Yamaha Mio Aerox: Hits and misses

The Yamaha Mio Aerox 155 is one of the most advanced scooters you can buy in the country today. It is slotted right between the NMAX and the Sniper. Mio Aerox 155 comes with the practicality as well as refinement of the NMAX; while it carries the performance and styling of the Sniper. Sounds like the perfect recipe. And yet it falls just that much short of being a perfect bike due to some small niggles. While perfection is not attainable, it can lead to excellence.

Yamaha Mio Aerox 155 Hits -

Practical Features: No need to lift the seat to fill up this bike’s fuel tank. The fuel filler cap resides under a flap in the spine and opens with an oddly satisfying thwack when needed. It also comes with a 12 volts power outlet with its own lockable box to safely store devices in. The 25-litre under seat storage is large enough to hold a full face helmet. Then there is the fully digital instrument display and the remote starter with the silent start. All these features make it excellent for urban riders.

Great Looks: There is no denying that this bike is an eye-catcher. The bike exudes aggression with a healthy dose of sophistication. The styling screams of the bike’s sporty potential. The racy angular silhouette is adorned with sharp lines. The race Blu color makes the bike look even sportier. Yet there are sophisticated elements like the dual LED headlights as well as tail light, integrated tandem grip that does not break the flowing lines and the funky yet futuristic digital dashboard.

Great Handler: The bike has the performance to match its sporty looks. Its hi-tech liquid cooled, fuel injected engine produces 14.5 hp and 13.8 Nm of torque. The bike can easily reach up to 120 kmph. There are 26 mm fat front forks and dual shock absorbers in the rear. While set for comfort, they do allow the rider to have some fun when they want. The bike is just 116 kg which also makes it easy to lean in and out of corners. The bike’s dimensions and fat tires also help it in taking on corners with confidence.

Yamaha Mio Aerox 155 Misses -

Better braking: The NMAX is only slightly more expensive than the Aerox and has nearly the same kind of performance. Yet it has been equipped with ABS and dual disc brakes. The Aerox has to do with just the one disc brake in the front. Is this because disc brakes are still seen as luxury items on bikes? Is it merely not present to keep costs low? At the least, Yamaha could have provided the additional disc brake and ABS as optional extras. Yet here we are.

Tiny fuel tank: The Aeroxx is powered by Yamaha’s BluCore tech engine. It employs VVA to provide the optimum balance between power and mileage depending on the driver’s needs. This helps it reach average fuel economy figures of 45 kmpl. Yet the biggest let down is the fuel tank itself. At a mere 4.5-litre it translates to a range of just 200 km, which is certainly not the most promising. Seeing how the Aerox has been designed, this space has been taken up bunder seaterseat storage area. But surely they could have come up with some solution for this?

Adjustability: Yet another feature that is reserved for bikes falling in much higher price bracket for no apparent reason. The seating position on the Aerox is not exactly bad. The seat height is 790 mm and position of the handlebars makes the riding posture relaxed. The seat is also comfortable and wide. The footboard has just enough space for the rider’s feet and overall makes for some compact seating. But equipping the bike with adjustable handlebars and a height adjustable seats would have certainly improved the dynamics for some of the taller riders. Features like these are already becoming visible on smaller capacity scooter like the one on Mahindra Gusto and Yamaha’s own XMAX. With any luck, they’ll start appearing on more and more scooters.

That's the Yamaha Aerox 155. Stay tuned to read more such stories.