The Daelim S3 Advance

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At a time when most scooter manufacturers are busy upping their mid capacity machines to 300cc or above it comes as a surprise to get a new 250cc machine. The Daelim S3 Advance may be sticking with the quarter litre size but it boasts a class leading 24bhp engine and some fancy electronic gadgetry. Thankfully it doesn’t come with a class leading price tag to go with it.

Smart key

The Daelim looks quite tasty, it’s angular and stylish and comes in a choice of silver, black or white. It’s large front fairing and screen offer good protection from the elements and makes for a quieter ride, which is just as well because the weather was pretty dire whilst I had it! One fairly unique selling point for the scooter is the ‘Smart key’ ignition, it’s a proximity sensor like you’d find on some new cars. Basically it means you don’t need to insert an ignition key to start the S3, simply have the key in your pocket, turn the blue plastic backlit dial and press the starter. You can also open the fuel cap and put the steering lock on in the same way. There’s a separate button to open the large seat, storage space beneath it is a bit disappointing but it’s still useful and there are a couple of other small storage areas behind the legshields (which incidentally are finished in a nice brushed steel effect rather than the usual cheap black plastic), one of which is lockable and contains a handy 12v socket so you can charge a phone or power a sat nav.

The riding position on the scooter is comfortable enough with a large stepped dual seat and feet forward design for the rider. Passengers will appreciate the fold out pegs and backrest but taller ones may get buffeted a bit at speed because they sit higher than the rider. Talking of speed, Daelim claim a class-leading engine and they’re not far off the mark with a claimed 24.6bhp from the fuel injected, four valve, double overhead camshaft lump. Get it away from the line and the power is fairly progressive and there’s enough of it on tap for stress free overtaking. The scooter will sit comfortably at the national speed limit and can do just over 80mph if the need arises, which is perfectly acceptable for a 250-class scooter. During a fast 150 mile round trip on the motorway the S3 achieved 62mpg, a figure that could easily be improved if you’re not in quite so much of a hurry! The linked brakes are pretty good too, simply use the left hand lever to put the front and rear disk brakes on simultaneously, or use the right hand lever on it’s own to operate the front brake. Telescopic forks and twin adjustable rear shocks take care of the suspension and a set of Schwalbe Raceman tyres are fitted as standard, they’re a grippy tyre and wear quite well.

Being seen on the road is quite important on any scooter and with many cars now sporting daytime headlights (which kind of defeats the object of bikes having mandatory running lights) it’s good to have a scooter with twin blue tinged LED ‘halo’ lights, which come on automatically with the ignition and get you noticed. The lights certainly help you to stand out. The S3’s instrument cluster has all the info to hand; a tacho, speedo, temp gauge, plus a digital screen for the time, trip, odometer and fuel gauge.

The Daelim S3 offers good value for money; it’s priced well, looks the part and is quicker than other scooters in the class. It’s available from your local Daelim dealer now so go and have a look for yourself.

Daelim S3 Advance 250: Tech specs

  • Engine: 247cc, 4-valve, 4-stroke, DOHC, fuel injected, liquid cooled
  • Power: 24.6bhp
  • Brakes: Front and rear discs (linked)
  • Wheels: Front, 120/70-14, rear 140/60-13
  • Seat Height: 745mm
  • Weight: 167kg
  • Tank Capacity: 11.5 litres (1.9 litre reserve)
  • Warranty: Two years
  • Price: £3299
  • Contact: www.daelim.co.uk

Suzuki Inazuma 250 – UK Launch

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Images: Jason Critchell

What better place than the UK’s premier bike show at the NEC in Birmingham to launch a new commuter friendly bike? With much of the country cut off by floods and more heavy rain forecast this was likely to be a ride where we’d need waders but thankfully much of the day stayed dry and we only had to ride through one bit of flooded road.

Inazuma

If you cut the new Suzuki Inazuma in half lengthways you’d see the letters C.O.M.M.U.T.E.R running through it’s steel core. This bike is lightweight, low to the ground, nimble, fairly powerful and frugal too, with a claimed 85.87mpg – as measured using the Worldwide Motorcycle Testing Cycle (WMTC). All great attributes for a bike that’s primarily designed as convenient transportation for the masses. The accessory catalogue helps to make the bike even more practical, it includes a 26 litre top box, tank bag, small screen, a centre stand, engine protection bars, an outdoor cover and a tank protector. A larger screen would be a useful addition though to keep the rain and cold at bay but no doubt we’ll see one at a later date. To help make this bike even more attractive Suzuki have priced it to sell at £3408 and have a low rate finance deal on it as well, so the bike could be yours for just £85 per month, which is a figure you can’t really argue with. Just compare it to a months worth of public transport or car parking costs and it’s a no-brainer.

Parallel twin

The Inazuma is an all-new machine, built in the Chinese Suzuki factory to help keep costs down as much as possible. Don’t let its country of origin put you off though because quality, fit and finish certainly haven’t suffered as a result. The bike features a new long stroke 248cc parallel twin engine, it’s liquid cooled and fuel injected and comes with a balancer shaft to reduce vibration. The engine is designed to produce good levels of mid range power and it makes 24bhp @ 8500rpm, plus a good dollop of useful torque (16lb.ft to be precise). The bike also qualifies for the new A2 licence, which will come into force in January so it’s perfect for new riders, or somebody looking to downsize to a more practical bike, or maybe a returning rider looking to get back into biking. I expect a fair few training schools will be running them too. The engine is wrapped in a semi double cradle frame, with a single tube splitting into two to save weight and show off the engine a bit. It runs on KYB forks (better known as Kayaba) and has a rear mono shock with 7-step preload. As you’d expect the bike also comes with front and rear disks.

Simple styling

The bike is designed to appeal to the commuter so styling is plain but well executed, nothing too fancy to attract the wrong kind of attention when it’s parked up for the day but everything you need is there, including a nice clear LCD instrument console, complete with gear selection indicator, two trips, fuel gauge, time, service intervals, etc. There’s also an analogue tacho and all the usual idiot lights, all laid out in an easy to read format.

On the road

Our test ride was over a 63-mile circular route taking in dual carriageway, twisty country roads, the flooded town of Stratford and even a bit of motorway. Sitting astride for the first time as we prepared to ride out of the NEC show the Suzuki feels comfortable enough and the low seat height means it’s accessible to everybody. The bike pulls away fairly well and the gearbox is nice and slick, so no grumbles there. It quickly becomes apparent that the engine really is built for mid range but you can leave it in sixth gear as you pootle through a village at just less than 30mph, wind the throttle on again as the speed limit changes and it pulls away without lag. It really is a lazy sort of bike that will just pull and pull, in fact the twin cylinder engine always feels like it wants an extra gear, a cursory glance at the gear selector avoids those unnecessary stabs for an imaginary seventh though! If you want to accelerate a bit quicker you can always drop the bike down a cog or two of course and it will pick up speed quite quickly, it starts to make it’s power at around 7,000rpm so keep the needle around there if you want to have a bit of fun. On the motorway the bike feels well planted and stable and we saw just over 80mph on the clock, with a bit more to come given space (we’re told it has a top speed of around 85mph, so that’s £85 a month, 85mpg and a top speed of 85mph). The Inazuma comes with 17” IRC Road Winner tyres as standard, they aren’t a brand we see too often these days but I used to use IRC’s all the time on my scooters during the early 1990’s, the tyres offered plenty of grip during our road test, despite it being cold and damp and I was confident in them whilst cornering and during heavy braking. Talking of brakes, the disks offer plenty of bite but aren’t over powerful which will be perfect for the kind of rider the Inazuma will attract, after all this isn’t a machine aimed at the track day enthusiast. The bikes suspension was also more than adequate, even on the standard settings, although you may just want to add some preload if you’re taking a pillion.

After a good blast around Leamington Spa, Stratford-Under-Avon (it was under whilst we were there) and a few well-heeled towns and villages in Middle England it was time to head back to Birmingham, five riders on identical bikes, all enjoying a cold afternoon ride. Even though the bike is aimed squarely at the commuter market the ride back showed just how much fun you can have on a bike of any capacity if you’re in the mood for a blast. The Suzuki goes around corners well, has enough speed to overtake at will and even when we got back to Motorcycle Live after just over 63 miles the tank had only lost two bars so it certainly won’t cost a fortune to run. This is bargain basement biking but it’s enjoyable nevertheless. If you’re looking for a commuter bike and fancy something new the Inazuma comes well recommended. They’re in your local Suzuki dealership now, don’t forget to tell them that 2Commute sent you…

Suzuki Inazuma 250: Tech Specs

  • Engine: 248cc, four stroke, SOHC, Liquid Cooled, parallel twin
  • Power: 24bhp @ 8500rpm, 16ft.lb Torque
  • Brakes: Front and rear disks
  • Wheels: Front 110/80-17, rear 140/70-17
  • Suspension: Front telescopic fork, rear mono shock
  • Seat Height: 780mm
  • Weight: 183kg
  • Dimensions: Length 2145mm, width 760mm, height 1075mm, wheelbase 1430mm, seat
  • Tank Capacity: 13.3 litres
  • Colours: Red, black
  • Price: £3408
  • Contact: www.suzuki-gb.co.uk

Honda CBF125

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The Honda CBF125 may not be as drop dead gorgeous as Yamaha’s stunning YZF-125 or as sporty looking as their best selling CBR125 but it’s a whole lot more practical, quite a bit cheaper and its not bad looking either. It sold 334 units in September 2012, which put it top of the 125cc and naked classes.

The 125 class is still hot (showing an 11.6% rise over the same period last year) as more and more folks realise the benefits of two wheels, both from a cost and a time saving point of view. Not to mention the fun and social aspects of riding a bike or scooter. For a few years twist & go scooters kicked sand into the faces of puny learner legal bikers, mainly because they were new and refreshing and offered storage as well as tuning potential and street cred but smaller capacity geared bikes have started to make a comeback too.

134mpg anybody?

Honda replaced the tried and trusted CG125, a machine that has earned its keep over the last three decades with the all-new CBF125 in 2009. The CBF itself is cool in its own bargain priced way, it’s not dripping in exotic parts and it’s not styled to mimic a larger capacity sports bike but it still looks tidy and does exactly what Honda set out to do, that is to build a good dependable and safe bike that was both affordable and cheap to run. Fuel economy is one item that scores quite highly on most peoples shopping lists these days and Honda claim a whopping 134mpg from the

CBF (I thrashed one to Skegness and back for a Honda economy test and still achieved 123mpg which was very impressive). The factory figure may be measured in stricter conditions but even allowing for the odd quick blast and the stopping and starting most commuters are used to the bike should still do over 300 miles to the 13 litre tank. Let’s say the average daily commute is around twelve miles, that’s 25 days travelling, or five whole weeks at a cost of about £12. Try saving five weeks worth of bus or train fares, (or even five weeks worth of car journeys) and you’d have a hefty deposit to put down on a new CBF125. Don’t forget to take into account the amount of time you’ll save by going to work on a bike and a frugal 125 starts to make a whole lot more sense. Riding to work starts the day off perfectly and the art of nipping through busy traffic heightens the senses and wakes you up in a morning, it’s also great for stress relief at night. Riding is much more fun than being cramped up on a bus ingesting the annoying beats of passively overheard iPod tunes in a morning…and the aroma of less hygienic commuters.

Four stroke engine

The CBF’s engine isn’t anything remarkable, although it does come with fuel injection but the five speed, air cooled motor starts easily on the button (as you’d expect) and chugs away evenly at tickover. The note through its matt black exhaust is quiet but not too wimpy but no doubt the coating won’t look quite so good after a salty British winter. The riding position and decent sized seat are comfortable and at just 792mm high it’s perfect for shorter riders, or for inspiring confidence in novices. The pegs are low enough to allow your legs to keep cramp at bay and the handlebars are just high enough to stop anything aching (as my Skeggy blast found out), there’s no bum in the air sports bike style Kama Sutra involved for the owners of this bike!

It’s nippy!

After prodding the CBF into first and letting out the light clutch I must admit that the engine actually surprised me. The majority of small capacity four strokes take some winding up to get the most from them but the Honda engine is willing and able. Having a learner legal 125 with mediocre power available can be a daunting experience when faced with modern traffic conditions, riding a sluggish machine doesn’t help you to avoid myopic motorists and suicidal cyclists, so it came as a relief to be able to get out of harms way a bit faster than expected. Even though the bike was brand spanking new the motor felt loose enough to wind it up a bit. Blasting through the gears soon saw 70mph on the clock, a respectable speed on the flat and not too hard to achieve either. With a few more miles on the clock it starts to loosen up a bit more as well. The bike handles well too; despite the slightly weedy looking swinging arm and the virtually unknown tyre brand (TVS to be precise) it goes around corners very well and holds quite a good line during multiple roundabout laps.

It’s quite easy to simply dismiss smaller capacity machines once you’ve gained a full licence but on the right type of road they can still be a lot of fun and save you a fortune too. I might not be tempted to trade in any of my own machines for one but if I was looking for an honest, dependable machine to get me back on the road (or on the road for the first time) for very little money the Honda would be fairly high up on my wish list. Visit your local Honda dealer and check out this competent commuter.

 

Honda CBF125 Tech Specs:

  • Engine: 124.7cc, air cooled, four stroke, 2 valve OHC
  • Power: Power: 11.1hp @ 8,000rpm
  • Brakes: Brakes: Front 240mm disc, rear drum
  • Wheels: 80/100 -17 (46P), 100/90-17 (55P)
  • Suspension: 30mm telescopic fork, twin rear shockers, 3-step preload adjustment
  • Weight: weight 128kg
  • Dimensions: Length 1,995mm, width 760mm, height 1110mm
  • Tank Capacity: fuel capacity 13 litres
  • Colours: Red, black, silver metallic
  • Price: £2500
  • Contact: www.honda.co.uk

CPI Aragon GP

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This nifty little CPI Aragon GP retails at just £1499, which isn’t a lot of money for a well put together and tasty looking 50cc scooter, add in the subsidised Lexham Insurance deal, starting at just £99 and manufacturers two year warranty and you’ve got a great deal that won’t break a teenagers…or parents bank.

The Aragon GP is the sportier version of the existing Aragon (Aragon S-line is £1399) and it certainly looks the part with those go faster stickers and chunky looking polished stainless steel exhaust. There will be no annoying rusty downpipes to worry about on this scooter after a harsh British winter. Why don’t all manufacturers put stainless pipes on their scoots? I’m sure we’d all be happy to pay a few quid extra and get something that won’t rust after the first sniff of rain. Aside from sporty good looks, the Aragon GP also boasts LED indicators, stacked headlights, a rev counter and digital dash with trip, time, odometer and speed-readings. It also has a rear rack, which will accept a top box (not that any self respecting sixteen year old would be seen dead with a top box on his sports ped!) Personally I think a small luggage rack with bungee points would be a more useful addition.

Two Stroke

Engine wise this scooter comes with a good old fashioned two stroke motor, that’s another bonus point in my book because four stroke fifties are just so boring and weedy sounding. At least a two stroke sounds good and has a bit of get up and go, they’re also infinitely better suited to tuning and there are quite a few tuning goodies from the likes of Malossi to fit the CPI. Thankfully our test scooter had been de-restricted, if you’re 17 or older a moped can be legally de-restricted to unleash the full power, which feels a lot safer than having to hug the pavement for safety at sub 30mph I can tell you. I was quite surprised at just how well the Aragon GP accelerates, it doesn’t feel sluggish (remember this one has been de-restricted though) and although the top speed I saw on the clock was only 45mph it still felt well capable of holding it’s own in faster flowing traffic.

The Aragon GP handles fairly well too, it’s fitted with Duro tyres on 12” matt black alloys and they felt stable enough and gave me the confidence to corner flat out in most places, even on cold autumnal roads. The suspension may not be as plush as you’d find on some of the more expensive scooters but it’s certainly not worth complaining about, especially on a scooter costing less than £1500. The CPI Aragon GP is a good little fifty, it goes well, looks great, isn’t expensive and comes with a two year warranty.

Tuning Goodies

If you want to increase the performance of your CPI (or other scooter for that matter) Malossi offer two cylinder kit options for CPI 50cc machines. The first is a basic cast iron 70cc kit, or go the whole hog and fit an MHR Replica alloy kit. Malossi also supply a full range of carbs, clutches, CDI’s, gear kits and variators to suit the CPI two strokes. Add a nice performance exhaust and your scooter just got quite a bit faster. The full range of Malossi (and Athena) tuning parts can be bought from your local scooter shop, visit www.ve-uk.com for prices and details, plus you can order online and have your items delivered to a nearby VE dealer.

CPI Aragon GP 50: Tech Specs

  • Engine: 49.2cc, air cooled, two stroke
  • Brakes: Front disk, rear drum
  • Wheels: 120/70-12 front, 130/70-12 rear
  • Weight: 90kg’s
  • Dimensions: Length 1839mm, width 664mm, height 1131mm
  • Tank Capacity: 8 litres
  • Warranty: Two years
  • Colours: Blue/green, silver/red
  • Price: £1499
  • Contact: www.wearemoto.co.uk

Zontes Panther 125 – £1500 well spent?

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Most commuters are simply looking for something cheap, cheerful and reliable to get them to work and back. If you’re buying new that usually means something of oriental origin. In recent years more and more Far Eastern manufacturers have battled for market share, especially in the budget sector. Many of the dodgy brands (and fly by night traders) have disappeared (thankfully) but last year no fewer than 96 brands of Chinese powered two wheeler were registered in the UK. Unsurprisingly there are still some really bad quality Chinese machines out there but there are also some very good ones. If you shop wisely you can still get a tidy looking, perfectly useful 125 for as little as £1500, complete with dealer back up and warranty. Which brings us nicely on to this Zontes Panther 125.

Zontes Panther

Zontes are distributed in the UK through Clements Moto, the same people who are behind the respected Baotian range of scooters. I’ve ridden quite a few Baotian scooters but this was the first Zontes bike I’ve sampled. You often get a preconceived idea of a bike before seeing it in the flesh and I was expecting some cheap looking bike, after all it costs just £1500 to buy so wasn’t likely to look too pretty up close. Or was it? In actual fact it’s very well finished and although the styling is simple it is quite pretty, which means it’ll not embarrass you if somebody on a more expensive bike pulls alongside. To be honest I was very pleasantly surprised by the whole look and feel of the bike.

The Panther has a nice comfortable riding position with a low seat height, so it’s perfect for novice riders and it starts easily on the button. The new engine was a little bit tight to begin with (as all new bikes are) but it loosened up nicely throughout the day. The Panther has disc brakes, front and rear, which is good news because most budget bikes in this price range just get a simple drum rear brake. The Panther also has twin piggyback rear shocks, they’re adjustable too so that’s another good selling point but they worked well enough on the standard settings. Wheels are 18” front, 17” rear and are fitted with CST rubber, a common budget brand; they grip well enough in the dry but we didn’t get chance to sample them in the wet. Other details include a chrome heat shield on the exhaust and a back up kickstart just in case you need it. There’s also a small but useful rear carrier as standard. Even the colour matched coating on the engine looked like it was painted to last and helped to give the bike a quality looking finish. Instrument wise the Panther has smart looking analogue clocks with a chrome surround. The clocks are easy to read and showed just a tad over 70mph whilst we had it, there’s also a trip meter and rev counter, plus a fuel gauge and gear position indicator (which could do with being a bit brighter). Fuel consumption was good at 80.14mpg; the bike was ridden flat out for most of the day though so could easily be improved.

All in all the Zontes Panther is well priced, well built and rides as good as anything in this price range. I’d say it’s £1500 well spent.

Zontes Panther Tech Spec:

  • Engine: 125cc, 2-valve, air cooled, overhead cam - Max Torque: 11.26nm @ 6500rpm
  • Power: 11.59bhp @ 8000rpm
  • Brakes: Front and rear disc
  • Wheels: Front 3.00/18, rear 110/80/17
  • Seat Height: 755mm
  • Weight: 115kg
  • Dimensions: Length 1980mm, width 730mm, height 1070mm, wheelbase 1280mm
  • Tank Capacity: 15 litres
  • Colours: Black, silver, orange
  • Price: £1499 plus OTR
  • Contact: www.zontes.co.uk