Firstly, apologies for the unintentional massacre of the English language. Spelling and grammar Nazi’s please relax, this thread is not about you.
Secondly, if you scoff at the idea of owning an Asian motorcycle, I suggest that you stop reading now.
Thirdly, if SPEEEEEED and POWERRRRR (Jeremy Clarkson impersonations welcome) is the only thing that makes a motorcycle interesting to you, the lack of throttle action on this thread will put you to sleep.
Fourthly, this is not an RR. This is an ownership journey and experience. If my wife and I can inspire just one person to take up motorcycling, or more specifically, adventure riding, our work here is done.
Those age old questions must be very close to the surface by now. Why? What were you thinking? As long as we are happy, I really do not care what other people think. I have realized over the years that, in general, people are quick to berate someone to feel better about themselves. For example, if I picked Japanese model X, the owner of German model Y would chirp in and quickly point out why his/her bike is superior. The same applies in reverse. You can substitute the country of manufacture and get stuck in an infinite loop. Does it really matter?
If anyone has anything bad to say about our motorcycle, go ahead! What happened to you can own whatever you want, as long as you just ride? I thought we were all bikers here? I still do not get why people get labeled according to what they own. Sadly, the stigma surrounding the ownership of certain makes/models are, to say the least, pathetic, especially when the fires of ridicule is kept alive by bikers themselves. Compared to issues experienced by certain Austrian, German and Japanese models, it is clear that nothing is perfect and expecting otherwise is foolhardy. If you think statements like “it’s going to rot away in six months”, “bits will start falling off in 3 months”, “it will set fire to itself very soon”, “everything will fade within a year” and “the motor will self-destruct in less than 5k miles” got me worried, please do not lose any sleep over it. And if, in the very unlikely event any of the above do happen, you can rub your hands together in glee, prepare your best I told you so response, and celebrate your victory with a cold one; water off a ducks back and all.
Happy Wife
Who and what is Sym? For the long version, you can go here https://www.sym-global.com/about
and here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SYM_Motors
The short version is they have manufactured more than 16 million scooters and bikes and builds Hyundai trucks. Their head office is in Taiwan. John Cena made quite a fool of himself by proclaiming that it was a country on its own. Simple mistake to make when the Republic of China governs Taiwan. This however upsets The People’s Republic of China (mainland China), as the Taiwanese feel they are governing themselves. Where was Confucius from again?
Locally, they are imported by Kawasaki and distributed to dealers country wide.
So, is it Chinese, Taiwanese or both? If compared to traditional Chinese bikes available in ZA, there is clearly more attention given to detail and quality of materials used. The Sym scooters have proven to be robust, reliable and economical. No reason the bikes shouldn’t be. In fact, the delivery bikes seem to be going strong without any horror stories doing the rounds. Is it safe to say that Kawasaki would not have gone into business with them if the products were inferior? I highly doubt it.
The same thinking applies to Kymco – “Chiwanese” and imported by Yamaha. Obviously, they must be doing things right on the island of Taiwan.
Locally, Sym have a nice range of scooters and entry level bikes, here https://sym.co.za/
How did I end up with the Sym? I have owned a couple of bikes in my lifetime, and all of them were previously owned. Second hand. Used. Abused. Ok, I lie. The only new bike I ever owned was a Vuka scooter. I got the bike as part of a Vodacom cellphone package. Don’t ask and I won’t tell. Anyway, I decided that I wanted something new. As in brand new. Out of the box. No more adding to the fart layers; it was my turn to lay the foundation. It also had to be cheap. Cheap in the sense that I could pay cash for it. The less I had to spend, to a point, the better. On the subject of cheap, Harry Fisher wrote a piece about the Sym that made allot of sense to me. We have to differentiate between cheap and inexpensive as their meanings are not the same. The other criteria was that it had to be dual sport as I enjoy occasional gravel travel. The fact that my wife owns a Sym Crox, that both of us are extremely happy with, could have subconsciously made me biased towards the NHT.
I did what any respectable gentleman would do and browsed the internet. I knew things were expensive, but damn! New bike prices are insane. So, I lowered my standards and looked for “demo” models. Obviously this is a problem for dealers and I do not blame them. I then compared prices of new bikes to those that were slightly used (read 3-4 years old) and got bored very quickly. The next step was to physically go to a couple of dealers and see what was available. What an eye opener that turned out to be. The prices for second hand bikes on dealer floors are either very good, or just plain ridiculous. I understand that they need to cover themselves, but the condition of some of the bikes were suspect and the prices did not reflect it. Condition reports mean absolutely nothing, as some issues are either left out entirely, or others are exacerbated. But, my focus was on new bikes.
The expensive ones were sidestepped with absolute disdain for their price tags. This however did not leave me with much choice. Not being a badge snob, I wasn’t too concerned or fazed about is.
I had a look at and narrowed it down to the following:
- Honda XR125/150/190: Apart from being new, the 125/150 is similar to the CTX 200 I own. The 190 is just way too expensive.
- Yamaha YBR 125: Nice little runaround, but if you add a pillion and some luggage it will struggle. Also had a look at the TW200, although it’s a legend it is also very expensive.
- Suzuki Gixxer 150 and 250: For shits and giggles. They are available in naked and faired. Great little bikes and I think they will last forever. In India the guys slap dual sport tires on the naked version and go almost everywhere. In my view, they are practically giving them away.
- Harley Davidson Street Rod 750: New “old” stock available at ridiculously low prices. Could have ridden away on a “new’ 2018 model with 75km on for R69k. What a bargain. I like the bike, and I do not care that others don’t. This or a Yamaha MT-07 in the near future.
- Big Boy TSR 125/250: Not bad considering the price. From what I’ve read and viewed online the 250 seems to be reliable. More features than bikes twice the price.
- Kiden 125J: Part of Zontes. Well built and on par with the Japanese. This one surprised me. Seat is very comfy. But, as with the YBR, not enough oomph.
- Sym NHT 125/200: Probably read the local tests 20 times, here (https://sym.co.za/category/news/ ). YouTube was a good and bad source for information. I like the overall look and build quality.
- Hero Xpluse 200: Not being able to see one in the flesh, had to go on what local and Indian reviewers had to say about it. I think it will be an excellent all-rounder and will be reliable. It has a 5 year 100 000km warranty!
- Voge 300 DS: The luxury division of Big Boy. Manufactured by Loncin that, amongst others, produces a certain German 310 range. The flat slide carburetor is interesting. Very nice and inexpensive.
All the bikes mentioned have their own special place in the sun. Millions of people around the globe make use of cheap and inexpensive motorcycles, as not everybody can afford 1000cc + monsters, or keep up with the maintenance of those beasts. No use owing a nice bike (and barely affording to purchase it) and then not be able to keep it in good condition. There are second hand bikes from reputable manufacturers that I could have chosen, but I already have that t-shirt. I sold my Transalp XL650V to purchase the CTX 200, so have experience with Japanese bikes. I even sold a Yamaha RZ 50, put the money away, and eventually bought a Honda CBR 125 R for my wife. Been there, done that.
And yes, I could have done the right thing and purchased a decent new bike from a reputable manufacturer to satisfy the masses. And by decent new bike I mean something with more cc’s and cost. But, I’m a cheap bastard. After long debates, my wife sold her CBR (she kept her Crox) to put towards the SYM. My CTX was for sale, but due to time wasters and tyre kickers (Not WD members!) I’m keeping it for a while longer. Will eventually get round to letting it go for peanuts. It would be nice to be part of the N+1 fraternity, but for us it doesn’t make sense at the moment.
What about the price? A local dealer ran a special for R35 995-00. The price includes OTR. I still think it is a bargain. You can buy a half decent entry level road/mountain cycle for that, or even an entry level e-bike.
It is just a little bit more expensive than an electric starter kit for an MX bike.
Have you seen the prices for 50cc MX bikes lately? I know none of the above can be compared, but I’m referring to the cost of the items. Make your own comparisons and you will find that the Sym is insane value for money.
Anyway, back to the NHT 200.
Single cylinder, 4 valve, 183cc water cooled motor. It has fuel injection and a 6 speed box. 19” front and 17” rear tires on spoked wheels. It has CBS (combined braking system) that links the rear disc to the front. If you step on the rear brake pedal, the front brake also engages. It takes time getting used to, and rear slides are no longer. As soon as the warranty is up I will modify it so that the system works off the front brake lever. It has an LCD display with all the information you need clearly visible even in direct sunlight. Between the front of the tank just behind the handle bars it has an USB charging point. It has engine crash bars and a plastic belly pan. Fit and finish of the plastics are great. It has some GS and V Strom lines and I really like the look of it.
It’s not perfect though. I’m nitpicking here, but why advertise this as an “adventure” bike and sell it with a plastic cover for the bottom of the engine? The position of the coolant bottle is also daft. Although the bike is not designed for single track or rough terrain, when you go down I feel it might get damaged. All you need is a loose rock mimicking the pointy bit of a pyramid and you are stuck. Even if you can patch it up, where will you get raspberry to get you going again? There is more than enough space between the engine and frame so they could have positioned it better. But what do I know?
Handguards? Why are they not standard? Easy enough to sort out, but, if the Crox scooter has them…
The biggest bugbear I have is with the exhaust. It’s not only Sym that is guilty of this. You really want to tell me that between the designers and engineers they couldn’t come up with something better looking? I’m not saying it should look like SC Projects or Akrapovič, but surely something more modern could have been penciled on a napkin around lunch time and brought to life before the end of the day. Just look at the way the pipe is routed and the visual let down of the end can. This will be changed very soon and I know just the place to visit.
Other than that I’m very happy.
So what about accessories I hear you ask? Forget about paging through a brochure with nice pictures. You can either dip your toe in the murky waters of the internet and order from people that communicate by way of Pokémon cards, or you can support local entrepreneurs. So far, I was able to source a touring screen, belly pan plate (exact copy of the plastic one just in steel and powder coated), top box and soft pannier brackets and full crash bars (to compliment the engine crash bars) right here in sunny ZA.
What’s it like to ride? Way better than expected. Before the purchase, I sat on the bike on the dealer floor to get a feel for it. No test ride. I could kind of work out what it was all about by watching a couple YouTube videos from Greece and Nepal. The day I collected the bike was my first ride. Having mostly ridden small capacity bikes (bar the absolute monster 650cc V-Twin from the Transalp) my expectations were low and I knew that it would not try and rip my arms from their sockets. Still within the running-in period, I was mindful of not releasing the horses right away. Anyone who’s ridden four strokes from 110cc up to 250cc know that the speedometer is merely an indication of progress, rather than eye watering acceleration. And, you know what? I’m perfectly fine with it. This bike presents another chapter in our lives and making memories in the slow lane is the aim of the game. Getting back to the ride. The seat is very comfy and the controls all feel familiar. I’m bit of a Smurf and find that the position of the foot rests and gear/brake lever/pedal suits me perfectly. Due to the design of the front fairing it feels as though you are sitting in the bike. Wind/weather protection is good enough to not bother me. The jury is still out on the standard and touring screens. I only have street helmets and do not experience any buffeting or extreme wind hindrance at present. I was told that with the touring screen there is slightly less “noise” and that the wind is deflected much higher over the rider. Time will tell. Noise from the engine is subdued and the exhaust sound has obviously been approved by tree huggers. I will say this though, when you close the throttle and use engine braking, there is a very familiar thumper sound emanating from the exhaust. The indicator clicker (is that what it is called?) is abnormally loud (probably for newbies), but it has a positive benefit as you can’t ignore It and want to get it silent as soon as possible. As a pillion, my wife is also happy and says she feels comfortable and will be able to tackle long journeys. We are planning a short ride the weekend of the 24th of September and a report will be forthcoming.
So, as the bike is still new, please allow wife and me to get accustomed to it. I will try and update as much as possible.
Secondly, if you scoff at the idea of owning an Asian motorcycle, I suggest that you stop reading now.
Thirdly, if SPEEEEEED and POWERRRRR (Jeremy Clarkson impersonations welcome) is the only thing that makes a motorcycle interesting to you, the lack of throttle action on this thread will put you to sleep.
Fourthly, this is not an RR. This is an ownership journey and experience. If my wife and I can inspire just one person to take up motorcycling, or more specifically, adventure riding, our work here is done.
Those age old questions must be very close to the surface by now. Why? What were you thinking? As long as we are happy, I really do not care what other people think. I have realized over the years that, in general, people are quick to berate someone to feel better about themselves. For example, if I picked Japanese model X, the owner of German model Y would chirp in and quickly point out why his/her bike is superior. The same applies in reverse. You can substitute the country of manufacture and get stuck in an infinite loop. Does it really matter?
If anyone has anything bad to say about our motorcycle, go ahead! What happened to you can own whatever you want, as long as you just ride? I thought we were all bikers here? I still do not get why people get labeled according to what they own. Sadly, the stigma surrounding the ownership of certain makes/models are, to say the least, pathetic, especially when the fires of ridicule is kept alive by bikers themselves. Compared to issues experienced by certain Austrian, German and Japanese models, it is clear that nothing is perfect and expecting otherwise is foolhardy. If you think statements like “it’s going to rot away in six months”, “bits will start falling off in 3 months”, “it will set fire to itself very soon”, “everything will fade within a year” and “the motor will self-destruct in less than 5k miles” got me worried, please do not lose any sleep over it. And if, in the very unlikely event any of the above do happen, you can rub your hands together in glee, prepare your best I told you so response, and celebrate your victory with a cold one; water off a ducks back and all.
Happy Wife
Who and what is Sym? For the long version, you can go here https://www.sym-global.com/about
and here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SYM_Motors
The short version is they have manufactured more than 16 million scooters and bikes and builds Hyundai trucks. Their head office is in Taiwan. John Cena made quite a fool of himself by proclaiming that it was a country on its own. Simple mistake to make when the Republic of China governs Taiwan. This however upsets The People’s Republic of China (mainland China), as the Taiwanese feel they are governing themselves. Where was Confucius from again?
Locally, they are imported by Kawasaki and distributed to dealers country wide.
So, is it Chinese, Taiwanese or both? If compared to traditional Chinese bikes available in ZA, there is clearly more attention given to detail and quality of materials used. The Sym scooters have proven to be robust, reliable and economical. No reason the bikes shouldn’t be. In fact, the delivery bikes seem to be going strong without any horror stories doing the rounds. Is it safe to say that Kawasaki would not have gone into business with them if the products were inferior? I highly doubt it.
The same thinking applies to Kymco – “Chiwanese” and imported by Yamaha. Obviously, they must be doing things right on the island of Taiwan.
Locally, Sym have a nice range of scooters and entry level bikes, here https://sym.co.za/
How did I end up with the Sym? I have owned a couple of bikes in my lifetime, and all of them were previously owned. Second hand. Used. Abused. Ok, I lie. The only new bike I ever owned was a Vuka scooter. I got the bike as part of a Vodacom cellphone package. Don’t ask and I won’t tell. Anyway, I decided that I wanted something new. As in brand new. Out of the box. No more adding to the fart layers; it was my turn to lay the foundation. It also had to be cheap. Cheap in the sense that I could pay cash for it. The less I had to spend, to a point, the better. On the subject of cheap, Harry Fisher wrote a piece about the Sym that made allot of sense to me. We have to differentiate between cheap and inexpensive as their meanings are not the same. The other criteria was that it had to be dual sport as I enjoy occasional gravel travel. The fact that my wife owns a Sym Crox, that both of us are extremely happy with, could have subconsciously made me biased towards the NHT.
I did what any respectable gentleman would do and browsed the internet. I knew things were expensive, but damn! New bike prices are insane. So, I lowered my standards and looked for “demo” models. Obviously this is a problem for dealers and I do not blame them. I then compared prices of new bikes to those that were slightly used (read 3-4 years old) and got bored very quickly. The next step was to physically go to a couple of dealers and see what was available. What an eye opener that turned out to be. The prices for second hand bikes on dealer floors are either very good, or just plain ridiculous. I understand that they need to cover themselves, but the condition of some of the bikes were suspect and the prices did not reflect it. Condition reports mean absolutely nothing, as some issues are either left out entirely, or others are exacerbated. But, my focus was on new bikes.
The expensive ones were sidestepped with absolute disdain for their price tags. This however did not leave me with much choice. Not being a badge snob, I wasn’t too concerned or fazed about is.
I had a look at and narrowed it down to the following:
- Honda XR125/150/190: Apart from being new, the 125/150 is similar to the CTX 200 I own. The 190 is just way too expensive.
- Yamaha YBR 125: Nice little runaround, but if you add a pillion and some luggage it will struggle. Also had a look at the TW200, although it’s a legend it is also very expensive.
- Suzuki Gixxer 150 and 250: For shits and giggles. They are available in naked and faired. Great little bikes and I think they will last forever. In India the guys slap dual sport tires on the naked version and go almost everywhere. In my view, they are practically giving them away.
- Harley Davidson Street Rod 750: New “old” stock available at ridiculously low prices. Could have ridden away on a “new’ 2018 model with 75km on for R69k. What a bargain. I like the bike, and I do not care that others don’t. This or a Yamaha MT-07 in the near future.
- Big Boy TSR 125/250: Not bad considering the price. From what I’ve read and viewed online the 250 seems to be reliable. More features than bikes twice the price.
- Kiden 125J: Part of Zontes. Well built and on par with the Japanese. This one surprised me. Seat is very comfy. But, as with the YBR, not enough oomph.
- Sym NHT 125/200: Probably read the local tests 20 times, here (https://sym.co.za/category/news/ ). YouTube was a good and bad source for information. I like the overall look and build quality.
- Hero Xpluse 200: Not being able to see one in the flesh, had to go on what local and Indian reviewers had to say about it. I think it will be an excellent all-rounder and will be reliable. It has a 5 year 100 000km warranty!
- Voge 300 DS: The luxury division of Big Boy. Manufactured by Loncin that, amongst others, produces a certain German 310 range. The flat slide carburetor is interesting. Very nice and inexpensive.
All the bikes mentioned have their own special place in the sun. Millions of people around the globe make use of cheap and inexpensive motorcycles, as not everybody can afford 1000cc + monsters, or keep up with the maintenance of those beasts. No use owing a nice bike (and barely affording to purchase it) and then not be able to keep it in good condition. There are second hand bikes from reputable manufacturers that I could have chosen, but I already have that t-shirt. I sold my Transalp XL650V to purchase the CTX 200, so have experience with Japanese bikes. I even sold a Yamaha RZ 50, put the money away, and eventually bought a Honda CBR 125 R for my wife. Been there, done that.
And yes, I could have done the right thing and purchased a decent new bike from a reputable manufacturer to satisfy the masses. And by decent new bike I mean something with more cc’s and cost. But, I’m a cheap bastard. After long debates, my wife sold her CBR (she kept her Crox) to put towards the SYM. My CTX was for sale, but due to time wasters and tyre kickers (Not WD members!) I’m keeping it for a while longer. Will eventually get round to letting it go for peanuts. It would be nice to be part of the N+1 fraternity, but for us it doesn’t make sense at the moment.
What about the price? A local dealer ran a special for R35 995-00. The price includes OTR. I still think it is a bargain. You can buy a half decent entry level road/mountain cycle for that, or even an entry level e-bike.
It is just a little bit more expensive than an electric starter kit for an MX bike.
Have you seen the prices for 50cc MX bikes lately? I know none of the above can be compared, but I’m referring to the cost of the items. Make your own comparisons and you will find that the Sym is insane value for money.
Anyway, back to the NHT 200.
Single cylinder, 4 valve, 183cc water cooled motor. It has fuel injection and a 6 speed box. 19” front and 17” rear tires on spoked wheels. It has CBS (combined braking system) that links the rear disc to the front. If you step on the rear brake pedal, the front brake also engages. It takes time getting used to, and rear slides are no longer. As soon as the warranty is up I will modify it so that the system works off the front brake lever. It has an LCD display with all the information you need clearly visible even in direct sunlight. Between the front of the tank just behind the handle bars it has an USB charging point. It has engine crash bars and a plastic belly pan. Fit and finish of the plastics are great. It has some GS and V Strom lines and I really like the look of it.
It’s not perfect though. I’m nitpicking here, but why advertise this as an “adventure” bike and sell it with a plastic cover for the bottom of the engine? The position of the coolant bottle is also daft. Although the bike is not designed for single track or rough terrain, when you go down I feel it might get damaged. All you need is a loose rock mimicking the pointy bit of a pyramid and you are stuck. Even if you can patch it up, where will you get raspberry to get you going again? There is more than enough space between the engine and frame so they could have positioned it better. But what do I know?
Handguards? Why are they not standard? Easy enough to sort out, but, if the Crox scooter has them…
The biggest bugbear I have is with the exhaust. It’s not only Sym that is guilty of this. You really want to tell me that between the designers and engineers they couldn’t come up with something better looking? I’m not saying it should look like SC Projects or Akrapovič, but surely something more modern could have been penciled on a napkin around lunch time and brought to life before the end of the day. Just look at the way the pipe is routed and the visual let down of the end can. This will be changed very soon and I know just the place to visit.
Other than that I’m very happy.
So what about accessories I hear you ask? Forget about paging through a brochure with nice pictures. You can either dip your toe in the murky waters of the internet and order from people that communicate by way of Pokémon cards, or you can support local entrepreneurs. So far, I was able to source a touring screen, belly pan plate (exact copy of the plastic one just in steel and powder coated), top box and soft pannier brackets and full crash bars (to compliment the engine crash bars) right here in sunny ZA.
What’s it like to ride? Way better than expected. Before the purchase, I sat on the bike on the dealer floor to get a feel for it. No test ride. I could kind of work out what it was all about by watching a couple YouTube videos from Greece and Nepal. The day I collected the bike was my first ride. Having mostly ridden small capacity bikes (bar the absolute monster 650cc V-Twin from the Transalp) my expectations were low and I knew that it would not try and rip my arms from their sockets. Still within the running-in period, I was mindful of not releasing the horses right away. Anyone who’s ridden four strokes from 110cc up to 250cc know that the speedometer is merely an indication of progress, rather than eye watering acceleration. And, you know what? I’m perfectly fine with it. This bike presents another chapter in our lives and making memories in the slow lane is the aim of the game. Getting back to the ride. The seat is very comfy and the controls all feel familiar. I’m bit of a Smurf and find that the position of the foot rests and gear/brake lever/pedal suits me perfectly. Due to the design of the front fairing it feels as though you are sitting in the bike. Wind/weather protection is good enough to not bother me. The jury is still out on the standard and touring screens. I only have street helmets and do not experience any buffeting or extreme wind hindrance at present. I was told that with the touring screen there is slightly less “noise” and that the wind is deflected much higher over the rider. Time will tell. Noise from the engine is subdued and the exhaust sound has obviously been approved by tree huggers. I will say this though, when you close the throttle and use engine braking, there is a very familiar thumper sound emanating from the exhaust. The indicator clicker (is that what it is called?) is abnormally loud (probably for newbies), but it has a positive benefit as you can’t ignore It and want to get it silent as soon as possible. As a pillion, my wife is also happy and says she feels comfortable and will be able to tackle long journeys. We are planning a short ride the weekend of the 24th of September and a report will be forthcoming.
So, as the bike is still new, please allow wife and me to get accustomed to it. I will try and update as much as possible.
