2009 APRILIA SPORTCITY 250 CUBE

With its original design, the Aprilia Sportcity revolutionized our concept of high wheel scooters from the day it was first presented. Thanks to 15 inch wheels, generous tires, 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 Sportcity proved an instant winner and went on to become one of Aprilia’s best selling scooters.

The 2008 model maintains the technical solutions that made the Sportcity a best seller, but is more versatile and elegant than ever. Larger dimensions and a superior finish give the 2008 Sportcity an unrivalled price to content ratio. The new Sportcity is not merely restyled but completely renewed, so much so that its third generation is assuming a new name to emphasize the extent of the innovation.

The Aprilia Sportcity Cube is made to satisfy all possible needs in modern urban mobility. Better finished and more elegant than ever, the new Sportcity features a design inspired by dynamism and advanced technology. 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.

The Sportcity Cube performs well as a medium range commuter, providing a more global mobility solution. The Sportcity simply cannot be defined as a mere “means of transport”. Instead, it represents for the urban commuter a scooter with an unmistakable sporting image and with the performance and handling of a true Aprilia.

Style has always been one of the Sportcity’s strong points. Now the Sportcity Cube’s personality is even more distinctive thanks to restyling of practically every part of the scooter. 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 Sportcity looks more elegant than ever, whichever way you look at it.

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.

A flat platform is a must for scooters or this type. The Sportcity Cube not only caters for riders’ needs in this area, but stands out for the particularly generous amount of space provided for the feet. The platform of the Sportcity Cube offers unrivalled comfort and maximum load carrying capacity. Its clever shape, narrower where the feet touch the ground, lets riders of all statures get their feet down firmly.

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.

The new luggage rack incorporates a passenger grab handle and fittings for an Aprilia top box for even greater carrying capacity.

Generous load carrying capacity is also essential on scooters of this type. Meticulous care throughout the design stage combined with intelligent use of space mean that the Sportcity is compact on the outside but big inside. Thanks to their strategic dimensions, not even the large wheels have limited the space available to the user. The under-seat storage compartment is big enough to hold a jet helmet with visor and other personal effects besides. This spaciousness has been achieved without sacrificing ergonomics or ease of control. Seat height is still only 815 mm.

Intelligent exploitation of space has enabled Aprilia to build a lockable glove compartment into the rear of the leg shield. Inside is a convenient power socket for charging your mobile phone.

The instruments have been completely redesigned and are decidedly more elegant and provide a wider range of information. The analog-digital dashboard incorporates a rev counter and a multifunctional display like those of the latest superbikes. The various functions of the display can be accessed directly from the handlebars for maximum safety.

CHASSIS: EFFECTIVE AND SAFE The Sportcity chassis has always been acclaimed for its precision, comfort and control. The Sportcity Cube maintains the same basic chassis that has proved so effective in the past and has established the model as the urban commuter that the others have to beat when it comes to safety and ridability.

Every care has been taken in the design of the new Sportcity to ensure that the frame remains sufficiently rigid despite elimination of the awkward central tunnel.

The frame is made from high strength steel tube, and is designed to give excellent torsional rigidity and strength despite the flat platform. This rigid and efficient frame gives the Sportcity a feeling of superior control and sporting character typical of true Aprilias. 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 250 is equipped with 15 inch wheels and generous, high profile tubeless tires (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 tire while the wheel’s shock absorbing ability is actually far greater, giving significant benefits in terms of comfort.

Combined with the excellent frame, the suspension and wheel system gives the Sportcity excellent stability and a truly intuitive ride that anybody can enjoy.

Another one of the Sportcity Cube’s many strong points is its braking system with triple disc brakes for amazingly short stopping distances and safer than ever riding. Even inexperienced riders can stop quickly while maintaining full control. The two front discs are 260 mm in diameter with floating calipers and twin parallel pistons. The rear wheel uses a 220 mm disc with a single piston caliper.

ENGINE: STATE OF THE ART Another major feature of the Sportcity Cube 250 is its advanced engine. This four-valve engine with electronic fuel injection represents the state of the art for scooter engines. Powerful, flexible, clean running and with miserly fuel consumption, the single cylinder power plant is the perfect match for the Sportcity. The engine makes full use of the Sportcity’s dynamic handling, and makes it a perfect choice not only around town but on fast out-of-town roads too.

Miserly fuel consumption and a generous 9 litre tank give the Sportcity great autonomy.