Scooter Review Manhattan 200L Review Manhattan’s 200L is small on price, but big on features.
Words by DAVE DIRADO, photography by JEREMY BOWDLER With the rising cost of fuel, tolls, public transport, food and everything else one requires on a daily basis, it is good to know that decent, built-to-a-budget scooters exist. You could go out there and spend six to seven thousand dollars on a premium scooter and end up with a lovely ride, no doubt. But when your wallet is feeling the pinch due to the rising cost of life, should you?
If you are looking for a scooter that will get the job done, look classy and not break the bank, the new Manhattan 200L is one to consider.
With its glossy black paint, complete with metallic flakes (it also comes in silver), the Manhattan really sparkles in the sunlight. When you’re sitting back enjoying an
espresso at your local cafe, you’ll notice the 200L will grab the attention of your fellow scooterists.
For those times when the Manhattan is out of sight, a two-stage remote-control alarm comes standard to keep you at ease. It’s a nice touch that the alarm’s keypad matches the paint scheme of your Manhattan too – very cool, I thought.
The alarm’s operation is simple. As you walk away from the scooter, it beeps to announce that it has armed itself, disabling the engine. Press the button and the whole world will know if your scoot has been touched, because the siren is ear-shattering. Quite an impressive feature for a scooter in this price bracket, I reckon.
Mechanically speaking, while the Manhattan is called a 200L, the engine’s actual displacement is 174.4cc. It’s a four-stroke, air-cooled powerplant with electric start and kickstarting options. I found the engine to be both quiet and smooth, with enough pull to get me past the 100km/h mark on the freeway.
Acceleration is generally excellent through the rev range, and the constantly variable transmission made commuting a breeze with its slick operation. Two-up the Manhattan did feel the weight, but considering I was the pillion and Jeremy the pilot, the Manhattan still managed to get us to our destination in good time.
One thing I did find a bit funny was having a tacho in the dash cluster. Personally I would have preferred a clock as I feel a tacho on an automatic scooter is a waste of space. Having said that, the dash cluster is simple and easy to read with large numerals and a pretty snazzy background.
On the freeway I managed a healthy 105km/h at about 6500rpm and the Manhattan remained predictable and stable at all times.
One of the main reasons for this stability, I found, are the very classy-looking 16-inch rims. Shod with a 100/80-16 tyre up front and a 120/80 hoop on the rear, any imperfections in the road surface were overcome with ease. There was a touch of front-end instability if you were slowing between about 80 and 60km/h if you took your hands off the ’bars. It’s not uncommon with scooters or motorcycles and even the lightest touch on the ’bars cures it. And you wouldn’t be riding hands-free, would you?
Stopping power on the Manhattan 200L is provided by front and rear discs – yet another impressive feature to find on a scooter in this price bracket. I have seen many scooters that cost a whole lot more money still offering a drum-brake rear end. The seat height is 840mm and I found it to be pretty comfortable during my daily one-hour each-way commute. Light and well balanced, the Manhattan 200L proved to be a real joy in Sydney traffic.
Having 170mm of ground clearance lets you have a bit of fun on the run too, and I found myself enthusiastically leaning the 200L into corners and powering out with the ample 7kW at my disposal. The Manhattan’s fuel capacity is eight litres and refilling it, which is something you won’t do often, is very easy with the filler cap located under the lockable seat. There is also enough room under there for an open-face helmet too. There is a handy bag hook inside the legshield and the topbox comes as a standard feature, unlike many other scooters where they are an option.
One thing you must consider when purchasing the Manhattan 200L is the overall build quality. Remember it is only $2495 +orc, so don’t expect it to be as tough as a scooter selling for twice as much. The finish on the engine is chrome over plastic and in the time we had with the Manhattan 200L the plastic pillion grab handle, which is where you grab it to place the scooter on its centrestand, snapped on the left-hand side (possibly due to damage in shipping).
That was disappointing, but considering the price and the 24- month warranty, it’s still something I could probably live with. And that pretty much sums up the Manhattan 200L: a well-priced scooter that will get you where you want to be, economically. ✽
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 25/08/2008
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