SYM Joyride 200 first ride and impressions

[Du PontChardon]

After many years of owning and riding conventional motorcycles with just one or two small automatic scooters, I came to the conclusion that a small to medium capacity automatic would suit my current and likely future needs. I had done some research on automatic scooters, deciding that my choice would be between a Sym or a Kymco, both of Taiwanese design and manufacture, of a good general standard regarding fit and finish, reliable and reasonably priced. A Sym Joyride 200 had been listed on Gumtree for several weeks, and although almost ten years old it had an extremely low mileage of just 1788km and a documented history. In my conversations with the seller, he certainly appeared genuine and instantly accepted my cash offer, so I quickly arranged to collect the scooter a couple of days later from his home in Sheffield, some 120 miles away and ride it home.

I travelled down from Middlesbrough on Teesside at mid-day using the bargain-priced (a just amazing £13-69 single!) Stagecoach ‘Megabus’ express coach – surprisingly swift and comfortable, a guaranteed seat of course and with no-one standing in the aisles, unlike the typical train - arriving just after 2pm in Sheffield, and the chap kindly collected me from the Interchange, travelling then in his car to his address on the outskirts of the city. On first sight of the scooter, my initial impression was that the bike would have benefitted from a wash and polish as it was quite dusty – his garage was also a home workshop for his woodworking hobby so fine sawdust everywhere was I guess, inevitable – but the Sym did look sound enough with no evidence of rust or corrosion, wear or damage of any sort aside from one or two very minor scratches. The owner said it had only been used very occasionally over each of the last ten years, mostly spring and summer weekends and with no winter use at all and had been dealer serviced and Mot'd annually. This was confirmed by the exceptionally clean and original appearance of the engine casings, exhaust and rear shock absorbers all of which tend to corrode easily if ridden in bad weather. The original windscreen was like-new as were the handlebar-grips, the black-finished alloy wheel-rims were unmarked by tyre levers and all paintwork and badges were sound and intact. A good and careful clean and wax polish and the bike would look like new, I thought to myself.

The scooter started easily, ran very well and sounded sweet and almost silent, so after happily exchanging cash and documents, by 3:30pm I was departing for the journey home. The first thing that I did notice was just how relaxed I instantly felt on the Sym and how impressive the engine response and acceleration were despite it being just 171cc. Travelling through some fairly heavy city-centre traffic and following the signs for the M1 motorway junction I felt really at ease, which is not always the case with an unfamiliar motorcycle and on unfamiliar roads. Joining the motorway, the Sym settled down to a steady 60mph at 7000rpm, was quiet and smooth with little or no vibration. There was, of course, more speed available and I did run it up to an indicated 70mph on the odd occasion when overtaking, but had no need nor desire to cruise at that speed.

The roads generally were busy but not hectic as the daylight began to dim with the late afternoon and although I could feel it getting noticeably colder, I was suitably attired to resist the worst of it. Think ‘the Michelin Man’ and you will have the right idea! Within an hour I was passing the signs and junctions for Leeds and switched on the scooter’s main lights as it grew dim.

One or two things that I did make a mental note of during the ride were the rather small and difficult to read MPH figures on the speedometer with KPH taking precedence, the odd and slightly awkward push-in dip-switch, a disappointingly hard pain-in-the-butt saddle after barely 50 miles but with a comfortable and well-designed lower-back support ‘hump’ and moderately hard rear suspension that did feel harsh over bumps and dips in the road and will need adjusting for personal comfort.

I had planned a brief stop roughly half-way, and with an almost full fuel tank, decided to wait until the services at Wetherby on the A1, arriving there at 4:45pm by which time it was dark and beginning to rain, albeit quite lightly. A typical November early evening you could say! After a 15-minute break at Wetherby Services for bottled water and chocolate and now wearing some additional waterproof and hi-vis clothing, I set off again on the fairly quiet A1/A1M, then finally on unlit local roads where the headlamp despite seeming fine on the motorway at 60mph, was barely adequate now above 40mph, with both dip and main-beam being very limited. Fortunately, night-time riding is not something I need to do as a rule. Reaching home in the east of County Durham around 6pm, tired and cold but really quite exhilarated, with a huge smile on my face, having thoroughly enjoyed the ride despite it being mostly motorway! Truly a Joy-Ride you could say!

The next morning, bright and chilly, I set about giving the Sym a thorough inspection, soapy wash and general brush-up, which absolutely transformed its appearance. The capacious area under the large saddle is a really useful space for carrying basic tools, locks, maps and waterproofs. After a little experimenting, I found that I could easily fit a small two-person tent in its carry-pack under the saddle and with plenty of room to spare. Quite impressive! Not something you could likely ever do with a conventional motorcycle. The scooter already had a Sym rear carrier fitted, and as I had only recently purchased a rather nice, compact-size silver top-box that would be a close match to the bike’s colour, decided to fit it. Neat!

Now of course, it has snowed for the past few days and I’m reduced to admiring the Sym in my garage! Such is motorcycling in Britain.

[Deleted User 18446]

Well done

[Waldorf]

What a terrific account of your adventure - a great read, thank you!
Wetherby Services are my first stop on the way South so I know them quite well.
I'm only 30 minutes North of Middlesborough; perhaps a rideout next Spring or Summer is in order if you're into that sort of thing.
I hope you enjoy the scooter, come what may.

[Symcity]

Welcome to the forum - I previously owned a S.Y.M - Sang Yang Motor - which I found to be of good quality - your acquisition seems like a bargain with such low milage - is it the air cooled or water cooled version

[horobags]

great buy, I really like SYM scooters, their only weak point imo is the exhaust(as with most other scoots), so keep an eye on it, a coat of acf-50 or XCP twice a year will help.

[Du PontChardon]

Thanks for your kind responses everyone - Sagalout - I can't believe that you are really a lout! Waldorf, I often read your reports on here and yes, a ride out in the spring sounds good! I'm actually in Trimdon so even closer to Seaham. Symcity, yes it is the liquid-cooled model, which I think partly accounts for the very low noise level - I prefer not to annoy my neighbours! Horobags, I've made a note of your point re. the exhaust - it would be nice if manufacturers could teflon coat them - I have an old frying pan that is still like new, years later despite almost daily use!

[hatter]

Welcome to Muppets and an excellent intro of your new scoot. Also a North Eastern Muppet so hope to meet you next year when our occasional runs will begin again.
ATB Hatter

[Du PontChardon]

Thanks Hatter, I shall look forward to that!

[Waldorf]

The North Eastern Rides usually start from the carpark at Hardwick Country Park so very handy for you.

[Du PontChardon]

Thanks again, yes Sedgefield is just a few miles from me, so good!