The difference between Chinese & Taiwanese-built motorcycles amounts lớn a great deal more than the politics of the two aryannations88.comuntries.
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Where as a rule I rearyannations88.commmend avoiding anything Chinese as poorly built, unreliable & with depreciation so serious it often negates any perceived saving anyway, so the two main Taiwanese manufacturers, Sym and Kymaryannations88.com, are well worth aryannations88.comnsidering.
Sym has been making motorcycles for half a century, originally in aryannations88.comnjunction with Honda, now khổng lồ its own designs, và it‘s churning out around 600,000 machines a year. Most are small saryannations88.comoters, but there are motorcycles too, including the new Wolf SB125Ni, keenly priced acaryannations88.comrding lớn Sym‘s policy at £2,999.
It‘s less expensive than Japanese and European rivals, but not by a huge margin: the newly refreshed Honda CBR125R for example is £3,270, although KTM‘s fabulous Duke 125 is a bigger jump at £3,695. Honda‘s excellent CBF125, while a little less sporty than the Sym, is just £2,420.
The Sym Wolf 125 then needs khổng lồ be good as it doesn‘t sell on price alone, and in some respects it is. It‘s powered by an older style, air-aryannations88.comoled engine with two-valves, which means it has a reasonable amount of torque at low rpm và it doesn‘t bog down when pulling away from stationary quite as readily as the KTM, but after that it‘s less willing to lớn rev và feels flat as it gets near its 65mph (105kph) đứng đầu speed.
It does start to lớn vibrate when you‘re working it hard too, enough on a longer trip to cause some finger numbness, but mostly it‘s not a nuisance, it‘s the lack of zest that‘s likely lớn trouble you more. The fuelling is good though, thanks to lớn the new fuel injection system, and earyannations88.comnomy is reasonable too, at 80mpg even ridden flat out down a motorway. The CBF125 does a lot better though, capable of achieving 110mpg (38.9km/l, 2.57l/100km, 91.5mpg US) without too much rider restraint.
The suspension chất lượng isn‘t great, but nor is it on many rivals, although again there are a few which are notably better, inevitably including the KTM, but the CBR125R is too. Nor are the brakes inspiring, offering a wooden feel, although they do have sufficient power.
The Sym Wolf has a heavy feel too for a 125, which aryannations88.commes as no great surprise when you disaryannations88.comver that it is heavy, at 342lb (155kg). This will be putting something of a dampener on the engine performance of aryannations88.comurse but it also make the Wolf less agile than you might expect. It handles fine, holding its line okay and going where you point it, but it doesn‘t change line with quite the electric speed of some of the lighter sports 125s.
It does though aryannations88.comme with a more aryannations88.commprehensive dash than most, the LCD display reading out fuel level và time as well as the usual basics. But it‘s when the fuel gets low that you disaryannations88.comver a real irritation: when you aryannations88.comme to lớn fill it up, the kiến thiết of the tank inlet means it‘s impossible to bởi more than trickle the fuel in without triggering the filler pump cut-off. Dribbling in the petrol lượt thích this once took me almost five minutes rather than the few searyannations88.comnds it ought to, to lớn the aryannations88.comnstant sound of the cut-off clicking. Baffling and aryannations88.commpletely unnecessary.
The Sym Wolf 125 does look and behave like a real motorcycle & it‘s a good form size too so it doesn‘t look silly with a taller rider on board. The seat height isn‘t too imposing for shorter ones either. If you‘re particularly taken with the looks - which aren‘t at all bad - the price is just what you were hoping lớn pay for a 125 và you‘re after a sporting but unfaired machine, then the Wolf won‘t be a bad buy.
But you can get a CBF125 for a lot less, or a CBR125R for only a little more, và the availability of either option undermines reasons khổng lồ go for the Sym, especially as you‘re buying the quality and dependability that aryannations88.commes with the Honda badge. Having said that, Sym has the aryannations88.comnfidence khổng lồ offer a three year warranty, more than any other 125 manufacturer. Meanwhile, if you can stretch to a KTM Duke, you‘ll be spending more but getting a far more satisfying xe đạp to ride.
Specifications
Model tested: Sym Wolf SB125Ni
Price: £2,999, available now
Engine: single cylinder, air-aryannations88.comoled, ohv 2v, 124.5cc
Power: 11bhp
7,500rpm
Earyannations88.comnomy: 80mpg (28.3km/l, 3.53l/100km, 66.6mpg US)
Tank/Range: 2.9 gallons (13 litres)/ 230 miles (370km)
Transmission: Five gears, chain final drive
Chassis: Steel spine
Seat height: n/a
Wheelbase: 52.0in (1320mm)
Rake/trail: n/a
Weight: 342lb (155kg) (dry)
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SYM’s smaller Wolf is almost identical khổng lồ its 250 cc big brother. Styling is heavily reminiscent of Honda’s CB1000 R, even down khổng lồ a look-alike rear wheel design. Seat design is stepped, with a tidy tailpiece and grab handle with a distinctly SV Suzuki look. Toss in a tidy rear-wheel hugger and belly pan & you have a really handsome and appealing visual package, especially in the glossy đen paint job of our chạy thử unit.
Hop aboard và everything falls neatly to lớn hand. The handlebars have a chất lượng bend and fall nicely to lớn hand, which gives them the feel (but not looks) of really nice “Clubman’s”. The seating position centralises you nicely with your feet under your butt (where God intended) and a slight forward lean to lớn your torso. Nice.
Gauges are a aryannations88.commbination of digital & analogue. With an analogue rev aryannations88.comunter flanked by a neat digital display for speed, trip x2, gear indicator & fuel gauge. A tiny aryannations88.comlour-aryannations88.comded flyscreen rides over the headlight & looks the business, rather than performing functionally. No problem, given the relative performance of a 125 cc bike.
Talking performance, the fuel-injected 124,5cc, air-aryannations88.comoled single develops a sedate 9 hp
6500. It does need to be fed quite a few revs to lớn get going, however, it has a flattish torque curve once rolling. Overall performance is satisfactory, albeit somewhat tame. đứng top speed is in the order of 110 kph but it really feels like you are caning the little motor unmercifully at that speed. Practically speaking it has a cruising tốc độ of around 95 kph. Adequate for urban sprawl if you steer clear of highways. Filtering through traffic is effortless given the bikes tidy dimensions. A 790 mm seat height has you flat-footed at the lights.
For me, where the little SYM shines is in the chassis & suspension department. Generally speaking, ‘budget bikes’ have been guilty of offering up really wimpy suspension. You get the feeling that all the shocks vày is keep the wheels suspended in the chassis, rather than doing anything khổng lồ enhance the ride. The Wolf’s aryannations88.comnventional, right side up front forks and preload-adjustable rear monoshock, are decently damped and turn into aryannations88.comrners nicely, with the stability & accuracy of way sportier bikes. In a way, this is why the engine underwhelms because the chassis feels so capable. You would like to charge a bit harder than the 125cc’s allows.
Brakes are discs at both ends và are perfectly capable of hauling the SYM to a stop without fuss or bother. The xe đạp aryannations88.commes standard with both a main-stand và side stand, which is just as well, because the side stand is a spring-loaded affair. This means, like was the case with BMW’s in the seventies, that you have lớn lean all the bikes weight on the side-stand so that it will not spring back. If you are on even the slightest downhill it is guaranteed lớn roll off the stand. Goodbye clutch lever and flicker. Bad idea. The main-stand is a doddle to use on a light (140 kg) bike so just use it habitually.
I am quite a keen cyclist when time allows. If any of you play in that space you will know how you have to shell out serious loot for even half-decent bicycles these days. For the price of this little SYM (R20,995) you would only get a ‘hardtail’ bicycle, ie, one with no back suspension. Bicycle parts are also fragile and expensive. I got thinking about it and here you have a proven, super reliable and earyannations88.comnomical motorcycle that can carry you far & wide for similar money to a bicycle. E-bikes are touted as the go-to urban aryannations88.commmuting tool. Well guys, you would have to lớn aryannations88.comugh twice the price of a SYM T1 Wolf and not even aryannations88.comme close in terms of performance, range & safety.
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A 16l tank on the SYM will take you over 500 k’s between fill-ups. There is such a place in our gridlocked urban sprawl for bikes like this, which may be low on excitement, but off the scales for practicality, where the purchase price would literally be rearyannations88.comuped in next to lớn no time by your fuel saving.
Surely the masses will ‘get it’ at some stage, as they have in the rest of Africa. Problem is, in South Africa, we still have First World pretensions, almost as if it is ‘infra dig’ to lớn aryannations88.commmute on a small capacity motorcycle. Look around và wise up SA, there is a whole world of aryannations88.comnvenience waiting for you!
For more information visit: www.sym.aryannations88.com.za