Practical guides – How to choose the right motorcycle or scooter 125? – Several possible engines

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How to choose the right motorcycle or scooter 125 ?

Practical guides - How to choose the right motorcycle or scooter 125? - Several possible engines

Tired of traffic jams or the metro, motorists and transport users turn to the 125. On what criteria should you base your purchase? Is the scooter the panacea in town? What are the basic rules? All the answers in this practical guide !

Several possible engines

Whether for a motorcycle or a scooter, the range of engines available for an eighth of a liter is surprisingly large enough and deserves to stop there for a few moments before making a decision. Between 2-stroke, 4-stroke, single or twin cylinder, air-cooled, injected or carbureted engines, the choice is plethoric and uses vary from one system to another..

Two technologies are currently used on gasoline engines: 2-stroke, which has the advantage of simplicity and a better volume / power ratio, and 4-stroke commonly used today because of its emissions. less polluting. More archaic, the 2-stroke indeed mixes the lubrication with the air-gasoline mixture, at the same time increasing the polluting emissions..

Although many projects to "clean up" a 2-stroke engine – in particular through the use of direct injection – have emerged and this engine is defended by fervent followers praising its more exciting acceleration, the "cylinders to holes "are struggling to pass the Euro 3 standards currently in force and everything suggests that Euro 4 (passage scheduled for 2012) should deal them the fatal blow…

In the meantime, some manufacturers still use this technology, often on sporty models such as the Aprilia 125 RS, the Cagiva Mito 525 or the GPR 125 Derbi, replaced since the last Milan show by its 4-stroke evolution. If the nostalgic will be able to shed a moved tear in front of this obsolescence, the pragmatists will welcome the practical aspects of the 4-stroke: smoother driving, cleaner engine and less expensive to maintain..

Even more important, the engine architecture designates the number of cylinders present in the engine block. If it seems logical to think that a single cylinder of 125 cc will be more than enough to carry machine and crew, some manufacturers do not hesitate to adopt a twin engine as on motorcycles of larger displacement. Reserved for motorcycles, this technical choice makes it possible to offer a more efficient engine and was popularized in 125 by the Honda best seller, the Trail XL 125 Varadero (read our).

A twin-cylinder engine also has more power distributed over the rev range and vibrates much less than a single-cylinder engine. If its acceleration is not necessarily among the most virulent, its top speed and resistance to wear are noticeably better than on a "mono". It may therefore be preferred by users wishing to do duet or fast track.

However, its weight and higher manufacturing cost limits the twin cylinders to specific segments – trails and customs essentially – and the list of machines with a "bi" engine remains confidential: Hyosung offers it on its GV Aquila, GT Comet and GT R, Jialing on its JH 125 and Regal Raptor on its Aventura, Aventura RS and Raxter.

Finally, the last important argument to be taken into account with an internal combustion engine: its cooling method. If liquid cooling is tending to become widespread on all modern machines, some models still use an air cooling system – the wind being responsible for evacuating the calories via fins – which has the advantage of simplicity, d ” less weight and therefore lower cost.

On the other hand, liquid cooling is more efficient – especially in traffic jams! – and makes it possible to maintain the performance of the engine whatever the outside temperature and to ensure a longer life. Note that there are some models with mixed air-oil cooling, such as the Kymco Quannon 125.

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