NEW 2012 SYM Wolf SB250Ni

[Jaws]

I have been off a motorcycle for sometime now, but I have recently been looking at getting back into it again... I am still on my learners so only looking at bikes 250 and under... I am considering the many options that are currently available in NZ when I came across this bike on the Motorad website!

http://www.motorad.co.nz/motorcycles/2012-sym-wolf-sb250ni

I have searched the boards/forums but haven't seen any posts about this bike... so was wondering what ya'll thought or knew about this bike?

[Sable]

If there's nothing known about it I would avoid it for the time being. Might I suggest going second hand and picking something up with decent performance and far less depreciation?

[sil3nt]

A 6 grand ninja/hyosung will be much better.

Hell even a 4 grand zxr/cbr (inline 4) would probably be more reliable...

[Oblivion]

It looks like the new Honda Hornet

[Jaws]

I should have said that I am well aware of the quality of both the K Ninja and Hyo's. But I was more interested to know if anyone knew anything about the SYM? Always good to consider your options and do some research before taking the leap... Also a Hyo is out of the questions for me as I am a short/light guy... feet probobly wouldn't touch the ground easily! :laugh:

[wind_glider]

Hey mate I'm a Kiwi Asian that arrived in NZ back in 1993...I am from the country of which the brand of the bike belongs to, and that is Taiwan. The two largest motor vehicle companies ever to emerge into dominance in Taiwan is Kymco and SYM. I can tell you right off the bat that these two brands and the motors on their bikes are by far much much more reliable than that of Chinese brands. You know they're up to scratch if European countries such as France orders 3000 of Kymco's scooters for their government-run post office ( http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20111127000083&cid=1102 ) In short, the latest SYM Wolf is an upgrade from its predecessor known as SYM Wolf Classic 125 (big big difference between these two bikes because the Classic was developed decades ago). A big surprise to some is that Honda uses motors made by SYM and Kymco (google it :) for their bikes so basically you can trust that the engine will deliver for these two brands. However, the only part that prevents SYM and Kymco from moving into the big four (Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha) is mainly in the designs and materials used on the bike which will be a level lower than them. For a bike that costs 6 grand brand-new (5 grand in Taiwan, goodness knows why it's 6 grand here) ..maybe not for your first bike... try a second hand bike like what the others have said...hope this helps :)

[Tigadee]

From Wikipedia: "SYM Sanyang Industry Co., Ltd. was founded in Taipei in 1954 by Huang Ji-Jun and Chang Kuo An. The company's headquarters is established in Hsinchu, Taiwan and SYM's three major production bases are in Taiwan, China and Vietnam. The company manufactures and sells scooters, motorcycles and ATVs under the SYM brand. Since the beginning, the company has produced 8.9 million scooters and motorcycles (and should have reached 9 million units in August 2005). The company reported a global turnover of 500 million euros in 2004. Today, the annual sales revenue of the company exceeds 1 Billion US dollars and it produces more than 600,000 units of motorcycles and 20,000 automobiles per year. SYM currently employs more than 2,000 people in its manufacturing plants.

The parent trading company, Ching Feng Hang, was founded in 1947 and imported their first motorcycles (BSAs) in 1949. In 1954 Sanyang Electrics (with four employees) was formed, restructured into Sanyang Industrial Co. Ltd. in 1961. In 1962 they formed a joint venture with Honda to begin local assembly of motorcycles, the first motorcycle manufacturer in Taiwan (30% local content). In 1969, assembly of small Honda cars (N600, TN360) began. As Sanyang's own motorcycles entered direct competition with Honda's products worldwide, the relationship was terminated in January 2002 and Honda began building cars themselves as Honda Taiwan Co. Ltd. Sanyang instead signed a contract with Hyundai and currently assembles much of their lineup for the domestic Taiwanese market."

Says a lot if Honda felt threatened by them that they terminated their business relationship...

[Tigadee]

However, the only part that prevents SYM and Kymco from moving into the big four (Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha) is mainly in the designs and materials used on the bike which will be a level lower than them.

BUT better designs and materials than mainland Chinese and on par with Korean offerings... :yes: Certainly with engines like that, the Syms and Kymcos have no problems in terms of reliability.

[The Baron]

We had a SYM GTS250 maxi scoot. We loved it. I would have another SYM tomorrow.

[Jaws]

Thanks for all that info on SYM "Wind_Glider" Certainly gives me something to think about it!

[grbaker]

Wow.. looks like a Suzuki GSR600.. look close and it has a little paralle twin like a CB250R.

What some say re caution are new asain motorcycles is true, you need to consider their unknow reliability factor & how well are they supported in this country.

That said the price of their bikes vs the 4 big Japanese brands is an obvious attraction. I still struggle to understand how a Kawasaki 250 can cost nearly 8 grand.... or the Kawa W800 is nearly 17K... and don't get me started on the big bore Honda or Yamaha models.

I hope to see better and better bikes from the Asain compaines that challenge the Japanese in terms of price/perfromance. He'll maybe we will see them in the SBK races ...

Most important: Test ride it and be happy with it before you consider the price. At 6k new that bike 'looks' pretty fit.

[Tigadee]

What some say re caution are new asain motorcycles is true, you need to consider their unknow reliability factor & how well are they supported in this country.

In terms of reliability, most if not all are actually very good. All their engines and most bodies are based on established Japanese designs like the Honda Rebel and Yamaha Virago, plus some Suzuki GN and EN designs thrown in, made by Taiwanese companies like Sym and Kymco, Hyosung (Korea) and Huonao/Arrow (mainland China), and even India (Kinetic, partnered with Suzuki/Hyosung, I think).

Looking around the UK China bikes forum, all owners are very happy with their bikes, with only the normal rate of problems as with any other brands, including Jap bikes. Only complaints are the lower quality of materials for the bodies (e.g. chrome) which corrode faster unless regularly maintained. In terms of engines, most if not all are very reliable since they're based on venerable Japanese designs.

The main problem for Kiwis is what you mentioned - support in this country. Hyosung is not a problem, obviously, but the rest - bar the established scooter-based agents - have few representatives in NZ. Parts are mostly cheap though and even interchangeable if you know which Japanese bikes they are copied from, so 2nd hand models are not a bad option to consider.

[baffa]

Looks like a great little bike with fantastic specs for the money, as long as you dont mind fairly average straight line performance.
18.4kw is just shy of 25hp. Most 250s will weigh the same, if not slightly less, and put out 25-35hp. Only a small grizzle though.

Keep in mind this year the license rules will change, so your average run of the mill 250 is likely to devalue.
I'd suggest getting a $3K Hornet, VTR, CBR, Bandit or similiar, and use the money you've saved to upgrade when you get your full.

[haydes55]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/scooters/auction-441905563.htm


Equipped with 250cc 4V liquid engine

Very modern technology!:laugh:

[quickbuck]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/scooters/auction-441905563.htm



Very modern technology!:laugh:

VERY Advanced.... ;)
Liquid engine indeed....

Would say we are going to see many more of these on the streets though..
By the way, has anybody noticed where the Ninja 250R's are made??