Chinese Scooter Club

bkmaracas · Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:34 pm Znen Firenze 125

hello,

thanks to this place and the people feeding it, I plumped for this new model and I received mine today! first proper post so hi. I think it will be popular (the bike not my rambling!)
I have to wait till thursday (cbt day) to get going but thought I`d give my initial impressions as an impartial punter. midlands man has kindly posted his pictures in next post, (his positivity helped in my decision making early on!) and I will add some of my own v.soon.

It looks the part I must say and overall am very pleased. as a few first timers mention its bigger than I imagined which is fine by me.

the finish is pretty good, open-and-close things like the glove box. petrol hatch and the seat lid are not in the expensive german car `reassuring thud` league and have some wobbliness, not that its a problem just that you notice.

all the important bits seem pretty sturdy and the visible mechanical aspects are solid.

If you`re not aware all the panels, chrome bit etc. are indeed plastic. black metallic finish with chrome, looks nice indeed. the floor plastic is nice and dark and with some care shouldn`t go that crappy grey colour over time.
I don`t mind the plastic panels at all, it doesn`t look plastic, just start tapping and then you can notice, so if you`re proud keep your mates fingers away from it!
how over time they fare/wear we will see, but then a replacement isn`t going to break the piggy bank. few less things to rust too!

I`ve started her up and all seems good, wheel barely moved on idle and engine sounded ok, my ears are pretty good and that was reassuring as I feared it would sound a bit `hairdryer`!

it cost £1100 delivered I ordered on 24th and received registered today the 5th of july.
insurance for a 30yr old no bike experience £200 rampale.

I`ve got me some new oil to replace the stock oil with, UK visitors should know that Tesco`s own 10w40 oil is 2 for 1 at the mo, so I got 4 litres for £5.80 which should last me!

I wonder if anyone has any top tips for me on what the priorities are on what to change tweak or replace before I get going in a few days?

change oil seems number 1, run in properly (generally warm it up then cane it?!) maybe a new spark plug?

seat luggage area is decent size by the way should fit my full helmet but will see.

I can`t think of much else till I`ve ridden it but any questions anyone has on the znen firenze 125, let me know, it`s my first scooter and will answer best I can.

I got my security gear (a boss alarm disc/lock (gold secure)) and 12mm chain (gold secure also) and a ground anchor as a bundle from motorbike-security . co .uk for just over 100 with some free neck wear things too! (Woo) thought it a decent deal for good quality stuff.
my local dealer did me a deal on flip helmet and gloves also as I`d got the bike from him too (SYKO in cardiff) .

think that`ll do for now!

any q`s or requests feel free, I`m twiddling my thumbs till thursday anyway...

cheers

Ben

Pac1982 · Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:23 pm

Heres a few more pics for you.......

And heres a few pics of the lambretta pato............

bkmaracas · Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:20 am

Pic-tastic!

cheers squire, it does makes the post a bit more worthwhile now -

any opinions yourself on this bike? I think both a `new to scootering` and a wisened master`s opinions would be a nice balance for folk curious about it.. anyhoo.

hmm I want to know where her helmet, large coat, gloves, sturdy footwear and reflective vest are!?

I looked a right tit in the mirror trying on my new travel-wear, but then I do value being seen and that bit safer than wearing my best heels...

also spent the last hour judicously sticking bit-pricey-but-worth-it reflective tape (from a marine supplier) onto whatever surface I could find - helmet and bike. works a treat. I`d recommend that to all.

oh and I can confirm that my medium sized full-face helmet cannot fit into the underseat storage fully of the znen, its not quite deep enough though it is wide enough. [edit - can do it now after some judicous hacksawing - see later post]

Pac1982 · Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:31 pm

My opinions are going to come across as some what biased as I sell this particular scooter but the quality really is amazing defiantly one of the best finished bikes to come out of china in a long while.

The only parts that stand out as being Chinese are the glove box and the exhaust.

The glove box looks fine when closed but on the inside the plastic finish could be better and some improvements could have been made to the hinge mechanism, one quick fix for this would be to buy some felt to line the inside with.

There’s nothing actually wrong with the exhaust but one way I find to spot a Chinese bike is the typical mat black finish & chrome plate bolted to the side, a nice custom exhaust would do wonders I’m currently looking in to options for this.

Like you say most the chrome is actually plastic but even so it still looks stunning even under close inspection and should last longer than real chrome considering how much salt we have on our roads during the winter.

What really made the quality of this bike stand out for me was the switch gear, a lot of Chinese bikes have loose feeling switches and just don’t quite look as good as the some of the established brands out there, but on the Znen the switches are well placed and feel really well put together.

Even little things like the mirrors have had effort put in to them usually Chinese bikes share 1 of about 4 different designs of mirror but on the Znen they have nice lines and a body coloured insert in the centre almost defiantly designed for this bike.

The suspension gives a very smooth ride which is further aided by a very comfy sculpted saddle which is very nicely trimmed.

Engine sounds nice on idle and don’t create any rattling or unnecessary vibration what so ever, picks up speed nicely, I’ve had an indicated 60 so far but think it will do more once run in properly

echn111 · Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:04 pm

Nice looking bike. Shame that it cannot hold a full sized helment under the seat as this really makes it impractical if you wanted to use this to go to the shops/train station/etc... Can the bike hold any legal helmets? Any other reviews of this bike?

Pac1982 · Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:37 pm

You can put a helmet under the seat if your willing to leave your seat open, even when left unlocked it won’t let the rain in, there is also a helmet hook under the seat which can be used in dry weather

It also has the mounting points for a back box which could also hold your helmet.

bkmaracas · Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:59 pm

yep, the helmet does go in with a squeeze, just the seat would then rest on it raised and un-closed, so you could bodge a way of securing it in the semi-shut state,
I myself am hoping to find a way of storing it `on bike`, a topbox being one option, as lumping the helmet around lidl`s for example is not so hot.
[
UPDATE ON HELMET STORAGE] -
after staring at the storage compartment for sometime this eve looking for inspiration, decided to remove it to see the innards of the bike plus to see if there was more space available than the storage area gives you.
turns out my medium full face helmet would fit in with it removed... so comparing the plastic storage area part and the space it goes in, I chopped the back end/most of the plastic `bucket` off with a hacksaw, not very neatly but chopped it was - turns out they could have made it a tad bigger...
the carb cover I taped back in position to protect it, screwed everything else back together, popped the felt lining back in and woohoo the helmet fits vey snug and the seat closes just fine. needless to say I am pleased as a pleased person.
I will prob make up some cardboard of strong material to line the larger area so small items don`t end up in the engine or on the street. bit of a relief as faffing with carrying when out and about was a turn-off.
will piccify this if anyones curious.
so yes with some modifications a full face helmet will fit in the znen firenze 125.

-------
I have ridden mine for the first time today, was solid and responsive (I have changed the oil)
brakes seem effective and on good tarmac nice and smooth.
as a new experience I was too busy getting used to it all and paying attention to the road to say how the bike itself fared but was fine. seemed similar to go-karting (for the never scooted people), same sound and smell, just higher up, with mirrors, a twist accelerator, traffic, junctions... otherwise identical (?HMMmm)

I found I got an achy right hand from the twistin and going!, a bit unexpected - has anyone found this as a newbie/oldy? I also found I was sometimes having to release throttle and adjust grip after pulling away to get to a higher speed... is this a part of the scooting way or am I just being a school boy error merchant?!

by the way this was only a short test run on v. quiet roads to get a feel for it, before my cbt thursday...

bike did good. what other info are you looking for mr. more reviews requester? will help if I can.

hobbes22 · Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:37 pm

"I found I got an achy right hand from the twistin and going!, a bit unexpected - has anyone found this as a newbie/oldy? I also found I was sometimes having to release throttle and adjust grip after pulling away to get to a higher speed... is this a part of the scooting way or am I just being a school boy error merchant?! "

Yeah, I found this too, I did my cbt last week, although I am still waiting for my bike...... :cry: But yes, I got an achy hand and forearm after the 2 hours on the road. hopefully will get used to it..

bkmaracas · Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:15 am

worrying thing was this was after 5 minutes... perhaps down to the fact I am left handed, so thats my best wrist... cough-splutter! :shock:

best go.

px166bajaj · Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:11 am

bkmaracas wrote:
I found I got an achy right hand from the twistin and going!, a bit unexpected - has anyone found this as a newbie/oldy? I also found I was sometimes having to release throttle and adjust grip after pulling away to get to a higher speed... is this a part of the scooting way or am I just being a school boy error merchant?!

Get some of that grippy rubber "dashmat" from a Pound shop and wrap the grips with it. I found that my grips were too smooth the grip without holding them in a deathgrip to hold the throttle open. Adding the dashmat allows you to have a gentler grip. And it's softer and more comfortable.
One piece should do both grips.

PS, having to take a second hanful of throttle is normal.

bkmaracas · Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:45 pm

top tips indeed!

after a few more hours practice its not so bad but being smooth on the throttle is pretty important, may well try it. I`m all cbt`d up now and now wondering what inanimate objects near the places I want to go to I can chain the bike to!

ta

halley · Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:18 pm

px166bajaj wrote: I found that my grips were too smooth the grip without holding them in a deathgrip to hold the throttle open. ... PS, having to take a second hanful of throttle is normal.

Maybe my throttle grip's spring is not as strong as yours, but I can hold it smoothly at any point with just my fingers, no palm pressure at all. I could hold an egg with this much pressure. To get the second handful, I roll the throttle along my fingers and palm and get a new grip with my thumb (or vice versa).

The stuff you pictured is also sold to line kitchen drawers or shelves, in case you don't find it labeled or organized as "dash mat" in the store.

Yellow Scooter · Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:54 pm

I still say that bike would really set off with a nice set of chrome wheels. :D
A Leo Vince exhaust would look and sound good on it too. It's made with stainless steel and polished up.

bkmaracas · Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:56 pm

just thought I`d update after my first 100 miles on the firenze (or `Flo` as she has been named)

odometer currently says 162km - I filled up on 14, and have a 1/6 of tank left, so doing good on fuel indeed. basically 90 odd mpg so far....

I changed the oil first up and then the spark plug, all seems ok.

it rides well indeed, pretty comfy, bumpy roads make themselves known, seems the fronts shocks are quite stiff, tricky to move them with your own weight anyhow, but no problem there,
I seem to have no problem keeping up with traffic or pulling away, mostly tootling behind it to be fair, urban driving being a 20mph kind of average.

the top speed is the only thing bothering me a little bit (and I mean a tiny bit!), not had enough good road to really try it but 40 plus is reasonably achievable, but a runway may be required to do much more, which bums me a bit, but then it is a new engine and hopefully should loosen up a bit too. I'd hoped a 125 would be up to 50+ easy.
steep hill near me was ok kept up with the traffic, though mid 20`s was the speed.
I`d love a `kick down` option to give you more revs when required as auto everything just means you whack open the throttle and hope you start movin.

brakes are good, discs all round do help and it`s reassuring for sure.

as stated I hacked at the storage bucket to make room for full face helmet, and am looking into a topbox, though finding one for this model from chinese parts site is not fruitful yet.
-----

I managed to scratch the side panel yesterday moving the bike through a gate, leaving nice white plasticy scratches on the metallic black finish -

after swearing alot I tried (for some reason) some T-cut on the offending marks and after about an hour of vigorous rubbing and re-applying, the scratches were barely visible! I was v. relieved....

so thats a top tip to anyone who marks these plastic paint-like surfaces, t-cut does the business, if a little slowly.

hope thats of use t someone, I`ll no doubt be back to ask q`s when I pluck up courage to really tinker....

overall v. pleased with the bike, mpg for one is a major bonus.

funkymartyn · Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:52 pm

HI BK, well I'm thinking about getting one of these myself, hope to sort out my cbt test this week..question I have is, why did you have to change the oil and spark plug so soon ? is it not ok to just use it , till its time for the 1st service ? or did your seller rec it ? I'm thinking of getting some type of crome rear carrier if I buy this scooter... as I'm sure maybe a flat type may fix to the flat plate ? as not to mad about top box,s... bit girlie, ha. pm me if you like, as I'm always open to good tips you find, ill pm you also.ok.... I'm cut between this bike or the new Vespa.but this is around £2.600. AND THATS ALOT OF CASH I FEEL... incase I dont like it..um. thinking of the future , that I do get into it, and pass the other bike test, then I'd upgrade to the new vespa then, and even the 250 cc, etc. ..have you had any more speed out of it yet then ? and not just the 40 mpg ? as rob who posted the pics, says he had 60.?? nice chap he is by the way. stil I have to say that, as may be getting my 1st bike from him, ha. speak soon, martyn