A Very Practical 125cc Workhorse

[roadster]

This is about how I chose a suitable replacement for my Silence S01 ( see other post ). I appreciate that for many contributors on the forum the Maxi scooters provides freedom to travel far afield and possibly run at motorway speeds when needed but for me the Silence was for short everyday trips such as shopping, local birdwatching etc. and in general arriving at a destination and shedding and storing riding garb for casual summer weight clothing for walking etc. So no point in running a true maxi for me and definitely mini territory.

So space for plenty of stuff is crudely measured by the two helmet test which the Silence accomplished easily. There are several 125s that meet this requirement but I also wanted to exchange the Silence and dealers weren't at all keen on that. At the cheapest end the Lexmoto AP1 looked promising but the Chinese engine is a little underpowered and it only had linked brakes.

By contrast another local dealer is a SYM agent and the strangely titled SYM Joymax Z+ 125 has the advantage that, because it shares all of the running gear of the 300cc version, there is ample storage, a large fuel tank, ABS brakes, good weather protection. It also has higher power output at 14 HP and if pushed will just about reach 70MPH, so OK for motorways if they are unavoidable. For the record the dealer reluctantly accepted the Silence in part exchange but that was with depreciation of 66% over 3 years for a machine that has only covered 1800 miles.

So that is now on order and if there is any hint of joy I will be sure to report it here.

[Dave Weller]

Thanks for the info, interested myself in a large storage 125 with 14bhp. A Forza has been on my list for a long time.

[roadster]

Collected the SYM today. First impression is that it is physically quite big and reminds me of the Burgman. In spite of the size the seat height is low and at 5ft 11" I felt a little cramped up. Its a pity that the backrest of the 125 is moulded into the seat shape. I think on the 300 its adjustable or removable. Build quality and finish is really good and after the electric scooter the engine noise seems quite pronounced though not unpleasant. I have fitted a Shad top box adapter and drilled it for my Givi box so the total storage is now huge for a two wheeler. Weather permitting I'll take a couple of pictures in the next few days.

Only a couple of minor annoyances. Mileometers are in km only and similarly although the speedo has an inner MPH scale it is quite hard to read quickly.

Regarding underseat space there is a Spanish youtube test which complains that full face helmets don't fit but I can confirm that my size L Nolan fits the rear section easily but not the front. Only an open face fits the front.

Filled up with just over 2 gallons of E5 ( as recommended in owners manual! ) which took an age because of the restricted internal filler collar which is now common on new bikes.