Aprilia SR50
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Aprilia SR50 is a sport scooter built by Italian motorbike company, Aprilia. Considered to be the very first "sport" scooter of its kind, the technology on Aprilia's SR50's have evolved throughout the years. However they have consistently remained having a 2-stroke 50cc displacement engine.
Laws vary from country to country regarding licensing and operation of 50cc scooters and mopeds.
Whilst commonly known as a Scooter (motorcycle), it's power output is too high, so it is classified as a motorcycle under UK road laws. It features liquid cooling, 190 mm disc brakes, 13 inch wheels and electronic ignition. Dry weight is a featherweight 198 lbs. (90 kg) for it's size and performance. Far advanced compared to others in its class. Sales of the SR50 have reached over 800,000 units already, offsetting the idea that two cycle motorcycles are fading away. Though the motor is a two cycle, it still conforms to future EURO 3 emission standards.
When tuned up, and with a big bore (70 cc) kit, it can achieve speeds (on flat land) up to 70 mph, while still running it's basic (original) engine. That can be done by having the carburettor 'jetted', having the engine de-restricted and having a race-pipe (race exhaust) fitted and other simple modifications.
Due to recent laws (in the UK), restrictions have been added to stop people using these for racing. These restrictions include: restricting the variator (gears), restricting the carburettor, placing a restrictor bar across the bottom of the engine (to stop the installation of racing exhausts).
Each restriction takes about 45 minutes to do using the right tools, or you can have it done at a garage (mechanics) usually for about £30–£40 each.
The SR50r ‘DiTech’ Factory model, which costs £300 more than the carburettor version, uses an injection engine. DiTech is merely the name Aprilia gives to this engine, which is actual engineered and designed by Orbital. It is highly fuel efficient (80 miles per gallon).
In North America, the SR50 is considered a scooter as it has 50cc's of displacement. A motorcycle license is not required for this size displacement, depending on state or province. And can be registered/licensed/insured without a motorcycle license for the most part.
To be able to sell these scooters, they are speed restricted when imported, to approximately 48 km/h. This is a general restriction, to safeguard that restrictions are met, and the "limiting speed" of a 50cc scooter is different between states and provinces, ranging from 50km/h - 70 km/h.
However there is a de-restriction process that can be done, which is very simple on the DiTech models, involve removing a restrictor ring in the variator, and pulling a code off the ECU so that it is in development mode. Once de-restricted, and depending on rider size, weight, and location, top speed ranges from 75 km/h - 85 km/h. These speeds technically require a motorcycle license at this point, however these are laws that are rarely enforced.
As with other scooters, the SR50 can also be modified. Enlarging the cylinder bore to anything greater the 50cc also technically requires a motorcycle license, but again this is something that is difficult and seldomly enforced.
Although there are several variant models of the SR50 worldwide, certain models are not available in certain parts of the world. The carburator model was available just on a few model in the first few years of the SR50 since being introduced to North America. They have generally all be DiTech models and you'd be hard pressed to find an actual carburator model.
