I wish to write to you concerning the SYM 300i that I purchased from Teller Automotive Group of Port Melbourne, early in June 2011.
No, I'm NOT writing to complain, I'm actually writing to inform you of the delight I have experienced since purchasing this scooter. I have ridden scoters for some 53 years commencing with a Lambretta at the age of 16 whilst I was growing up in the UK. THIS ONE IS THE BEST EVER!
I actually traded in a Suzuki Burgman 650cc, which was less than 12 months old, on this machine. My principle reason for doing so was the absolute weight of the Suzuki, and the lack of drivability it had in city traffic! Yes, the Suzuki was brilliant on the open road and my long distance trips, but this SYM beats it hand down for pure driving pleasure, ease of use and economy at ALL times in everyday use as well as the longer distances covered.
Yours very sincerely
Barry R Lowther
No, I'm NOT writing to complain, I'm actually writing to inform you of the delight I have experienced since purchasing this scooter. I have ridden scoters for some 53 years commencing with a Lambretta at the age of 16 whilst I was growing up in the UK. THIS ONE IS THE BEST EVER!
I actually traded in a Suzuki Burgman 650cc, which was less than 12 months old, on this machine. My principle reason for doing so was the absolute weight of the Suzuki, and the lack of drivability it had in city traffic! Yes, the Suzuki was brilliant on the open road and my long distance trips, but this SYM beats it hand down for pure driving pleasure, ease of use and economy at ALL times in everyday use as well as the longer distances covered.
Yours very sincerely
Barry R Lowther
Jill Brown
I've been riding a red HD200 for 3 years with 19,000k's on it. It is so much fun to ride. I can bring home a whole grocery shop with the great bag hook and underseat storage. I'm still on the original tyres. Great scooter, I love riding it! The big wheels keep it very stable in strong winds and it's fun turning corners because it handles so well.
Michael Jones, Mackay. QLD
Michael Jones, Mackay. QLD
It was a huge adventure for us to ride our Firenze Scootas on such a long ride and we enjoyed it all very much. Starting from home in Brisbane we headed south down the M1 motorway mixing it with the Christmas holiday traffic. The weather was hot, but that was better than if it was raining.
Our first day of riding took us down to the Northern Rivers area of N.S.W. Coffs Harbour and a rest for the night in Kempsey. We enjoyed the ride but it was nice to get to the air conditioned room of the motel for the night after that first day of around 500k's. The next day saw us eager to ride on into Sydney which we did and stayed there for a couple of nights giving us time to do some riding around Sydney itself including a ride through the Lane Cove tunnel and over the Bridge was a must for us. After we left Sydney we continued on our ride south stopping along the way for a few minutes each hour or two and taking in the sites such as the dog on the tucker box. Albury was our next over night stop and with Melbourne now only a little over 300k's away which would mean a much shorter day ride than we had been doing we decided to get off the main highway and take in some of the smaller towns and surrounding areas, so we headed to Beechworth for a look around and then a very nice ride along the Ovens Valley into Bright. After a cool drink and taking in the sights at Bright we headed out of town and decided to ride up to the top of Mount Buffalo, because when will we get a chance to do that again! It was well worth the ride to see the granite plateau of Mount Buffalo by scoota.
Still staying off the Hume highway we rode the back way past the top end of a dry looking Eildon Weir then through Yea and the Yarra Valley which made a very pleasant ride to our destination on the east side of Melbourne which was our base for some day rides around the Dandenongs, around Port Phillip Bay to Portsea, Phillip Island, etc, etc.
We called into the Australian home of the Firenze at Select Scootas to meet many of the Black family and was given a tour of the scoota and spare parts filled building by Mr Neil Black, we rode away from there happy knowing that our Firenze scootas have such great backup for parts etc, if ever needed.
At almost every stop we made for fuel or just at a roadside rest stop people approached us asking about our scootas, by the time we rode home we had done close to 5,000K's on this ride and our Firenze scootas never missed a beat, be it highway speed hour after hour, the long climb up Mount Buffalo or the stop and go traffic in any of the major cities the Firenze handled it all with ease and gave us a safe and comfortable ride on such a long trip.
With that adventure behind us we continue to ride our Firenze scootas on overnight or day rides from home most every weekend :-) Rob, Thelma & Lyn
Our first day of riding took us down to the Northern Rivers area of N.S.W. Coffs Harbour and a rest for the night in Kempsey. We enjoyed the ride but it was nice to get to the air conditioned room of the motel for the night after that first day of around 500k's. The next day saw us eager to ride on into Sydney which we did and stayed there for a couple of nights giving us time to do some riding around Sydney itself including a ride through the Lane Cove tunnel and over the Bridge was a must for us. After we left Sydney we continued on our ride south stopping along the way for a few minutes each hour or two and taking in the sites such as the dog on the tucker box. Albury was our next over night stop and with Melbourne now only a little over 300k's away which would mean a much shorter day ride than we had been doing we decided to get off the main highway and take in some of the smaller towns and surrounding areas, so we headed to Beechworth for a look around and then a very nice ride along the Ovens Valley into Bright. After a cool drink and taking in the sights at Bright we headed out of town and decided to ride up to the top of Mount Buffalo, because when will we get a chance to do that again! It was well worth the ride to see the granite plateau of Mount Buffalo by scoota.
Still staying off the Hume highway we rode the back way past the top end of a dry looking Eildon Weir then through Yea and the Yarra Valley which made a very pleasant ride to our destination on the east side of Melbourne which was our base for some day rides around the Dandenongs, around Port Phillip Bay to Portsea, Phillip Island, etc, etc.
We called into the Australian home of the Firenze at Select Scootas to meet many of the Black family and was given a tour of the scoota and spare parts filled building by Mr Neil Black, we rode away from there happy knowing that our Firenze scootas have such great backup for parts etc, if ever needed.
At almost every stop we made for fuel or just at a roadside rest stop people approached us asking about our scootas, by the time we rode home we had done close to 5,000K's on this ride and our Firenze scootas never missed a beat, be it highway speed hour after hour, the long climb up Mount Buffalo or the stop and go traffic in any of the major cities the Firenze handled it all with ease and gave us a safe and comfortable ride on such a long trip.
With that adventure behind us we continue to ride our Firenze scootas on overnight or day rides from home most every weekend :-) Rob, Thelma & Lyn
They all said I was crazy and that it could not be done! I wanted to take my SYM Jolie on a bit of a long drive. I packed my backpack, tied on my sleeping bag and swag and strapped on enough fuel for 3 extra tanks. I was all set. I left Darwin and headed south down the Stuart Highway. I rode my trusty little overloaded scoota through the desert outback and centre of Australia. I camped out along the way only occasionally stopping at a motel for that luxurious shower and a real bed. I completed the north south crossing of this vast continent of ours and turned left and headed for Melbourne. I finally arrived at my destination in the early hours of day nine. What an adventure that had been.
Although everyone tells me that scootas were not made for such a trip, I can tell you that although the top speeds were only slow, the scoota was a unique way to fully experience the outback of Australia. The only incident was a nail in the rear tyre out of Adelaide. Roadside assist had me on my way soon enough. 4000 kilometres from start to finish. So if you are up for a real challenge and a bit of adventure, then hop on your scoota now and hit the open road.
Although everyone tells me that scootas were not made for such a trip, I can tell you that although the top speeds were only slow, the scoota was a unique way to fully experience the outback of Australia. The only incident was a nail in the rear tyre out of Adelaide. Roadside assist had me on my way soon enough. 4000 kilometres from start to finish. So if you are up for a real challenge and a bit of adventure, then hop on your scoota now and hit the open road.
After such an emotionally inspired purchase, pessimists might predict things could only go downhill from here. But quite the opposite has proven true, and as so often happens – the pessimists were wrong! Our little Mio’s have been nothing but a pleasure to ride, and with over 1000 total kilometres of Melbourne winter kilometres already on the clock they are yet to skip a beat. Both of us have been using them to commute to work in the Melbourne CBD each day (which is about 25 kilometres return) and they really are the perfect transport. Being very thin and light makes Mio easy to weave to the front of traffic, and the 100cc engine is surprisingly fast on take off. And the extra few minutes gained from getting to work early is certainly welcome, with a hot coffee to warm our hands!
Another great thing about the Mio is the number of features we have gradually found over the first few weeks. For instance, the first time we both rode at night we noticed our speedo’s were different colors! As it turns out, Mio’s dash lights up a different colour every time – how cool is that? And it even has an engine immobiliser under the seat! The security key is also a great feature when parking somewhere overnight.
When compared to a car, our Mio’s really are practical in every way. The one thing I was worried about was servicing, but after my first service cost just over $100 I am quite happy. In order to satisfy the warranty, we were told the Mio must be serviced every 2500 kilometres, which equates to just under six months commuting for Marzena and I – very cheap and it only took one hour. As far as fuel economy goes, we are both getting over 120 kilometres from the 4 litre tank (although the indicator says empty at around 100 there is a lot of reserve). The one thing that did annoy both of us was the placement of the fuel cap, but after a couple of weeks we have become used to this and no longer think about it. So, all in all we are over the moon with our Mio’s and haven’t looked back once. Actually we have looked back, but only in our mirrors to laugh at the people in cars and stuck in traffic!
(This review was written by two friends who recently both bought Mio 100’s, Joanna and Marzena)
Farewell Vespa… Hello SYM
Or how I made the transition from a Vespa PX200 to a SYM LeGrande 200.
Let’s get it straight! The Vespa had its good points. It was a stylish looking machine with its burnished dark green duco glowing against the chrome trim. And that smart black top-box really complemented those classic bubble lines. It was reliable and even something of a ‘chick-magnet’. I even have memories of smart young black clad Melbourne beauties casting admiring glances as the bike was being neatly parked on downtown pavements. The glances of course turned to grimaces tinged with distain when I removed my flip top Nolan to reveal my wrinkled face and balding white pate.
So thanks Vespa, as my first scooter you taught me how great scootas are. Swift, easy to manoeuvre, they cut travel time by at least 60% and petrol costs by 90%. Insurance, rego and maintenance are a snip compared to those of a car and scooters also have the magical power to make parking fees and parking fines just disappear. So I just love scootas. The Vespa was however getting irritating. Slow to get away from the lights, the small wheels and inefficient gear ratios made for some feelings of insecurity, especially in the vicinity of tram tracks on damp Melbourne mornings and I didn’t like the ‘sit at a desk’ driving position. So I started looking around something new. I was attracted to the Vespa GT, but ouch! - the price tag and while it obviously had the power I still didn’t like the ‘sit-up’ position and feel.
Scoota shops that didn’t sell SYM's – and didn’t sell Vespas - were really down on Bolwell. If you didn’t go Japanese or European you were mad. One shop even had a sign on the shop door berating Bolwell, which was backed up by sales staff who did the same. Vespa sellers on the other hand seemed to know about and respect the competition. I did demo some European and Japanese options but price or lack of storage always made me keep my wallet in my pocket.
I immediately liked the Bolwells I tried. I was not interested in going down in power and I also wanted the stability of larger wheels so I focussed on the HD 200 and the LeGrande 200. The HD, with its very large 16 inch wheels was good, but the LeGrande ‘touring’ layout won me over immediately. There are several reasons why.
Stability. The LeGrande comes with 12 inch wheels shod with the highly rated new style Maxxis street tyres and so far have given no sense of slippage. The longer wheelbase and complimentary seat height provide for a low centre of gravity. That and the fact that the handlebars are set slightly higher means that steering thrust is delivered with through the shoulder and entire arm – compared with the lower handlebar setting of standard scooters which seems to demand effort only from the elbows down. Importantly the LeGrande comes with twin-fork motorcycle style suspension as opposed to the one-sided oscillating arm type used by Vespa. The result is a strong feeling of stability and control and this feeling is given reassurance by the effectiveness of the very large front and rear twin calliper disk brakes. When I first learned to ride a bike I was taught the basics of ‘counter steering’. That’s where, instead of simply turning the handle bars, you push the inside/low side of the handlebar away from you and allow the bike to drop down on that side so that the rider uses the forces of gravity and velocity when cornering. The overall Vespa package – and this is true even the lower powered new ones – does not encourage this. The short wheelbase and high driving position make counter steering a difficult manoeuvre. However, the SYM, because of its length and stability encourages greater use of this essential and effective technique. So whilst the LeGrande has the ‘turn and go’ characteristics of the modern automatic scooter it also presents the rider with important challenges and opportunities to improve riding skill.
Speed I am still to get a real handle on this as my LeGrande is still ‘running-in’ and I do not want to put the engine under unnecessary pressure, suffice to say that the bike really moves away from the lights and I am already aware that in the space between 30kph and 60kph this bike does things that the old Vespa could never even dream of. It is worth mentioning that the engine has quite a nice ‘growl’ about it when picking up speed.
Driving position Driving position was and remains the real clincher for me in choosing the bike. The LeGrande has a split level seat, which means that the pillion gets to see over the top of the rider, instead of having to stare at the label on the back of the driver’s head. The great thing about the seat design for the rider is that the ‘step-up’ between the driver and pillion positions provides a substantial and constant back support. Also the floor layout allows for two positions for the feet, one with the feet flat on the deck, the other with the feet thrust forward, slightly ‘chopper’ style and resting on the built-in footplates on the inside rear of the front fairing. This latter position enables the rider to push slightly against the backrest, and this with the position of the handlebars provides a riding position that feels both comfortable and secure. More than that it is a very ‘fun’ way to drive, and reminds me to the way Peter and Mollie fly through the air on their “Wishing Chair” adventures. So the LeGrande is bringing out the kid in me too!
Pollution The manual choke on the Vespa always meant a bit of an injection of blue smoke into the atmosphere at start-up, and from the198cc two-stroke engine when it was being made to work hard. The four-stroke 171cc LeGrande engine assisted by a catalytic converter does not produce any visible smoke and seems, at least to this layman’s eye to be operating with far greater eficiency.
Looks I am a bit of a Europhile at heart and the sharp modern lines of the LeGrande have taken some getting used to. I chose the gleaming black duco and matched that with a black Givi top-box. With the minimalist approach to chrome trim and badging I am pretty happy with the look and it is proving to be a bit of a head turner on the street.
The Purchase Transaction As mentioned there is some silly business in the marketplace against Bolwell. Also I went into one Bolwell dealer who said he “would need to make a phone call” to find out if there was a black LeGrande in stock and I should take the one he had on the floor. Hello!!!??? Sandy, the guy at Armadale Motors came across as someone who knew his product and wanted to give me a fair and honest deal. And he was about the price of very good bottle of Scotch cheaper than any other Bolwell dealer had quoted. So I felt I was being looked after by someone who had both our interests at heart.
To conclude I am very happy with my decision to buy the LeGrande 200. It is fast, efficient, economical, stable, comfortable and very enjoyable to ride. I feel confident on the machine, but also feel that the bike will challenge and encourage me to improve my skills as a rider. I have some ideas about how comfort could be further improved and I think that Bolwell could improve a couple of areas of presentation and finish. But I still think that I got the best value for money on the market.
Or how I made the transition from a Vespa PX200 to a SYM LeGrande 200.
Let’s get it straight! The Vespa had its good points. It was a stylish looking machine with its burnished dark green duco glowing against the chrome trim. And that smart black top-box really complemented those classic bubble lines. It was reliable and even something of a ‘chick-magnet’. I even have memories of smart young black clad Melbourne beauties casting admiring glances as the bike was being neatly parked on downtown pavements. The glances of course turned to grimaces tinged with distain when I removed my flip top Nolan to reveal my wrinkled face and balding white pate.
So thanks Vespa, as my first scooter you taught me how great scootas are. Swift, easy to manoeuvre, they cut travel time by at least 60% and petrol costs by 90%. Insurance, rego and maintenance are a snip compared to those of a car and scooters also have the magical power to make parking fees and parking fines just disappear. So I just love scootas. The Vespa was however getting irritating. Slow to get away from the lights, the small wheels and inefficient gear ratios made for some feelings of insecurity, especially in the vicinity of tram tracks on damp Melbourne mornings and I didn’t like the ‘sit at a desk’ driving position. So I started looking around something new. I was attracted to the Vespa GT, but ouch! - the price tag and while it obviously had the power I still didn’t like the ‘sit-up’ position and feel.
Scoota shops that didn’t sell SYM's – and didn’t sell Vespas - were really down on Bolwell. If you didn’t go Japanese or European you were mad. One shop even had a sign on the shop door berating Bolwell, which was backed up by sales staff who did the same. Vespa sellers on the other hand seemed to know about and respect the competition. I did demo some European and Japanese options but price or lack of storage always made me keep my wallet in my pocket.
I immediately liked the Bolwells I tried. I was not interested in going down in power and I also wanted the stability of larger wheels so I focussed on the HD 200 and the LeGrande 200. The HD, with its very large 16 inch wheels was good, but the LeGrande ‘touring’ layout won me over immediately. There are several reasons why.
Stability. The LeGrande comes with 12 inch wheels shod with the highly rated new style Maxxis street tyres and so far have given no sense of slippage. The longer wheelbase and complimentary seat height provide for a low centre of gravity. That and the fact that the handlebars are set slightly higher means that steering thrust is delivered with through the shoulder and entire arm – compared with the lower handlebar setting of standard scooters which seems to demand effort only from the elbows down. Importantly the LeGrande comes with twin-fork motorcycle style suspension as opposed to the one-sided oscillating arm type used by Vespa. The result is a strong feeling of stability and control and this feeling is given reassurance by the effectiveness of the very large front and rear twin calliper disk brakes. When I first learned to ride a bike I was taught the basics of ‘counter steering’. That’s where, instead of simply turning the handle bars, you push the inside/low side of the handlebar away from you and allow the bike to drop down on that side so that the rider uses the forces of gravity and velocity when cornering. The overall Vespa package – and this is true even the lower powered new ones – does not encourage this. The short wheelbase and high driving position make counter steering a difficult manoeuvre. However, the SYM, because of its length and stability encourages greater use of this essential and effective technique. So whilst the LeGrande has the ‘turn and go’ characteristics of the modern automatic scooter it also presents the rider with important challenges and opportunities to improve riding skill.
Speed I am still to get a real handle on this as my LeGrande is still ‘running-in’ and I do not want to put the engine under unnecessary pressure, suffice to say that the bike really moves away from the lights and I am already aware that in the space between 30kph and 60kph this bike does things that the old Vespa could never even dream of. It is worth mentioning that the engine has quite a nice ‘growl’ about it when picking up speed.
Driving position Driving position was and remains the real clincher for me in choosing the bike. The LeGrande has a split level seat, which means that the pillion gets to see over the top of the rider, instead of having to stare at the label on the back of the driver’s head. The great thing about the seat design for the rider is that the ‘step-up’ between the driver and pillion positions provides a substantial and constant back support. Also the floor layout allows for two positions for the feet, one with the feet flat on the deck, the other with the feet thrust forward, slightly ‘chopper’ style and resting on the built-in footplates on the inside rear of the front fairing. This latter position enables the rider to push slightly against the backrest, and this with the position of the handlebars provides a riding position that feels both comfortable and secure. More than that it is a very ‘fun’ way to drive, and reminds me to the way Peter and Mollie fly through the air on their “Wishing Chair” adventures. So the LeGrande is bringing out the kid in me too!
Pollution The manual choke on the Vespa always meant a bit of an injection of blue smoke into the atmosphere at start-up, and from the198cc two-stroke engine when it was being made to work hard. The four-stroke 171cc LeGrande engine assisted by a catalytic converter does not produce any visible smoke and seems, at least to this layman’s eye to be operating with far greater eficiency.
Looks I am a bit of a Europhile at heart and the sharp modern lines of the LeGrande have taken some getting used to. I chose the gleaming black duco and matched that with a black Givi top-box. With the minimalist approach to chrome trim and badging I am pretty happy with the look and it is proving to be a bit of a head turner on the street.
The Purchase Transaction As mentioned there is some silly business in the marketplace against Bolwell. Also I went into one Bolwell dealer who said he “would need to make a phone call” to find out if there was a black LeGrande in stock and I should take the one he had on the floor. Hello!!!??? Sandy, the guy at Armadale Motors came across as someone who knew his product and wanted to give me a fair and honest deal. And he was about the price of very good bottle of Scotch cheaper than any other Bolwell dealer had quoted. So I felt I was being looked after by someone who had both our interests at heart.
To conclude I am very happy with my decision to buy the LeGrande 200. It is fast, efficient, economical, stable, comfortable and very enjoyable to ride. I feel confident on the machine, but also feel that the bike will challenge and encourage me to improve my skills as a rider. I have some ideas about how comfort could be further improved and I think that Bolwell could improve a couple of areas of presentation and finish. But I still think that I got the best value for money on the market.
Brucer's Ratings
Year Manufactured - 2006
Length of ownership - 3 weeks
Build quality - 9/10
Reliability - 9/10
Value for money - 10/10
Overall rating - 9/10
Recommended - Yes
General Comments
Whilst I have only been riding for a relatively short while, I quickly realised that I loved it so much I would have to upgrade my first 100cc Peugeot for a larger touring scooter. I recently purchased a new SYM Firenze 250cc (sold outside Australia as the Sym GTS Voyager 250 and also known as the Joymax in some countries). After just three weeks of riding this scooter I can confirm that the upgrade is the most enjoyable decision I have made in recent memory!
Apart from my experience on the Peugeot Speedfight, I have also hired a SYM LeGrande (Sym Joyride outside Australia) and ridden it for a day up in far north Queensland (think tropical paradise!). The LeGrande is a 171cc scooter and was my first experience with long rides on the open road with significant twisties (look under Sym Joyride for my review). I thoroughly enjoyed my day on the LeGrande and found it a very comfortable scooter for touring.
The initial comparison is that the Firenze is an even more stable scooter than the LeGrande, most probably due to having 13” wheels and being quite a bit heavier (173kg dry). The weight of this scooter was the most noticeable difference when I first bought it. I have found that I need to be careful when manoeuvring it by hand as it feels as if it would be easy to drop, especially by letting it tilt too far from upright. I try to keep it slightly tilted towards my body so as I can use my lower body to help stabilise it. I also keep the side stand lowered when manoeuvring it “just in case”.
It definitely feels more stable on the tight corners and I have surprised myself how confident I feel going through the tight twisties around the Melbourne hills. Whilst I am not the best person to judge the relative power and acceleration compared to other scooters, it does not feel as if it would be the fastest 250cc off at the lights. This suits my riding style. It definitely has the power to easily cruise at 110kmh with more in reserve. I am told that it is speed limited to 130kmh although this is not stated in the owner’s manual and I haven’t tested it.
The brakes felt very solid from the first moment I rode the scooter and they are improving as they wear in. The manual makes reference to the left brake lever being a “front and rear brake lever” so they are linked although there is no further information on the ratio of front and rear brake that gets applied.
I have found the seat comfortable for the rider although I have only done a couple of stretches of around 90 minutes at a time so far. The riding position is very upright which means that the screen is a bit too low for me and I do get wind buffeting around my helmet at speed. Another feature not mentioned in the owner’s manual is that there is an adjustment for the riders backrest. There are adjustment screws under the seat and it can come forward two notches. I like it all the way back where it is set by default but it is nice to know that there is some adjustment available. The rear seat is very wide and I have sat in the pillion position once while stationary on the main stand and could easily reach the foot-pegs. It felt comfortable despite it being wide.
The Firenze clearly looks like a maxi-scooter with lots of plastic around the front and a long, wide seat area. It has one small storage compartment for a mobile phone or similar and another bigger lockable glove box at the front. It has a couple of drink holders and some more storage for small items on the central tunnel near your feet and I guess this could be useful to some. The under seat storage is enormous and my large flip type full-face helmet fits easily with lots of room to spare. It looks like another smaller open face helmet would fit in as well but I prefer to use this space for my wet weather gear and the other “stuff” that seems to collect over time. There is a light in the main storage compartment which is handy at night and the seat is held open with a hydraulic rod.
The lights on the Firenze are stunning! On low beam the headlight provides excellent lighting in front and quite a way to each side. The separate high beam light is also very bright. I used to ride around using high beam all the time on my Peugeot but I can’t do that on the Firenze without getting flashed by oncoming drivers. There are LED lights around the separate high-beam headlight which no doubt look “cool” to some but their purpose escapes me. Unfortunately, the fog lights do not meet Australian Design Rules so there is a cover over the fog light switch. It does have a hazard flasher switch for all four indicator lights to operate at the same time. This is well thought out as you can turn the hazard lights on and lock the ignition and they cannot be turned off until you turn the ignition on again.
The LED tail light is brighter than most other bikes and scooters which I think is a good safety feature. I went on a scooter group ride recently and there were lots of comments from the other riders on just how bright and noticeable the tail light is during the day. The only down side is that if any of the LEDs fail then I understand you have to replace the whole tail light unit or, if out of warranty, maybe just accept that some of the 20 individual LEDs are not working.
The main centre stand is very well balanced and does not take too much effort to operate. In fact it takes less effort than my old Peugeot (the extra weight of the bike is not noticeable when operating the centre stand). There is also a side stand that is linked to the kill switch. I think this is an excellent feature that should be on all automatic scooters with side stands so as the engine cannot be run when the side stand is down thus avoiding the risk of accidentally twisting the throttle and having the scooter run off the stand and fall over. I did park it on a slight down hill slope recently and was not confident that the side stand would hold so I am getting into the habit of using the centre stand all the time. There is no parking brake which would help make the side stand more secure although one can easily be improvised with some Velcro wrap-around tape or releasable cable ties.
One feature I really like is the foldable mirrors. I have to park my scoter in a tight space both at work and at home so being able to quickly fold the mirrors in when parking is a real bonus. They are mounted forward of the steering column and screen on the front moulding and give good rear vision to each side but not quite as good vision directly behind you. A standard mirror mount on the steering column is available on each side so I will see if installing a standard mirror on one side may help give vision directly behind; a slightly convex “blind spot” mirror is another option I am looking into.
The fuel cap is released by turning the ignition switch to the left without pushing the key in. The cap is spring loaded and you simply push it back into position until you hear the locking click. I am not sure how durable this will be over time so I am being careful when filling up and when locking the cap. The filler is located low to the side of the centre tunnel near your left foot. I guess this is good in that it keeps petrol well away from the storage areas. I assume the tank is around the foot well area so this will keep the weight low. There is no kick start option included on the Firenze.
One of the surprises to me with upgrading from a 2 stroke to a 4 stroke is the improved fuel consumption. I managed to get 22km per litre (around 4.5 litres per 100km) on my first few fills. I have managed just over 270km before the reserve warning started flashing and the manual states that there is 1.2 litres left at this point; this should mean about 25km to go. I am expecting the fuel consumption will improve a bit as the engine gets run in.
Some of the other features include a 12V accessory socket in the glove box for a phone charger or similar; a trip meter; an oil change warning light with reset switch; and, a very handy digital clock that is easy to read while riding. A claimed security feature is an ignition cover that can be activated using a matching part of the plastic key end to prevent anyone trying to force something into the lock. It works by requiring the magnet embedded in the key end to unlock the cover. A quick test confirmed that it is not easy to unlock the cover without the standard key end (unless maybe you carry a magnet around with you as well!).
There are only a few accessories currently available. Givi in the UK do have a top box case carrier (SR230 - MONOLOCK® case carrier) but I am not sure how easy this is to get in Australia. Futurescootering.com has some accessories that look interesting. Have a look at his modified front panel, chrome steering column and side mirrors with LED turn lights!
I am a bit surprised that there are so few Internet forums discussing this bike as yet as it has been released in the UK and elsewhere for quite some time.
Human nature is to justify ones own purchases as “the best” but trying to remain objective I have only found three “negatives” so far. The first one is the lack of third party accessories, especially a larger wind screen or “laminar lip”; the second is the weight of the scooter; and the only other one is a pet issue for me – the indicators are not audible. Most of the other scooters made by SYM seem to have excellent audible indicators but not on the Firenze. Oh well, the mods to the screen and getting audible indicators are now challenges for me to solve! I am now off to the gym to solve the weight problem (in more than one way!).
I will put updates in the comments section as I gain more experience with the fabulous Firenze.
Here is my 6 week update. I now have about 1100 kms on the bike and am still really enjoying it. No mechanical or other problems so far!
I been on a couple of rides with scooter groups now and have found that adding extra weight to the handlebars makes the steering feel much more solid at 100kph and over. You can buy heavier bar-end weights but I added universal bar-end mirrors and this added 250gm to each side which is enough to stabilise the steering at speed. I highly recommend adding this extra weight in one way or another.
I think I may have found someone in Melbourne who can make a windscreen extension. Hopefully, my next update will report on this.
I have found a couple of options for adding an audible signal to the turn indicators but have not bothered installing it as yet (it requires tapping into the existing wiring). I have found that I am getting better at remembering to cancel the indicators so I am unsure if I will bother with this accessory.
I am now much more comfortable with the weight of the bike which only leaves my weight to deal with!
Here is my 3 month update. I now have just over 2500 kms on the bike and am still really enjoying it. Still no mechanical or other problems so far! I took it for a 600km ride today on the highway, mostly cruising at around 120kph according to the speedo. It felt stable at this speed. The only issue I had was a "numb bum" after a few hours so I am investigating a wood bead seat cover to try and improve this. I took my GPS with me today and found that the speedo on the Firenze reads about 7kph over when it shows 100, 110 and 120kph. My GPS confirmed that I was doing 113kph when the speedo was showing 120kph with a similar error when showing 100 and 110kph. The speed limit on the highway was 110kph so I kept the speedo at just under or on 120kph and this seemed correct based on the speed of other traffic. I now think that the screen on the Firenze is fine and what I thought was buffeting coming over the top of the screen is actually coming from around the screen. I wore earplugs today and this dramatically reduced the wind noise which allowed me to concentrate on where the buffeting was coming from. I have tried a temporary screen extension of around 100mm but this did not make a noticeable difference which is what lead me to suspect that it was more wind noise than buffeting that was causing my discomfort. So instead of looking for a larger screen or laminar lip I am now investigating a quieter helmet as the difference with and without earplugs is very significant. I have a flip-face helmet and I suspect that the flip hinge causes a lot of wind noise near my ear.
Year Manufactured - 2006
Length of ownership - 3 weeks
Build quality - 9/10
Reliability - 9/10
Value for money - 10/10
Overall rating - 9/10
Recommended - Yes
General Comments
Whilst I have only been riding for a relatively short while, I quickly realised that I loved it so much I would have to upgrade my first 100cc Peugeot for a larger touring scooter. I recently purchased a new SYM Firenze 250cc (sold outside Australia as the Sym GTS Voyager 250 and also known as the Joymax in some countries). After just three weeks of riding this scooter I can confirm that the upgrade is the most enjoyable decision I have made in recent memory!
Apart from my experience on the Peugeot Speedfight, I have also hired a SYM LeGrande (Sym Joyride outside Australia) and ridden it for a day up in far north Queensland (think tropical paradise!). The LeGrande is a 171cc scooter and was my first experience with long rides on the open road with significant twisties (look under Sym Joyride for my review). I thoroughly enjoyed my day on the LeGrande and found it a very comfortable scooter for touring.
The initial comparison is that the Firenze is an even more stable scooter than the LeGrande, most probably due to having 13” wheels and being quite a bit heavier (173kg dry). The weight of this scooter was the most noticeable difference when I first bought it. I have found that I need to be careful when manoeuvring it by hand as it feels as if it would be easy to drop, especially by letting it tilt too far from upright. I try to keep it slightly tilted towards my body so as I can use my lower body to help stabilise it. I also keep the side stand lowered when manoeuvring it “just in case”.
It definitely feels more stable on the tight corners and I have surprised myself how confident I feel going through the tight twisties around the Melbourne hills. Whilst I am not the best person to judge the relative power and acceleration compared to other scooters, it does not feel as if it would be the fastest 250cc off at the lights. This suits my riding style. It definitely has the power to easily cruise at 110kmh with more in reserve. I am told that it is speed limited to 130kmh although this is not stated in the owner’s manual and I haven’t tested it.
The brakes felt very solid from the first moment I rode the scooter and they are improving as they wear in. The manual makes reference to the left brake lever being a “front and rear brake lever” so they are linked although there is no further information on the ratio of front and rear brake that gets applied.
I have found the seat comfortable for the rider although I have only done a couple of stretches of around 90 minutes at a time so far. The riding position is very upright which means that the screen is a bit too low for me and I do get wind buffeting around my helmet at speed. Another feature not mentioned in the owner’s manual is that there is an adjustment for the riders backrest. There are adjustment screws under the seat and it can come forward two notches. I like it all the way back where it is set by default but it is nice to know that there is some adjustment available. The rear seat is very wide and I have sat in the pillion position once while stationary on the main stand and could easily reach the foot-pegs. It felt comfortable despite it being wide.
The Firenze clearly looks like a maxi-scooter with lots of plastic around the front and a long, wide seat area. It has one small storage compartment for a mobile phone or similar and another bigger lockable glove box at the front. It has a couple of drink holders and some more storage for small items on the central tunnel near your feet and I guess this could be useful to some. The under seat storage is enormous and my large flip type full-face helmet fits easily with lots of room to spare. It looks like another smaller open face helmet would fit in as well but I prefer to use this space for my wet weather gear and the other “stuff” that seems to collect over time. There is a light in the main storage compartment which is handy at night and the seat is held open with a hydraulic rod.
The lights on the Firenze are stunning! On low beam the headlight provides excellent lighting in front and quite a way to each side. The separate high beam light is also very bright. I used to ride around using high beam all the time on my Peugeot but I can’t do that on the Firenze without getting flashed by oncoming drivers. There are LED lights around the separate high-beam headlight which no doubt look “cool” to some but their purpose escapes me. Unfortunately, the fog lights do not meet Australian Design Rules so there is a cover over the fog light switch. It does have a hazard flasher switch for all four indicator lights to operate at the same time. This is well thought out as you can turn the hazard lights on and lock the ignition and they cannot be turned off until you turn the ignition on again.
The LED tail light is brighter than most other bikes and scooters which I think is a good safety feature. I went on a scooter group ride recently and there were lots of comments from the other riders on just how bright and noticeable the tail light is during the day. The only down side is that if any of the LEDs fail then I understand you have to replace the whole tail light unit or, if out of warranty, maybe just accept that some of the 20 individual LEDs are not working.
The main centre stand is very well balanced and does not take too much effort to operate. In fact it takes less effort than my old Peugeot (the extra weight of the bike is not noticeable when operating the centre stand). There is also a side stand that is linked to the kill switch. I think this is an excellent feature that should be on all automatic scooters with side stands so as the engine cannot be run when the side stand is down thus avoiding the risk of accidentally twisting the throttle and having the scooter run off the stand and fall over. I did park it on a slight down hill slope recently and was not confident that the side stand would hold so I am getting into the habit of using the centre stand all the time. There is no parking brake which would help make the side stand more secure although one can easily be improvised with some Velcro wrap-around tape or releasable cable ties.
One feature I really like is the foldable mirrors. I have to park my scoter in a tight space both at work and at home so being able to quickly fold the mirrors in when parking is a real bonus. They are mounted forward of the steering column and screen on the front moulding and give good rear vision to each side but not quite as good vision directly behind you. A standard mirror mount on the steering column is available on each side so I will see if installing a standard mirror on one side may help give vision directly behind; a slightly convex “blind spot” mirror is another option I am looking into.
The fuel cap is released by turning the ignition switch to the left without pushing the key in. The cap is spring loaded and you simply push it back into position until you hear the locking click. I am not sure how durable this will be over time so I am being careful when filling up and when locking the cap. The filler is located low to the side of the centre tunnel near your left foot. I guess this is good in that it keeps petrol well away from the storage areas. I assume the tank is around the foot well area so this will keep the weight low. There is no kick start option included on the Firenze.
One of the surprises to me with upgrading from a 2 stroke to a 4 stroke is the improved fuel consumption. I managed to get 22km per litre (around 4.5 litres per 100km) on my first few fills. I have managed just over 270km before the reserve warning started flashing and the manual states that there is 1.2 litres left at this point; this should mean about 25km to go. I am expecting the fuel consumption will improve a bit as the engine gets run in.
Some of the other features include a 12V accessory socket in the glove box for a phone charger or similar; a trip meter; an oil change warning light with reset switch; and, a very handy digital clock that is easy to read while riding. A claimed security feature is an ignition cover that can be activated using a matching part of the plastic key end to prevent anyone trying to force something into the lock. It works by requiring the magnet embedded in the key end to unlock the cover. A quick test confirmed that it is not easy to unlock the cover without the standard key end (unless maybe you carry a magnet around with you as well!).
There are only a few accessories currently available. Givi in the UK do have a top box case carrier (SR230 - MONOLOCK® case carrier) but I am not sure how easy this is to get in Australia. Futurescootering.com has some accessories that look interesting. Have a look at his modified front panel, chrome steering column and side mirrors with LED turn lights!
I am a bit surprised that there are so few Internet forums discussing this bike as yet as it has been released in the UK and elsewhere for quite some time.
Human nature is to justify ones own purchases as “the best” but trying to remain objective I have only found three “negatives” so far. The first one is the lack of third party accessories, especially a larger wind screen or “laminar lip”; the second is the weight of the scooter; and the only other one is a pet issue for me – the indicators are not audible. Most of the other scooters made by SYM seem to have excellent audible indicators but not on the Firenze. Oh well, the mods to the screen and getting audible indicators are now challenges for me to solve! I am now off to the gym to solve the weight problem (in more than one way!).
I will put updates in the comments section as I gain more experience with the fabulous Firenze.
Here is my 6 week update. I now have about 1100 kms on the bike and am still really enjoying it. No mechanical or other problems so far!
I been on a couple of rides with scooter groups now and have found that adding extra weight to the handlebars makes the steering feel much more solid at 100kph and over. You can buy heavier bar-end weights but I added universal bar-end mirrors and this added 250gm to each side which is enough to stabilise the steering at speed. I highly recommend adding this extra weight in one way or another.
I think I may have found someone in Melbourne who can make a windscreen extension. Hopefully, my next update will report on this.
I have found a couple of options for adding an audible signal to the turn indicators but have not bothered installing it as yet (it requires tapping into the existing wiring). I have found that I am getting better at remembering to cancel the indicators so I am unsure if I will bother with this accessory.
I am now much more comfortable with the weight of the bike which only leaves my weight to deal with!
Here is my 3 month update. I now have just over 2500 kms on the bike and am still really enjoying it. Still no mechanical or other problems so far! I took it for a 600km ride today on the highway, mostly cruising at around 120kph according to the speedo. It felt stable at this speed. The only issue I had was a "numb bum" after a few hours so I am investigating a wood bead seat cover to try and improve this. I took my GPS with me today and found that the speedo on the Firenze reads about 7kph over when it shows 100, 110 and 120kph. My GPS confirmed that I was doing 113kph when the speedo was showing 120kph with a similar error when showing 100 and 110kph. The speed limit on the highway was 110kph so I kept the speedo at just under or on 120kph and this seemed correct based on the speed of other traffic. I now think that the screen on the Firenze is fine and what I thought was buffeting coming over the top of the screen is actually coming from around the screen. I wore earplugs today and this dramatically reduced the wind noise which allowed me to concentrate on where the buffeting was coming from. I have tried a temporary screen extension of around 100mm but this did not make a noticeable difference which is what lead me to suspect that it was more wind noise than buffeting that was causing my discomfort. So instead of looking for a larger screen or laminar lip I am now investigating a quieter helmet as the difference with and without earplugs is very significant. I have a flip-face helmet and I suspect that the flip hinge causes a lot of wind noise near my ear.
© Select Scoota 2010 | Privacy | Conditions Of Use | Contact