And I agree. Of real note is the disk brakes, and the rear monoshock, a seat hight of only 31 inches, and the weight--297 pounds (dry). In the USA this bike is a bit of an oddity since it looks like a regular sportbike. These are usually really fast machines with pretty big engines. The roadwin has what most would classify as a dirt bike sized motor from the 80s, or a scooter sized motor from the 90s. And then compared to the crusier style 500 pound bikes in America, this bike just does not fit in. But why not? Is it necessary to have a liter of displacement to make a good bike? I don't know what happened to the thinking of cyclists in the last 20 years to think that they need all that horsepower. It is like the consumer has been involved in a cc arms race by manufacturers. Having lots of power is nice, but it comes at the expense of weight and complexity. For pete's sake, the bike easily goes over the 55 mph speed limit present throughout the country! It is a testament to the motorcycle marketing departments that they can sell so many impractable machines to the masses, and edge out a simple economical commuter bike. In my mind you have to have sensible bikes that are a dream to handle and bridge the gap between scooters and bikers.

The real eye opener here is the price--about 2-3K$. That is staggering considering you get a fuel injected DOHC 4 valve engine, with an oil cooler, and a motorcycle chassis. You will pay this much for a scooter of the same displacement! I think that is why you often find them sold along side scooters. Clearly if you don't have a motorcycle liscense, or just do not want to shift you would have to settle for the 'less for the money' scooter. This bike on the other hand, I consider an opportunity for those of us who like to shift and enjoy the mechanical experience of driving a bike, but want a small sized machine. And the naked bike style is just that. Nothing is hidden, no extra weight. You can see right through the frame. You can see the frame. It is a wrap around beam. I liken it to the poor man's trellis frame often seen on superbikes.

A little bit about performance. The top speed is 68 mph or about 70, and the fuel efficiency is also about 50 to 70 mpg. It is really going to depend how you drive it. I have travelled on the highway, and it does fine. You push the motor but it could go all day. It is not redlined, and the vibration is not too bad. Not much heat is thrown off the casing, and it cools well. In other words--your legs don't get hot, even in Miami. Starting from stop is where it might seem weak. That is until you start to use the full potential of the powerband. You really have to rev the engine to make the most of it. After a while I started to explore the tachometer--and find the engine's sweet spot. It makes a bit of noise, but that is what is required to get it moving. I ended up twisting the throttle all the way sometimes just to get to 30 mph quickly. I feel, you have to explore the rpms like a dirtbike, to get the most out of it. Otherwise it might feel anemic. There is a lot of engine vibration around 6000 rpm, so I generally avoid staying in this small vibration zone. I expect vibration from a single. There are all kind of resonace and harmonics with such a small motor. To use the full throttle you almost have to regrip the twist grip. This is kind of annoying, but it just reinforces the fact that there is a long powerband. I would have appreciated a shorter twist/throw from idle to full power though. It is impressive that you can rev to 10,000 rpm! And I find it fun making the motor work, and trying to tap it's full potential. How many bigger bikes do you think ever get pushed to 10,000 rpm on a regular basis, let alone just to get to 30 mph? The only time I would redline my 650 was when I thought I was racer X on a weekend. Now I do it all the time just to get home from work. Just fun I tell you. How rediculous is that...fun but ridiculous.

A bit about decelerating. When you come off the throttle, especially in the lower gears the bike tends to lurch back a bit suddenly and you are pushed forward. I imagine this is due to the single piston, or just because the bike is light. Whatever the cause, it forces me to use the clutch to feather in all down shifts for a smooth experience. The front disk will really bring this bike to a halt and throw you forward if you are not careful. Luckily the riding position already puts you in an agressive position so you are more or less ready to brace yourself. The reason the brakes work so well, I feel, is because the bike is relatively light. At about 300 pounds, it is only heavier than scooters and race bikes. The rear locks up very easily, and you have to concentrate to keep it light while breaking hard since so much of the bikes weight shifts forward, and there is just not that much weight on the rear.

Update: I changed the oil after 250 km. It was very dirty with particles. As expected for a first oil change.
Update: At 500 km I changed the oil and filter. The filter had flecks of metal all through it. Hopefully all the factory shavings are gone now. I had to order the filters from England. Not expensive, but a bad sign for future repair work. On stop and go driving, only, I get 80 km./gallon or 50 mpg.
Update: At 700km I noticed a strange rattling noise on acceleration. I checked the exhaust header and one of the nuts had come loose, and was gone. Just by luck, the other was about to fall off, but still there. If it had vibrated off, the gasket parts would have fallen on the ground and been gone forever. I purchased a replacement nut in stainless and added lock washers.

Links to other riding sites on the Web

Hurt Report The Hurt report. How motorcycle crashes occur.
This site may have parts. It is hard to tell. It's run by a teacher in Korea.
UKbike.com a bunch of short reviews at UKbike.com
125cc review This is a list of performance stats on 125cc machines. Well done! Don't miss it. About 20 machines are compared. A lot of work done. I like the fact that it is actual testing.
Parts. Ordered from the UK.





Some aftermarket saddle bags. Not a perfect fit, but they do the job. Also notice I took off the fake carbon fiber stickers and the Daelim brand stickers. I felt they were a bit cheap. And who knows what a Daelim is anyway.