SYM Citicom 300i

South Africa is big-bike territory. For whatever reasons, local bikers seem to equate engine capacity with riding abilities (and by extension, manliness).

Midsize bikes, it would seem, are for wimps, scooters for women. If my assessment is true, it’s a sad state of affairs because it means many riders miss out on the practicality and fun of a scooters simply because they seem to feel it is “beneath them”.

Part of the reason, I think, is because the word “scooter” evokes mental images of woefully underpowered 125cc machines of questionable quality. True, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda have powerful, well-made maxi scooters in their line-ups, but they cost almost the same as (and in some cases, more than) conventional midsize bikes.

Fortunately, while the quality of the cheaper Chinese scooters is suspect, the likes of Kymco, PGO and SYM offer scooters of excellent quality at very reasonable prices.

The subject of this review, SYM’s Citycom 300i, is a case in point. With performance that allows it to keep up easily with highway traffic and build quality comparable to that of the Japanese Big Four, the Citycom is a great choice if you need a highway-capable commuter that will last longer than the battery in your cell phone.

Although a somewhat little-known name in South Africa, SYM (short for SanYang Motors) has been in existence since 1954. The Taiwanese company has produced close on 10-million scooters and motorcycles and employs more than 2000 people in its plants. SYM bikes are supplied and supported locally by Suzuki SA, which means you have the peace of mind of having a reliable source of spares and support when you buy one.

The Citycom is an attractive machine. With its 16″ wheels and shortish wheelbase, it looks a bit like an upscaled version of the Honda Deputy (or its myriad clones, such as the now-defunct Vuka Scuta’s XL110). Two large (and very effective) headlights dominate the frontal aspect, with a black fairing insert sweeping up to the handlebar-mounted screen.

The tall stance of the bike makes it look even shorter and its 800mm seat height could prove a challenge for very short riders.

Like most scooters, the Citycom has lots of luggage space in the form of a wide underseat luggage hold and a lockable cubbyhole. The former is unfortunately too shallow for a full-face helmet but it swallows a surprising amount of shopping and/or riding gear.

As with many larger scooters, the Citycom’s fuel tank is in the central tunnel (presumably to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible). Despite this, the foot wells are more than big enough to accommodate even my size-11 boots.

The tall seat is a blessing in traffic, allowing you to see over the average car. So are the big wheels – the Citycom corners confidently and shrugs off most of the bumps in the road. Unfortunately, it feels a tad twitchy at speed – I suspect the culprit to be the handlebar-mounted screen transmitting wind buffeting to the front wheel.

Despite its designation, the Citycom’s engine capacity is not 300cc but rather 262.8cc (a 250 designation would perhaps have been more accurate). However the “missing” 37.8cc has little effect on the bike’s performance – it can run at the national speed limit on all but the steepest of inclines. This, coupled with the frugal fuel consumption typical of bikes of this engine capacity, makes it a convenient, quick and economical means of either getting to work or zipping to the local mall for a quick shopping errand.

During the week I spent with the Citycom, there was very little about the bike that I would criticise – in fact, I was fairly reluctant to return it to Suzuki SA.

Light, nippy and responsive, the Citycom is pretty much everything I would look for in a sensible commuter.