Word is these bikes are on the water and will finally be available here in the US in a couple of weeks. What do you guys think? I think I want one.
I have absolutely no use for a bike like that but it is still pretty damn cool looking and I would sure as hell ride one.
If it were a 350-500cc they would have cornered the market. As it stands for an extra grand I'd go with the TU 250.
The article lost me right here... "SYM is Sanyang Motors out of Taiwan. They've been around since 1961 and they build some of the highest quality motorcycles and scooters in the world. "
They actually built hundreds of thousands of engines for...HONDA. Right there in Taiwan. US bound HONDAS at that...
And not just Honda engines. Millions of Hondas, too. I'm thinking of getting a Wolf. Just right for around town and a little more power than my Symba. My daughter really wants the Symba anyway.
Well, if you see one of these SYM's (Symba or Classic 150) in person you will want it to take it home with you, they are cute. A few weeks ago I dragged my Linda over to see the Symba on the computer screen. For the first time in 35 years and thousands of these patient viewings she got excited. Looking further into SYM online I found the Classic, and she fell in love. So for her 55th birthday yesterday she got this... I can give some impressions but with just 35 miles on it this is still the breakin. It's small and feels ridiculously light. The manual says 266 pounds wet weight but it just can't be - it feels under 200 pounds - I'll weigh it asap. The seat height is 29 inches unladen. Linda is 5'3" and 115 pounds, so the bike fits her better than me but it's not too small even so. I cruised about keeping the revs below 6,000 (45 in 5th). It has decent low and midrange power for the engine size but I have a feeling it isn't going to get exciting higher in the rev range. I did take it up to 60 on half throttle once, it was still barely pulling when I let off. I've read a report where some reviewer hit 82mph (GPS) on one of these. He must have been heartlessly revving the $#%@ out of it because the 9,500 rpm redline is only good for 71 mph by my calculation. Engine is a little buzzy at 6,000, more at 7,000, and seems to get smoother above that. I just barely started revving it at the end of my run. I predict that it will cruise at 60 mph OK, and will make 70 if necessary. Handling is a doodle as they say - slightly too quick if anything. As it turned out the tires were over inflated (35 rear, 33 front). I've since put them at 30 and 26, this will probably slow things down a little. Sitting position is completely comfortable! The bars are clipons but seem to be in a great position for the street. Forks are plush and the rear suspension seems stiff and under damped - kind of like the 70's again! Brakes are more than good enough - the front has good power and feel. This is a California bike and there is a ton of CARB crap on it - charcoal can, CAT exhaust, air injection (!), and a zillion little vacuum lines running here and there. One of these days I'm going to .... The battery is a cheesy liquid fill number, that's getting replaced by a 9AH Shorai post haste. Bless SYM's heart the chain is an O-ring 420 from Japan. Stainless steel front fender - stainless? All the little gadgets and wiggies seem standard OEM quality. The clocks seem a little large but so then is the headlight, it grows on you. The taillight is plain cool. Overall, the fit and finish is quality, kind of like the old Hondas. There appears to be NO aftermarket, and no accessories from SYM either. This bike needs a Dynojet kit and a real exhaust - it has that choked up feeling. Since it's my wife's bike I'm leaving it alone. Well, maybe I'll fiddle with the airbox, jetting, and exhaust a little... If I pick up another (used for cheap) it's getting stripped - these will make great micro anything bikes - cafe, scrambler, trials. All for now!
Longer ride today, mileage is up to 80. Started taking it up in speed, it seems to like 55mph but will go 60 just as well. Above that it starts to sound frantic. I went halfway up the grade toward Kennedy Meadows but took it pretty slow and easy on the engine. Going down I took the hairpins just as fast as any bike I've been on - Ducati's BMW's R6 etc. Odometer is about perfect. My impression is the speedo is accurate too. I'll use a GPS tomorrow to check. 5 percent optimistic by GPS - indicated 55 is 52 on the GPS Checked nuts and bolts, nothing loose. Checked front wheel balance, perfect. Checked engine compression - 135 psi (!) Bore is ceramic coated and apparently the rings are properly sealed. Idle crept up from 1800 to 2100 over the ride today - engine running better with break in ??? adjusted it down to 1500. Tomorrow oil change and then more break in mileage. If this was my bike I be thinking about heavier oil in the forks and some decent shocks.
She is up in Tahoe at the wedding of her best friends daughter (weddings ). So I'm holding the fort feeding dogs and horses. I see my role in this affair as her mechanic and future ridding buddy, I've got to get this machine sorted out so we can go on middle of the day adventure rides to greater Mojave Desert tri-tip establishments The way I see it is she is like one of us. She will want more power, then i can find and buy another bike. But on her budget! And then I can have at this bike
The Wolf is running strong! Linda got her learner's permit a couple weeks ago and has started her street riding in style. Today we rode out to Panamint Valley in chilly 50 degree temp. Last week up Nine Mile Canyon to Kennedy Meadows and then Randsburg. The Wolf does pretty well - goes up the grades out here at a steady 60mph, it's fast enough for desert highways. Got 80mpg and 84mpg on the last two tanks. BTW, the tank holds 2.5 gallons not the 3 gallons listed in the specs. The gas light comes on at about 180-185 miles, there is about one quart in reserve so about 20 more miles to run out. Pics from todays 120 mile ride to Panamint Valley. Lovely Trona Telescope Peak in the background Beauty and the Beast
I have about 450 miles on mine, I'm in Nevada no smog here so I removed all the crap , installed a 17t counter shaft and it's running good it really needs jetting so that's my next mission. The counter shaft helped the revs at hwy speed and made first usable.
150cc's of aircooled rage... Great for getting ran over on the Super Slab prone North America... After the ohh and ahh factor of another pick in the market wears off... It won't be such a hot pick. Why not buy an old Honda CB? They look the same, have higher quality and should have parts availability...?
Same thing as China built BMW's, Honda has a guy in the "QC" department... Does SYM? I hope SYM didn't hire the guys that were in charge of notifying the public of Enron's stock price... Posted by a hater... Hating...
Yeah, that's how it reads. Thanks for not adding anything to the thread. To the OP - how does the fit and finish of the various plastic parts (throttle assemblies, etc) and the metal parts (handlebars, brake levers, forks, frame, swingarm) seem? I worked for a while as a mechanic assembling and repairing Chinese built bikes that looked a lot like that SYM (sold here in Russia under the Patron brand name). Overall fit and finish always looked and felt very cheap - overly shiny "chrome" on the exhaust and bars, hard rubber (nearly plastic) grips and throttle assemblies with a lot of play in them, unsealed chains, etc. Just wanting to hear your thoughts on how the SYM compares to a Japanese bike.
i did add something? Buy it, because it's new and "cool", ride it on the highway in places like New York, Nashville and other metropolises, and you won't be be back to post on it and tell us how cool it is. I hope MaineScoot isnt a dealer, and this isn't a "feeler" thread... (Because that's how it reads to me) Otherwise, why stop at 150cc's? There are tons of cool little 50cc 2T's out there that can do the same thing... Get you killed...
Then whence comes the post about "just buy a Honda CB"? It sounds more like you're distrustful of the fact that it's not a Japanese bike, not that it's only 150cc's. That point swims up in both posts you made...
