Aprilia Sportcity 250A scooter is the ideal machine for cross-town travel, writes Conor Twomey, and the Aprilia Sportcity 250 is one of the best he's seen for easy travel
It's a wet and miserable Tuesday morning as I set out on the Aprilia Sportcity 250, leaving Motorpoint just off the Naas Road in Dublin, destined for Dún Laoghaire on the opposite side of the city. On a dry day in a car this can take up to 45 minutes, but on a day like today, you're looking at an hour or more at least.
Less than half an hour later I'm where I need to be and, more importantly, I feel no stress or frustration as I normally would in the car, because when you ride a scooter there's no such thing as a traffic jam.
Of course, there are scooters and there are scooters and while the Sportcity would be classed as one of the smaller machines you can buy, the 250cc version is one of the most powerful in its class, which means you get the performance of a bigger machine with the go-anywhere manoeuvrability you'd expect of something this tiny.
At every green light the Sportcity was the first away, and while it initially felt slow compared to the sportbikes I normally ride, one look in the mirror revealed that it's quick enough to leave cars miles behind, and because it's got a simple twist-and-go throttle it often left the bigger bikes of some of Dublin's couriers floundering as well.
Thanks to its flat torque band, and the alert programming of the automatic gearbox, it's a joy to squeeze the Sportcity through gaps in traffic, making it incredibly easy to make progress through even the densest of jams.
That's not to say it can't tackle the open road as well, though. Speeds of up to 128km/h are possible on the Sportcity 250, and because it's got larger than usual wheels (15-inch alloys front and rear) and generous suspension travel it's well able to hold its own on the motorway, although in blustery, wet conditions it's probably better to stick to the city streets which are its natural hunting grounds anyway.
Around town the tall, upright riding position helps give the rider a very clear view of the road ahead, and its compact wheelbase, generous lock, light steering and narrow bars makes it supremely maneouvrable and easy to control, even at walking speeds. It's possible to perform a U-turn on the narrowest of two-lane streets and still have several feet to spare, while the handlebars and mirrors are perfectly positioned so as not to clip the door mirrors of stopped cars when squeezing through tight spaces.
Despite its diminutive size, the ride quality is surprisingly grown-up and the handling is surprisingly composed and confidence-inspiring, even in the wet. The rather serious looking twin-disc front brakes and single-disc rear only enhance your sense of confidence, and they prove both sharp and progressive in use.
The riding position isn't nearly as cramped as you might think, either - I'm six-feet tall and I certainly never felt uncomfortable, although I would have liked to sit a little further back from the bars than the two-tier seat would allow me. Other than that, though, I'm struggling to see a reason not to have one of these in the garage for those days when I really need to get across town and don't fancy wasting hours sitting in traffic.
The Sportcity is cheap to buy, insure, tax and fuel, and it's a doddle to ride and even easier to park. The engine is quiet and smooth, and because it's four-stroke it doesn't smell as if it's about to ignite and it doesn't require constant topping up with oil, either.
And, as my cross-town dash proved, there's no need to fear the weather on it either. Just order the optional windscreen, huge 35-litre top-box (the underseat storage isn't big enough to store a full-face helmet) and the waterproof leg cover, as well as a decent jacket and waterproof gloves, and you're pretty much set up for anything the Irish winter can throw at you.
FACTFILE
Engine:250cc, liquid-cooled, 4-valve horizontal single-cylinder
Output:22.5hp, 21Nm
Performance:128km/h
Transmission:automatic gearbox, automatic dry clutch, belt drive
Frame:open cradle in high-strength steel
Dimensions:length: 1,985mm, width: 7490mm, seat height 815mm Weight: 148kg dry
Suspension:35mm telescopic forks, combined engine/swingarm, dual shock absorbers with adjustable preload
Wheels:aluminium alloy, 15" front and rear
Tyres:front 120/70-15; rear 130/80-15
Brakes:twin-piston floating front calliper, double 260mm discs; one-piston rear calliper, 245mm single disc
Price:€4,599