Scooter Review Arqin Sprint 125 Arqin’s first scooter out of the blocks ticks
the basics, but is let down by the detail. $2390 +orc
Words by JEREMY BOWDLER, photography by KEVIN LING Arqin, the Australian face of the Chinese scooter giant Jian Qing, has launched locally with a range of scooters and motorcycles aimed at the lower – in capacity – end of the market.
And while many might write them off as another in the new wave of Chinese imports, the Arqin’s on test have been ticking some boxes and dotting some is. While the Metro4 50cc four-stroke is typically slow for a four-stroke 50, it’s bolted together pretty well and scores some points for fit and finish, ease of use, fuel economy and cost of service. The second example of the Arqin brand we sampled was the 125 Sprint, again a four-stroke, but a scooter aimed at possibly the most heavily contested market segment in Australia.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out why the 100-150cc segment is booming – after getting a taste for the benefits of scootering, the 50cc crowd is likely to trade up to something that offer the sort of performance more in keeping with their demands, but in a scooter that is still economical to run and cheap to buy. Of course, cheap to buy is a floating concept.
Compare any new scooter with a new car and the scooter wins. Anyway, the new Arqin comes in at the budget end of the mid-capacity range, but is it budget by nature as well as by price?
The first thing you’ll want to know is whether your $2390 will buy you enough performance to beat the tin-tops away from the lights and the answer is a definite yes. There is nothing wrong with the engine performance from the 125cc four-stroke. It is, of course, aided and abetted in its crimes against traffic by the light weight, but even so it’s a punchy, powerful power plant in its own right, a twist of the wrist more than enough to get you ahead of the traffic into the sweet commuter zone where you can breathe easy.
The chassis and handling performance, similarly, are surprising in the scooter at this price, with the suspension soaking up the worst the city can dish out on a bad day. The front end tracks straight and true over pot-holes and speed humps, going where it’s pointed without a whimper. The back end, on the other hand, is a touch under damped (for my weight of 90kg) to the point where I’d be enjoying the speed-hump I’d just passed two or three times before the back end settled down. I hasten to point out that the preload adjustment of the single rear spring-damper unit – and all scootersshould have preload adjustment – was on its lowest setting, far more suited to the svelte women I see from time to time commuting stylishly, especially the one who carries her little toy – and not in the plastic sense – dog in her backpack. Too cute...
But I digress. The scooter would have performed better for me had I been able to adjust the preload to the higher setting in recognition of my less than svelte avoid upois only – and here’s the rub – in common with other scooters I could name, the adjustment facility is completely obscured by the air box on one side and the tyre on the other. It’s a workshop job unless you are happy partially dismantling the back end of your scooter to get it right. Could do better...
 That adjustment to the rear suspension would also help the scooter’s main failing in my experience. Ground clearance, or the lack of it. The centre stand legs touch down noisily at average lean angles, which is in itself a distraction to the rider and to the general public, judging by the shocked faces at each corner. Push it harder and the tripod effect comes into play. While I am sure you all know that a tripod is the most stable arrangement for legs, have any of you tried to get one around a corner? Take a minute to consider inertia.
In theory that’ll have you going straight ahead in the direction of travel every time. In practice, you just pick the scooter up, and try again, three penny biting your way around the corner, which is a pity, since the chassis, tyres, engine and brakes are all encouraging you to give her the berries.
While this may seem like sufficient criticism for you not to buy the Sprint, it’s not the case. Arqin are well aware of the issue and subsequent shipments should have springing more in keeping with Australian weights rather than Chinese. Anyway, adjusting the preload at time of purchase should be free, while a new spring (which is what I’d need) should be less than $100 and then you’d have a rocket. Or you could just start from the position of weighing in at around 50kg.
There are, of course, all the other reasons to buy the Sprint: ease of use, practicality, smart styling and the rest. The underseat storage will take an open-face or shorty helmet, but not a full-face lid, though there is a bit of movement at the hinge which would repay careful use if an untimely failure is not to be in the future. As for the glove box? Best not to bother. The hinge is a simple push-in clip and the lid came off in my hands the first time I opened it. On the plus side of the ledger, the cast rear rack is substantial and has four hooks on its underside to make gear attachment easy and there is a shopping bag hook for those last minute after-work milk and bread runs.
You have to pop the seat to fill ‘er up, and run the risk of filling the storage space with overflow from the bowser (but the Arqin is by no means alone in this, as I kept discovering to my smelly cost with the Vespa GTS 250ie). The grille over the headlight is an interesting styling touch, aligning the scooter, visually at any rate, with the Hyosung Rally’s, something further borne out by the hand guards on the handlebar surrounds. A nice touch in the wet or cold, but slightly too close to the bars for my size 11 (or equivalent) hands. A minor annoyance that soon paled. The instruments had a tachometer, vaguely irrelevant on a CVT-equipped scooter, unless you like that sort of thing; an easy-to-read speedo and a fuel gauge. I’d like to see a clock.
The other side of the instrument panel, though, is all business, with two projector beam lights: one dip, one main beam. They work. And there should be more of them. The switchgear that operates them, too, is modern and easy to use and, in something of a rarity these days, there is a headlight on/off switch. The choice is yours.
So the big question is: to buy or not to buy? As an introductory model to the Australian market, I reckon Arqin has done a good job. The basics of engine and chassis performance are good, the styling is sharp, there are some nice details like right-angled tyre valve stems, good switchgear and headlights, and reasonable storage. These are the things that make a scooter a practical, day-to-day vehicle. The suspension adjustment can be fixed relatively easily and is probably no more than the Chinese parent factory calling the shots about what is fitted to the bike and going with stuff to suit the average Chinese rider, rather than building specifically for the larger Australian body. According to Arqin that can – and will – be easily addressed in the future. As will the sometimes less than perfect panel fit (which is in contrast to the smart Metro 4).
At the money, the Sprint is a serious contender and it can only get better.
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 1/07/2007
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