Review of 125cc Sports Scooter for 2012
When we first reviewed the sports model of this range, it was a very different looking machine to the one you see today.
If you have a look in our archive section, we have a full review of the old version of this in both 125 CC and 50 CC variety. You’ll notice that they are very different looking machines, so what in reality to these differences make to your driving and riding experience?
As usual we decided to do a full trial run of this machine on the local airfield. The first thing I noticed on unpacking was that this bike appear to be much sleeker than its older counterpart. The sports styling is reflected in the fact that there is being a real attempt to keep the wheels free of obstruction and paraphernalia, with smaller mudguards and less general clutter around the front and rear wheel. There is a grill in front of the main front headlight, and the handlebars had been brought in considerably.
Like every bike in this range it is a first-time starter, and the black and red model that we tested looked wonderful as it hummed away. We let the bike run for a good five minutes with about three quarters of a tank of petrol in it to make sure there’s no stuttering problems.
Perhaps we have mentioned this before, but this is always a good test for a new bike. Make sure that fuel is reaching the engine smoothly. The bike can blow off any cobwebs it may have had while in storage or in transit to you.
Anyway, I could hardly wait to get on it. One little issue I have is the seat is somewhat different from before. The original 125 cc and 50 cc sports scooter had a slightly wider seat than this, it’s hard to say whether in the long run this will be an improvement, but it did feel a little different.
Does the sports title reflected in its overall speed?
Well, not really. We didn’t de-restrict this bike. We ran it straight on factory settings, and found that it reached 60 miles an hour on the flat in around 31.8 seconds. This is marginally quicker than a couple of the other bikes but only by a few tenths of a second.
Having said that, it really did feel as if the bike was much lighter as far as handling went. This is probably a product of the redesigned steering column and handlebars. The controls also looked much more like an “off-road” bike now, if that’s your sort of thing then this bike will be right up your street.
I actually did some proper “ knees down” turning on this, and it responded very well.
Perhaps that’s where it gets its “sports” title. Cornering does seem to be a little sharper, but I do know many people who ride scooters and mopeds who would rather over use the steering column than introduce an element of leaning. If that’s the case then perhaps this bike is not for you.
But if you are the type who doesn’t mind leaning that extra for 5°, then this bike seems to accommodate that very nicely.
Unfortunately, the weather was rather poor on our testing day and there was no opportunity to try it out on the public highway. But my usual notes of caution remains. 125 CC machine would be far better suited on the open road for an experienced rider. You will be able to keep up with traffic and be overtaken far less often. There is nothing worse than an 18 wheeler whizzing past 8 inches from your right shoulder, a machine capable of 60 mph, (as this smart looking sports bike clearly is), would keep you out of most of that trouble and provide a stress free ride.
I mentioned it with the previous model, I almost bought either the Viper or the Sports before the range was reviewed, sadly I no longer have the cash or the space to buy a moped or scooter that I probably am not going to use at the moment. But if I had then this stunning looking machine, with its excellent build quality, superb petrol efficiency and sporty good looks would be up for some serious consideration.
If I get the opportunity later on, James (my mechanic and “set-up” man) will give this machine a run through as well. Give it the “mechanics eye view” as it were. But from a pure riders perspective this now overtakes its predecessor as one of my top three scooters have fun and style.
The 125 CC sports moped comes highly recommended.