This Italian 125cc Scooter Is On A Mission To Crush The Aprilia SXR 125

The Malaguti Mission 125 maxi-style scooter has been launched in Europe

• The Malaguti Mission 125 comes with a maxi-style bodywork with a distinct sporty Italian flair.
• Gets a liquid-cooled 125cc engine that’s more powerful and torquier than the Aprilia SXR 125’s heart.
• Costs almost thrice as the Aprilia SXR 125.

Italian two-wheeler manufacturer Malaguti has launched a sporty 125cc maxi-style scooter, called the Malaguti Mission 125, at EUR 3,690 (around Rs 3.14 lakh). That makes it almost three times costlier than the India-spec Aprilia SXR 125, which is priced at 1.16 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). 

The beefy-looking apron with the vented slats instantly reminds you of the Kinetic Blaze, which was the most powerful maxi-style scooter in India back in its day. Its motorcycle-like single-piece handlebar and a contoured single-piece seat coupled with the flat floorboard ensures comfortable ergonomics. For extra practicality, it also gets an apron-mounted fuel tank cap. The scooter gets twin halogen headlights and bulb indicators.

The Malaguti Mission 125 is powered by a 124cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine churning out 12.2PS at 9500rpm and 10.5Nm at 7750rpm. Comparatively, the Aprilia SXR 125’s air-cooled heart produces 2.68PS and 1.3Nm less. Malaguti claims the Mission 125 can reach a top speed of 95kmph, which is pretty decent for a 125cc scooter. That said, it isn’t really efficient despite having a small displacement. At a claimed mileage of 25.64kmpl, its fuel-efficiency is pretty much on par with large displacement premium motorcycles. 

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One of the reasons for its gas-guzzling tendency could be its high kerb weight of 154kg. Even the seat is pretty high, at 900mm. These aspects alone make it unsuitable for the Indian market where scooters are expected to be fuel-efficient and light enough to be maneuvered easily in tight spaces.

The scooter employs a telescopic front fork and a single rear shock absorber. True to its sporty nature, it gets large 13-inch alloys at either ends, wrapped in meaty 120-section front and 130-section rear tubeless tyres. Braking is via a 267mm front and 220mm rear disc with ABS. 

Malaguti has got the design right, but we just wish it were light enough to fully exploit the peppy nature of the liquid-cooled engine. If you’re looking for a sporty-looking 125cc maxi-style scooter in India, then the Suzuki Burgman Street and the Aprilia SXR 125 are the only ones available. The former may not be as powerful as the Aprilia but is slightly more feature-packed (read turn-by-turn navigation), and a lot less expensive (Rs 89,600 ex-showroom Delhi for the variant with smartphone connectivity) at the same time.