Practical guides – How to choose the right motorcycle or scooter 125? – Scooters 125: the game of four families

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How to choose the right motorcycle or scooter 125 ?

Practical guides - How to choose the right motorcycle or scooter 125? - Scooters 125: the game of four families

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 !

Scooters 125: the game of four families

Made in … Taiwan, Korea, China

It is no coincidence that we find four Asian manufacturers (Sym, Jonway, Skyteam and Daelim) in the top 15 of French sales of less than 125 cc: in the GT category for example (the most popular in France) , the Sym GTS, the Daelim S2, the TGB X-Motion and the Kymco Grand Dink are among the only models to offer a low price below € 3,000. Admittedly, the less extensive network, the still young after-sales service and the finish – such as the tire fitting – lead to legitimate questions. But the offer is more and more opulent, for much more advantageous prices. In addition, some large manufacturers (Japanese and European) assemble their own models in these same "exotic" factories for cost reasons, without compromising reliability….

As for the 125 scooters, there are four main families corresponding to different styles or needs.

"GT" scooters (Grand Touring). Almost the most used for city-suburb journeys, GTs accumulate good manners to appeal to customers who want to benefit from high-performance accessories and safety equipment (ABS or brake distributor). Generally intended for a 30/50 year old "dynamic executive" type buyer with more purchasing power, GTs are – because of their equipment and their vocation – more enveloping and heavy and regularly exceed € 3,500..

Led brilliantly (10,346 units in 2008!) By the Yamaha X Max (read our), this GT family also includes the 125 Burgman, the Peugeot Satelis (read our), the Piaggio XEvo (read our), the Honda S- Wing, Aprilia Atlantic, etc..

The "retro" scooters. Riding the vintage wave, retro scooters are small, generally light and equipped with the basic necessities that go back to the first scooters from Italy. Inspired by the first Vespa (especially the legendary PX, read), their style appeals to customers who want a "vintage" scooter without having the drawbacks..

We therefore find the fundamentals of the scooter such as electric start, maintenance content, maneuverability and the trunk under the saddle by adding a seductive old-fashioned image that makes the joy of trendy city dwellers or nostalgic for the "old times". Adapted to all levels due to their compact size, retro scooters are notably represented by the Aprilia Mojito, the Daelim Besbi, the "Piaggio" of the Vespa brand or the Sym Fiddle..

Sports scooters. More visually aggressive, sporty 125 scooters are generally intended for a younger clientele, ready to prefer looks and performance to comfort and practicality. Benefiting from a more rigid frame, more efficient suspensions, tires and brakes, they remain weapons in the city because of the fishing of their mill and a template capable of squeezing into the slightest traffic hole. In this category we find the Gilera Nexus and Runner, the Aprilia Sportcity, the Derbi Rambla and GP Max, or the Kymco Super 8.

Three-wheeled scooters. The family of three-wheeled scooters is a revolution in the world of scooters, even that of individual transport! Based on no less than 30 patents, the only representative of its kind in 125, the MP3 125 Piaggio launched in 2006 (read our), offers a front axle with two steered wheels capable of taking an angle and a rear wheel serving propulsion. Ultra-stable in the dry, reassuring in the wet and in the braking phase (grip is doubled), the MP3 125 has all the votes, except in terms of engine, slightly insufficient to calmly tow the 199 kg to dry beast.

Responsive, the Pontedera brand has therefore decided to take advantage of the L5E standard which, by a slight widening of the track (the spacing between the two front wheels), allows the vehicle to enter the category of "motor tricycles. over 50 cc ". The cubic capacity of the MP3 "LT" can thus be increased to 250 or 400 cc, while leaving it accessible to a driver holding a B license (read our) !

A masterstroke barely marred by a high price (€ 5,799 for the 125 RL, € 6,799 for the 250 LT and € 7,799 for the 400 LT) and the questions raised around the risks incurred by a neophyte on the handlebars of ‘machines from 22.5 to 34 hp. Planning ahead, Piaggio offers "all levels" courses ranging from 135 to 390 €.

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