What’s this cute-looking scooter?
Why, that’s the all-new CFMoto 150 Aura. It’s the Chinese brand’s newest neo-retro scooter, and you’re absolutely correct—it’s quite cute. It’s got that quintessential retro scooter look, with popping colors to boot. It comes in Ivory White, Velocity Grey, and the multicolor Royal Blue and Vintage White finishes.
The CFMoto 150 Aura, huh. Looks aside, what’s special about it?
This, dear reader, might be the most loaded scooter we’ve seen at this price point. If the 450MT wowed us during the launch, the 150 Aura had my jaw dropping.
See, we were recently able to take this out for a quick spin, before which CFMoto distributor Motostrada hosted a quick briefing for us. They discussed the specs, and I was genuinely surprised by how the presentation kept going for so long, one slide after the other. At some point, it looked as if they had the owner’s manual on the screen for us so that they could better discuss all the features. Because there’s just a lot.
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What features are we talking about?
Well, there’s a 6.2-inch digital instrument panel with customizable gauges. There are two different themes for the display, and you can mix up the information being shown at the bottom of the screen. There are arrow buttons to toggle and navigate the cluster.
You’ll need those because there are a lot of settings to tweak via that screen. For one, the scooter can be paired with a smartphone through the dedicated app. There are also some quirky features to tinker with, including the Easy Ride function. This turns the bike on when you hop on the saddle and turns it off when you dismount.
It also works seamlessly with the side-stand kill switch. Say, if you’re seated and you bring it down, it turns off. But if you don’t get off the scooter and bring the stand back up, the engine will also turn back on. It was quite helpful during our ride, when I had to keep getting on and off the scooter to snap photos.
Who needs all those features in a scooter?
Hey, we aren’t done yet. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the Easy Ride function, there are also a few other ways to operate the 150 Aura. An NFC (Near Field Communication) card comes as standard with it, and you only need to tap it on the NFC logo underneath the instrument panel to start the scooter.
What’s cooler is that there’s a password function where you enter a four-digit code to operate the scooter. It’s turned off by default, but once you activate it, it can come in handy in case you, say, lose the NFC card or forget it somewhere. Or maybe you just left it deep inside your bag, and you’re not willing to go through the hassle to retrieve it.
Seems like too much tech for a small bike.
That’s not supposed to be a bad thing, should it? If it has the most important features available, you’ll have to let the extra gimmicks slide. See, this bike also comes with dual-channel ABS that, for some reason, is switchable at the rear. It also gets traction control as standard.
What’s more, there are built-in cameras on the CFMoto 150 Aura. That’s plural, because there are two—one up front and one out back. Both cameras record simultaneously at all times, with the 1080p 30fps footage stored on a 32GB microSD card that comes with every purchase. The recorded videos are clear even at night, so if you need to get footage of an accident or the like, you’ll always have some at the ready.
The only caveat is that the microSD card is located underneath the battery, and it’s quite a chore to retrieve it. There are about 14 bolts in total if I’m not mistaken, and you have to completely remove the battery just to get the card. Currently, others are exploring SD card extenders, just so the slot itself can be more easily reachable. Then again, how often would you need to retrieve dashcam footage, anyway? The storage is also expandable up to 256GB, but considering the prices of storage cards and drives these days, it might be best not to bother. Besides, the 32GB should be enough for a day’s worth of city commuting.
What if you run into battery issues? Won’t all these features conk out?
Every bike runs out of battery at some point, and it’ll result in all sorts of problems just like the rest of them. It’s just a matter of knowing when it’ll happen, and in the case of the 150 Aura, there’s a built-in volt meter with a warning when the battery runs low. In fact, the scooter won’t let itself idle for too long when it detects that the battery’s running out of juice. We know because the units on display during our test ride eventually ran out of battery after being left idling long enough for our shoot.
The features will malfunction if you run out of battery, sure, but if the bike itself allows you to be proactive so that it won’t happen, this shouldn’t be a worry.
Okay, then. What about the engine?
The CFMoto 150 Aura is powered by a 149.5cc liquid-cooled, four-valve single-cylinder engine that churns out 15.8hp and 14.3Nm. You can still feel some dragging when you twist the throttle, but the engine noticeably has better response than that of a twin-valve single-cylinder. Kilometers-per-liter consumption is said to be in the high-30s, though we weren’t able to test it properly yet during our ride. For next time.
Did you ride it far enough? How was it?
Around the city for a few hours to take photos, that was it. But I rode it from Pasig to Quezon City and then to Makati before going back to Kapitolyo. I racked up a good 25-30 kilometers in total, I think, and I rode it through varying terrain—or different Metro Manila road conditions, rather—so it was more than enough to get some good impressions of it.
The front end is quite stiff. When you’re on smooth asphalt, it’s good, but when you’re on poorly paved roads, you will feel every bit of the bumps on the road. I hit a larger bump on the road too quickly, and I really felt it on the handle bars. If you’re caught off guard, it will throw you off and might even make you wobble.
It’s not as bad as it sounds, though. It’s manageable. Other Vespa owners in our group even pointed out that it doesn’t handle or feel weird like a Vespa with its front swingarm does. Also, the 150 Aura’s seat is comfy, and the rear suspension is decent. You will feel the stiffness in your hands, but at least not on your bum.
The scooter is also easily maneuverable in traffic. It’s big, but it doesn’t feel heavy. I didn’t get to ride at speed much, of course, though I did try taking some corners at speed, through which the 150 Aura handled quite well. It’ll be interesting to see how well this can take on proper twisties.
Cool. How much is the new CFMoto 150 Aura?
That’s the thing here—the CFMoto 150 Aura stickers for P131,700. That’s insanely affordable considering everything this scooter has to offer. Other 150cc scooters that offer front or dual-channel ABS cost considerably more, and none of them offer the bells and whistles that the 150 Aura has.
As it stands, I think this scooter is poised to be another big hit for CFMoto. Other motorcycle manufacturers should watch out for this. Rest assured, we’ll all tell you more once we finally get our hands on this for a proper test ride.
