Suzuki Burgman Street vs Aprilia SXR 160
With Aprilia introducing their first maxi-scooter for India, the Suzuki Burgman Street finally has company in the form of the SXR 160. Both scooters have plenty in common right from their maxi-scooter design language to the fact that both scooters actually use underpinnings from their smaller counterparts. The SXR 160 is the latest offering, though, and we have high hopes from it. With Aprilia finally putting a price on it, we thought it’d be interesting to see how the Aprilia SXR 160 fares against India’s favourite maxi-scooter, the Suzuki Burgman Street in a spec comparison.
Suzuki Burgman Street vs Aprilia SXR 160 Design
Taking up the new kid on the block first, the Aprilia SXR is definitely a looker. It boasts of a tri-pod LED headlamp, an LED tail light, Italian tricolour graphics at both sides, Y-shaped alloy wheels and a tinted visor. Other than this, the SXR also gets a sporty grab rail for the pillion. If you’re an Aprilia fanboy, you’d love the SXR’s design as it takes inspiration from the RS 660 and even the RSV-4. This makes it one of the best-looking scooters money can buy in India.
The new kid on the block might be a looker, but the Suzuki Burgman Street is handsome too. It features an LED headlamp, LED tail light, sharp fairings which incorporate the indicators, alloy wheels, and a short visor upfront. The Burgman looks like a maxi-scooter, just like the SXR 160, but the tyres on the Burgman look too skinny for the overall design. Also, the Burgman’s alloy wheel pattern looks relatively vanilla in comparison to the SXR’s 10-spoke ones.
Suzuki Burgman Street vs Aprilia SXR 160 Features
Covering the common bits first, both scooters feature an LED headlamp, LED tail light, fully digital instrument cluster, visor, and a USB charging socket. As usual, things get interesting if we dive into the details. Instrument cluster wise, both get a digital setup, but the SXR’s LCD shows tonnes of information, including a first-in-class tachometer. However, the Burgman gets Bluetooth connectivity features and displays phone-related notifications along with turn-by-turn navigation.
Moving to other aspects, the Burgman’s charging socket placement is more practical and even gets illumination while the SXR misses out on it. Additionally, the Burgman also gets an engine start/stop switch, unlike the Italian offering. The SXR, though, has illuminated under-seat storage and a single-channel ABS, which the Burgman misses out on.
Suzuki Burgman Street vs Aprilia SXR 160 Ergonomics
Ergonomically, both scooters have long and wide seats along with low handlebars, ensuring a comfortable riding triangle. The Burgman is said to have the longest and one of the roomiest seats in the scooter segment, and we think the Aprilia gets extremely close to it. However, the SXR’s footboard isn’t too spacious, and tall riders will definitely feel cramped. Utility space-wise too, the Burgman feels more practical, and it even has bigger under-seat storage. For short riders, the SXR is more suitable, though, and the Burgman’s wide seat makes its case a little worse. Lastly, both scooters fail to provide enough wind protection, even though both get visors.
Suzuki Burgman Street vs Aprilia SXR 160 Performance
Both scooters use old engines which we have seen previously in older offerings. The SXR 160 uses a 160cc single-cylinder mill from the SR 160, which makes 10.85 BHP and 11 Nm of torque. The Suzuki Burgman uses a 124cc single-cylinder motor from the Access 125, which makes 8.58 BHP and 10 Nm of torque. As you can see, even with the 35cc disadvantage, the Burgman isn’t too far off the SXR 160 and their torque figures are extremely close. However, we believe the SXR 160 will have a better top-end and higher cruising speed than the Burgman. The Burgman’s smaller spec motor will be more efficient, though, while the overall range will be more or less identical for both offerings.
Suzuki Burgman Street vs Aprilia SXR 160 Handling
Both Suzuki and Aprilia have done a decent job with their maxi-scooter in terms of equipment, as both scooters use telescopic forks upfront and a mono-shock at the rear. Both scooters also get a disc brake at the front and a drum brake at the rear. With that out of the way, let’s dig into the details. Both scooters are identical, but the Suzuki Burgman suffers as it comes with skinnier tires and in a smaller size too. Also, while both scooters use MRF rubber, the SXR offers more grip in comparison to the Suzuki. Wider tires also mean that the SXR will have better cornering capabilities.
Everything aside, the biggest difference between the two offerings is their respective weights. At 110 kg, the Burgman is 19 kg lighter than the SXR 160, which is massive. This means the Burgman will be easier to handle in tight spaces and even in tip-toeing situations. However, the SXR has a much longer wheelbase, ensuring better straight-line stability than the Burgman.
Suzuki Burgman Street vs Aprilia SXR 160 Verdict
Aprilia has priced the SXR 160 at Rs. 1.25 lakhs (ex-showroom Pune) while the Suzuki Burgman comes in at Rs. 86,456/- (ex-showroom Mumbai). The price difference here is massive and the SXR 160 is one of the costliest scooters today. Even at this price, the SXR 160 comes close to justifying it, as it feels super premium in all aspects. However, as soon as you bring the Suzuki Burgman into the picture, the Aprilia just seems overpriced. The Burgman is surely the winner, but the story would’ve been different had the SXR 160 been a little more affordable!
