riders seeking a comfortable, safe and fast scooter that can nip easily through traffic and requires only minimum running costs.
With the introduction of the 300 cc engine, the Sportcity Cube also performs well as a medium range commuter, providing a more global mobility solution.
Style has always been one of the Sportcity’s strong points.
The new steering head incorporates a brand new instrument cluster, and the front section (mudguard and grille) has been thoroughly redesigned too.
The rear section has also undergone major changes.
The seat is wider and more comfortable, and the tail is longer, with a larger luggage rack with built-in top box fittings.
The new, broad and luxurious seat is great for riding in company and is ergonomically shaped for improved rider and passenger comfort.
The special seat textile offers a better grip, reducing the tendency to slide forwards under breaking and improving comfort and safety even further.
The generous front shield affords excellent protection against the elements.
Two vents in the sides perform a dual function, extracting warm air from the radiator and keeping the rider’s legs warm in winter when a leg cover is used.
The new luggage rack incorporates a passenger grab handle and fittings for an Aprilia top box for even greater carrying capacity.
Other design elements of this scooter include a glove compartment with socket for mobile phone recharging and an analog-digital dash with rev counter and a multifunctional display.
Seat height has been kept at 815 mm.
On the chassis and other mechanical details, Aprilia says:The Sportcity Cube maintains the same basic chassis that has proved so effective in the past.
The frame is made from high strength steel tube, and is designed to give excellent torsional rigidity and strength despite the flat platform.
The hydraulic telescopic fork features 35 mm stanchions and offers a wheel travel of 100 mm for precision control and excellent damping.
The Sportcity fork provides the perfect remedy for cobblestones, broken road surfaces and manhole covers.
The engine and transmission assembly acts as swingarm and is damped by two shock absorbers with adjustable spring preload.
Because the suspension can be adjusted to suit load and road conditions, maximum safety is ensured in every riding situation.
An impressive wheel travel of 80 mm means an excellent level of comfort.
The SPORTCITY CUBE is equipped with 15 inch wheels and generous, high profile tubeless tyres (120/70 at the front and 130/80 at the rear).
As a result, total rolling diameter is equivalent to that of a typical 16 inch tyre while the wheel’s shock absorbing ability is actually far greater, giving significant benefits in terms of comfort.
The top of the range 300 adopts a triple disc system (instead of the double disc systems fitted to the 125 and 200) for amazingly short stopping distances and safer than ever riding.
The two front discs are 260 mm in diameter and are braked by floating calipers with twin parallel pistons.
The rear wheel is braked by a 220 mm disc with a single piston caliper.
Getting down to the nitty gritty of the engines, Aprilia says:This new four-valve engine with electronic fuel injection represents the state of the art for scooter engines.
Higher displacement enables the engine to develop even more power, especially in terms of torque – the most important parameter for an urban scooter that needs to accelerate quickly from a standstill.
Developing 22.
5 HP at 8,000 rpm and 22 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm, this single cylinder power plant offers pace-setting performance.
The 200 cc engine puts out 21 HP, placing this Sportcity model at the top of its class while a maximum power of 15 HP allows the 4-valve Sportcity 125 to carry holders of a B class licence (Italian legislation) effortlessly through city traffic and cruise at speeds more than adequate for commuting needs.
For more information go to the Aprilia site, available in English.