Scooter Review

SYM Orbit 125 Review

If you feel like a satellite spinning out of control between home and work, here’s a little something to get you back onto a steady track

Words & photography by Jeremy Bowdler

I have a new scooter to add to my short list of desirables. The Orbit 125 is a scooter rider’s scooter. Go and ride one. Then buy it.

Phew, that was a short test. Maybe there’s time for a quick schooner at the pub for lunch.

What? I’ve still got two pages to fill. Bugger. Hmm, what else can I say? The Orbit’s good? More or less covered that. Handles well? Done that, too. It’s great value for money? Sort of did that, too. So, what to write about?

I guess I could mention that the scooter is tiny, yet roomy. That should take a para or two. What? Pete’s already covered that in the Orbit 50 test on the next page? Bugger. Mental note to self. Get copy in on time next issue.

But I’m bigger than he is and this test comes first, so I get to say it again. With feeling. The Orbit is tiny front to rear and even smaller side to side, to the point where I was worried about a lack of weather protection until I noticed how lithe it was at scything through the traffic. I’d swap the weather protection from bigger leg shields for a shorter commute and more time at home any day.

My major problem on a scooter is with my legs. Where do I put them? Solo aboard the Orbit, I found myself shifting the size 11s to the pillion pegs when cornering. Maybe it comes from riding motorcycles, but the pillion pegs on the Orbit are roughly where you’d expect to find them on a motorcycle. Using the pillion pegs helps me ride and the Orbit loves to be ridden. Its steering is so quick that it verges on instability, but never crosses the line. It’s the proverbial scalpel on the road, carving up corners with ease and dispatching the swings and roundabouts – the urban reality that faces most of us – without blinking.

The razor sharp steering, while making the Orbit very rewarding to ride, does have one physical drawback, though it does take a number of factors happening in the right sequence. Most two-wheelers have a moment of instability when slowing down due to a combination of factors including tyre size, profile, inflation, steering geometry, weight distribution and road surface to name but a few. It only manifests itself if you take your hands off the handlebars while in this unstable period before the speed drops below a certain point (usually around 40km/h).

So much for the lecture. Back to the Orbit. Take your hands off the ‘bars at around 80 and hit a bump and the ‘bars flap back and forth. It can feel dramatic, but even the slightest grip on the ‘bars will stop it. You’d never notice it unless the conditions were right, or wrong, as it were. Two-up, the scoot is almost as quick as it is with just one rider. Dave and I went for a spin and could accelerate to about 70-80km/h in fairly short order with more to come until we ran out of road and courage, given the current attitude to speed in a built-up area…

One-up, 100km/h is easy – as it should be on a vehicle designed to bust traffic congestion and to get you where you’re going with a grin on your face and some bucks in your wallet. The rest of the scooter is basic but well bolted together and finished. The accordion type rubber fork gaiters are a brilliant idea to keep road grit away from the fork seals, cutting down on maintenance costs and increasing suspension life. The instrumentation is simple and clear, though it lacks a clock.

Despite the apparent lack of sophistication, the scooter works very well and the Orbit has some clever touches to improve your extraterrestrial experiences, such as two luggage hooks (one under the front of the seat and a second one in the normal position in front of your knees). Add a flat footwell perfect for those emergency runs for a slab plus ice to get the party started as well as an underseat storage area that will squeeze in an open face helmet (at a pinch) and you’ve got a handy runabout.

I had to fly down from Sydney to Melbourne the week I had the Orbit and it was a simple matter to nose it into a niche at the airport, slip my jacket and gloves under the seat, stow my helmet in the accessory top-box and stroll through security unhindered. On the way home that afternoon, I was out of the airport and home free (of parking charges) before the taxi queue had even moved.

Of course that sort of convenience is not the sole preserve of the Orbit, but it does have one extra trick that made me more confident about leaving the scooter at the airport unattended. Under the seat (which is operated by the ignition switch or, if the ignition is on, by the high-beam rocker switch) is a bright yellow battery isolation switch. Turn it on and lock the seat and there’s immediate added peace of mind that it’ll be there when you get back. Top marks for this one.


Country of Origin --------------------------------- Taiwan
Fuel Capacity -------------------------------------5.5 litres
Storage ----------------------------------------------------Yes
Wheel size -------------------------------------------- 12/12
Dry Weight -------------------------------------------109kg
Seat Height -----------------------------------------740mm
See Listing for more details…
Helmet by KBC, boots by Dainese (03 8327 8888)
jacket by Corazzo (02 9938 5858), jeans by Hornee
Jeans (0420 947 633), and gloves by Ducati <www.
ducati.com.a

As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 11/03/2009
Subscribe to Two Wheels Scooter magazine now!