SR Max250 HPE Sports Performance Upgraded Again

Zongshen Aprilia officially released the SR Max250 HPE. Launched into the market for nearly three years, the SR Max250 has evolved based on the market feedback to become the SR Max250 HPE. How is the new product different from the previous version?

Power upgrade

The SR Max250 HPE comes in cement grey and matte olive green. The brand’s signature lowercase “a” appears at the bottom. Like the X7 2.0, the SR Max250 HPE is powered by a 244cc four-valve water-cooled single-cylinder engine with peak power of 19.1kW/8200rpm and peak torque of 22.5N.m/7250rpm, surpassing the previous model.

The overall riding feels tough. The high-power version of the engine brings different power margin and better ductility to the vehicle. The SR Max250 HPE retains the ECO and SPORT power modes. For the ECO mode, the throttle response has been tuned to be more linear. The SR Max250 HPE in ECO mode is suitable for leisure riding through urban traffic. In the SPORT mode, the engine output is really responsive to the throttle operations.The dynamic response of power to the wheels when overtaking is direct and timely. The stirring exhaust sound of the SR Max300 is inherited.

Sports elements

The frame is the most commendable part of the SR Max250 HPE. Four 35mm manganese steel circular tubes were welded together to form a rectangular frame with excellent torsional strength, which fits the SR MAX250 HPE’s sporty profile.

The sporty tonality of the SR Max250 HPE is further demonstrated with the excellent frame structure. The vehicle is very stable running high speeds in a straight line, which provides comfort and safety feedback even for a long distance.

The SR Max250 HPE continues the legacy of the SR Max family in the way it handles corners. It has satisfactory corner-control, tracking performance, and stability out of corners.

The braking system still consists of front 260mm single floating disc and rear 240mm fixed disc as well as BOSCH dual channel ABS.

The braking system of the SR Max250 HPE performs surprisingly well in practical riding. There was a very convincing set of test data: 30-0km/h emergency braking: 0.8s with a braking distance of 3.4m; 50-0km/h emergency braking: 1.5s with a braking distance of 11m.

 Excellent configuration

There are few models of the the same price level that can be equipped with the intelligent ASR and dual-mode ECU electronic systems. Domestic 40,000 yuan two-cylinder models just began to have Bosch EFI. Thus, the SR Max250 HPE has leading advantages in electronic systems.

The head still adopts the family design, with two dual-lens LED daily running light bars highly recognizable. The brightness is the mainstream level on large scooters, and the illuminating range and evenness are excellent.

The large front windscreen with height manually adjustable to four levels. Together with the hand hoods on both sides, the SR Max250 HPE provides complete wind resistance protection right front. It’s no exaggeration to say that the protection can cover more than 80% of the headwind for the driver.

The SR Max250 HPE’s seven-inch TFT displays two different user interfaces in the ECO and SPORT modes, but the overall design style remains the same. Although it does not have the mobile phone screen projection function, the meter can be connected to the phone via Bluetooth to use the official Motorcycle Journey APP to show navigation.

It still has a telescopic sleeve hydraulic front damper with a fork core diameter of 35mm, and the rear damper has KYB external air bag, 7-grade adjustable (preload ).

As a major sports scooter, the damping is adjusted more for supporting rather than comfort. The KYB rear damping allows it to better filter small bumps, such as cement joints, on the road.

Conclusion

To make the SR Max250 HPE, originally designed for Europe, more suitable for the domestic market, the manufacturer did everything possible to reduce the height of the seat. However, due to the limitations of SR Max’s body design, simply narrowing the width of the seat cannot allow the rider to better touch the ground. In the case of reducing the top height of the seat and using small diameter wheels, the manufacturer finally achieved the 775mm seat height (low seat version).

For riders over 180cm, the manufacturer still provides large wheels to reach a seat height of 815mm.

Two years ago, the SR Max250 came with advantageous configurations, and today, the new engine also makes it competitive, improving the sports product positioning.

Of course, having these advantages also means that you need to be comfortable with its slightly inferior functionality and some usage habits. Generally, the SR Max250 HPE updates bring more fun to the big sports scooter.

Source: https://www.newmotor.com.cn