The Gilera Nexus was a maxi-scooter sold under the Gilera name from 2003. Designed by Frascoli Design, it was offered with four engines between 125 and 500 cm³, all single-cylinder four-strokes with liquid cooling, and from 2011 the same machine was also sold as the Aprilia SR Max.
Gilera Nexus at a glance
| Maker | Gilera, Piaggio group |
|---|---|
| On sale | 2003–2013 as a Gilera |
| Design | Frascoli Design |
| Engines | 125, 250, 300 and 500 cm³ single-cylinder four-strokes |
| 500 engine | Piaggio Master 460, electronic injection |
| Cooling | liquid |
| Emissions | Euro 3 |
| Added in 2006 | 250 and 125 |
| 250 replaced in 2008 | by the 300 |
| Also sold as | Aprilia SR Max (2011–2016) |
The video attached to the record is no longer available, so no video is embedded.
History of the Gilera Nexus
A sporting maxi-scooter
The Nexus 500ie was presented and put on sale in 2003, designed by Frascoli Design. Although badged as a 500, it actually used the well-established Piaggio Master engine of 460 cm³ with electronic injection, and it immediately stood out as the most original and sporting of the maxi-scooters in its class. Until the arrival of the GP800 it was the largest-capacity scooter the company produced.
Over the years, perhaps because sales were not especially strong, the Nexus was softened in its set-up and received a light restyling. In 2006 Gilera added two more engines, a 250 and a 125. In 2008 the 250 went out of production and was replaced by a 300, and from 2012 only the 300 and the 500 remained on sale. All versions used four-stroke engines with liquid cooling and met the Euro 3 rules.
Under another badge
From June 2011 the Nexus was also marketed in Europe and Asia by Aprilia under the name Aprilia SR Max, offered only with the Piaggio Quasar 125 and 300 engines. It achieved a certain success only in the 300 version, and production in Italy for the European market ended in 2016.
From 2017 the scooter was proposed again in China, built locally by the Zongshen Piaggio Foshan Motorcycle joint venture in a Euro 4 300 version sold only on that market. From 2019 the model was also imported into Europe by the Austrian KSR group and renamed Malaguti Madison 300, since KSR held the rights to the Malaguti brand; from 2022 the SR Max on the Chinese market was also offered with the 250 HPE engine.
The Gilera-badged version left the scene in 2013.
Design and features
- Four engines over its life: 125, 250, 300 and 500 cm³, all liquid-cooled four-strokes.
- Master 460 in the 500: the Piaggio engine with electronic injection.
- Sporting set-up: the most sporting of the maxi-scooters of its size when it appeared.
- Frascoli Design: the styling of the original 2003 model.
- Second life: sold as the Aprilia SR Max from 2011.
Gilera Nexus versions
- Nexus 500ie (2003): with the 460 cm³ Piaggio Master engine.
- Nexus 250 and 125 (2006): the two smaller engines.
- Nexus 300 (2008): replacement for the 250.
- Aprilia SR Max (2011–2016): the same scooter under the Aprilia brand.
The Nexus was joined by the larger GP800 in the Gilera range, and the smaller sporty scooter of the period is the Runner. More models are in the Gilera collection.
Sources
- Gilera Nexus, English Wikipedia: engines, design studio, model years, Aprilia SR Max
- Gilera Nexus, Italian Wikipedia: Master 460 engine, restyling, SR Max production details
