2009 SYM reviews

Bought is second hand for 700 bucks a couple of years ago...it's fantastic...reliable, great around town and it will do 85...toured 20,000 miles all over Europe/Scandinavia including Arctic Circle...it's still as good as new...change to oil every 1,000 miles that's my tip...look after that great 268cc engine and it will go for decades Show less

This has been such a good bike, that instead of the usual tradeoff, I'll be keeping it. On the plus side: Despite relatively modest power for this class of bike, it's quick off the line and up to 50 mph. Compared to my big bike, it runs on fumes. It's been dead reliable. The handling with good tires is very good. It steers well and it takes high speeds and rough roads to detect occasional frame flex. The limitations of scooter design mean that it's never going to be as solid as a top of the line bike, still it's very good. The handling is one of the main reasons why the bike remains a pleasure to ride. I really appreciate the weather protection and the excellent CVT makes urban rides way more fun. The generous under seat storage and the grocery hook make it very useful and handy as well. Downsides? The quality of engine, driveline and electrics is outstanding. Kept stock, maintained and not abused, these bikes will last a very long time. The bike is sensitive to oil quality. After 2,500 km. commercial grade 15-40 made the bike sound like a threshing machine. It sounded like it needed a valve adjustment badly. In fact, they were fine. Synthetic 5-40 restored the quiet running. The brakes could be better. They work well enough with good aftermarket pads, but pad life with only a single front disc is short, about 12,000 km. with EBC organics. The brake discs themselves need replacing at 20,000 miles. Other than normal consumables: a battery, tires, pads and a light bulb - this will be the first part replacement the bike has needed. Suspension is very good for a scooter, but nothing to write home about. It could be better. This is a good running bike but the comfortable maximum cruising speed is 7,000 rpm. which works out to an actual 68 mph. The bike will go faster easily, but it's a small motor. 6,500 rpm. feels much more relaxed and gives much better gas mileage. It's not a sport bike and I like my bikes to last, so I don't push it. That means I can't always do our new higher speed limits so I may at times stick to the slow lane, but I don't find it a problem, just a realistic limitation. The backroads are as fun as ever. The valves have never needed adjusting and even the spark plug is original. It's important to stick with the stock CVT belt for durability. Show less

I enjoyed all 300 miles on this scoot. It has great get-up-and-go from a stop. It's easy to out run any city traffic. The large wheels are great for potholes. The low center of gravity makes it so easy to handle. If you think the seat is too high, this thing will balance on one's tippy toes at the traffic lights. 45 to 60 mph. is no problem and there's plenty of passing power at those speeds. I'm sure it would do the 70 mph. on the freeway (Just wear a day-glo vest. You are a small spec on the freeway.) I miss the turn signal beeper this has. You will never make a turn and leave the signal on. The windshield is low enough to see over yet gives plenty of head-on wind and bug deflection. Buy it, you'll love it. Show less

It has been completely trouble free which is more than I can say than for my previous Italian made (pre-Chinese) piaggios. Italians have nice styling but reliability and technology dodgy. Chinese assembly appears even worse. Taiwanese design and build quality are great and I really like the styling of this model. 16" wheels make for good handling. I have heard the comfort problems of the seat but I am little and the seat shape works perfectly for me as I need to be forward on the seat when stationery. On the move I just shift back and up on the seat. I have had it up over 140 kph. and get easy 285 per tank full. It uses 9.7 litre for this distance on 91 octane. I got a great deal on it in a sale. My only moan would be the only color available was very dark navy which is OK but would have preferred silver or the lighter blue. Get one. Show less

I can't predict the future, but SYM has a reputation for quality so I expect to get many years out of this scooter. It seems to be very well built. Handling, performance, braking and ride are all first rate. Last week I spent 10 hours on a new Vespa LX 150 in a motorcycle training class. The Vespa was nice but I strongly prefer the Fiddle. This may be personal to me, but the seat on the Fiddle gives me a very comfortable position while the Vespa seat became quite uncomfortable over time. Show less

I am in love with my new scooter. I am new to the 2 wheel world and did not want to deal with a clutch. My scooter keeps right up with the big guys. I took a motorcycle safety class where I had to learn the clutch. I enjoyed it, but still prefer my scooter. My daughter and I like to go joy riding on the weekends. When traveling at highway speeds, it does not even feel like there is a passenger with me. I give the RV250 2 thumbs up!! Show less