| Product: |
Peugeot Speedfight |
| Date: |
12/08/00 (2228 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Nippy and trendy, low on fuel
Disadvantages: Feels unstable at its limit
My girlfriend has had a Speedfight 100 for 2 years from new. Although, the new model has come out, it is still a head turner - yes even those big boys on their ZX9Rs have a good look at it. The engine only has 9.5bhp (untuned), but can out-accelarate just about any car on the road. There has been many a time my girlfriend has arrived home with a huge grin on her face from doing XR2s and astras (the list goes on and on) at the lights. However, it is limited to 60mph, but in town and cities, who cares? Its a great run around and only costs about a fiver to fill up, being used everyday this only has to be done once a month. Servicing costs are low, but the battery has had to be replaced twice (that's once a year) because the immobiliser saps it. If the battery is dead the only thing that is affected is the fact that you have to kick start instead of pushing a button. This can be quite cumbersome because you have to stand from the side of the bike, while it is on its stand, and lean over it holding down the brake handle and give it a good shove with your foot, it's not as easy as a proper motorbike. This is the only pitfall, but you do get a factory fitted immobiliser which gives you some peace of mind. The battery costs around £20 which is'nt too bad. Other than that it is very reliable. It also has a built-in lock, which has been found to be very handy. Just rap it round a pole or something. Once you get your technique right it only takes a couple of seconds to secure your bike. It is 1 metre long which is sufficient, but you can't wrap it round the back wheel so you have to find something to secure it to. It is very light and easy to manoevure. The seat height is quite high, my girlfriend is 5'3", so when seated she can't put both feet on the ground. The handling and suspension gives a fairly comfortable ride and good cornering ability. It's great because everyone thinks "because
it's a scooter it quite slow", which obviously isn't the case, the 100cc engine gives you excellent accelaration to get you away from the traffic, which means avoiding those idiots on the road who can't be bothered to look whose around them. However, as you get to higher speed i.e. 50mph this is much more difficult - so don't think of overtaking on a dual carriage way because the car you're overtaking just might decide to change lanes into you.
Summary:
|
|