Is it time for Aprilia to bring in the RX, SX?

Aprilia revises RX and SX line

About 2 years ago, we bore witness to the comeback of the Aprilia and Moto Guzzi brands here in the country, thanks to our friends from Bikerbox. Being an avid off-roader myself, I asked one of the Piaggio (parent company of both Aprilia and Moto Guzzi) executives if there’s any chance they might be bringing Aprilia’s only enduro and supermoto models, the SX and the RX, into the country

While the executive didn’t say yes or no, his answer was rather safe, and just said that (at the time), they’ll be concentrating on bringing in their flagship models. Again, that was about 2 years ago.

With the ongoing pandemic, a lot of motorcycle riders have tried and are currently enjoying riding off-road. With that, is it time for Aprilia PH to bring in the SX and RX motorcycles to our roads?

RX and SX

For the 2021 model, the RX and the SX 125 will get upgrades from Aprilia, largely making these models Euro-5 compliant. The RX has been in continuous production since 1983, with the supermoto-inspired SX introduced in 2007.

For starters, both bikes now have a revised intake to improve emissions as well as power delivery. Additionally, a newly redesigned piston and combustion chamber coupled with a new ECU provides a more efficient burn.

Despite only sporting a meager 125cc engine by today’s standards, both the RX and SX 125 churn out a whopping 15 horses — 3 horses more than Honda’s CRF 150L.

The RX, which sports 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, has a 260mm front and 220mm rear disc, while the supermoto SX that is equipped with both 17-inch wheels will be sporting a larger 300mm disc for the front brake, while the rear gets a 200mm disc.

Both models get inverted forks, a digital meter panel and ABS.

Philippine ready?

Perhaps, one of the reasons why Aprilia PH has not brought in the RX and SX 125 yet in the country is its price. Being a premium brand, the estimated SRP for the RX alone could be more than the CRF 150L’s PhP134,900 price tag. The SX could be higher.

Also, a lot of Filipino riders believe that the “bigger the bore, the better”. Since both these entry-level supermoto and dirtbikes from Aprilia are 125cc, it may not get a preferable market share versus the already established CRF or even Yamaha’s WR 155.

But, wouldn’t it be great to see these fine machines on our roads (or no roads)?