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I bought a Suzuki EN-150 for my wife to commute daily. The bike is legally plated in Nanjing city (苏A).
Technically speaking, Suzuki's Japanese, so, would anyone be interested in an overview here? Does that open count as a Chinabike? (assembled somewhere in China, actually)
If yes, I could post a review with pics. If not - could as well delete the thread.
Opinions, please.
Hello Steve,
I would like to know more about the 150.
It seems that this might be the bike that all the police use here in Weifang.
If it is, then it should be quite reliable.
Gra
Hi Steve,
I should have looked at "Images" first.
The EN-150 is not what the police are using here in Weifang.
They do though ride Suzuki 150cc "some things"
They look good and low, and even my other half, would be able to put both feet down at a traffic light.
Not sure about the EN-150, that looks a little higher than the police bikes.
Gra.
Police bike "GZ150J" (Made by Qingqi- Suzuki which based in Shandong) ? EN is made by another group.
And the YBR 250 also comes in a police version here in Shanghai, although I have not yet seen one on the streets.
Hi Steve
I would definitely be interested.
Is this the new fuel injected 150? I think it is called the "Lightning"? Could be wrong with that name.
I saw a few Suzuki 150s at a dealer and they looked interesting. I'm kinda getting into these 125s to 250s. Perfect bikes for Chinese cities, and also capable on most roads outside the cities.
Cheers
That is the new fuel injected "Thunder".Quote:
Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou
I'll get to it on Monday-Tuesday then.
I think discussing any bike made in China is completely 100% on topic. It's cool to start with first impressions and keep posts going for a year or more. This is because with Chinese bikes quality or not seems to be the number one issue.Quote:
Technically speaking, Suzuki's Japanese, so, would anyone be interested in an overview here? Does that open count as a Chinabike? (assembled somewhere in China, actually)
Good suggestion!Quote:
Originally Posted by ZMC888
And just to make a liar of mself, I just saw one this morning!Quote:
Originally Posted by DipStick
That's what "Thunder" looks like!
Contrary to its name "Thunder" makes no sound. Whatsoever. A couple of times I though the bike went dead. Tacho showed otherwise.
Anyway...
1. Pricing:
I bought then bike from the official Suzuki dealer for 10800 yuan (if I remember it right).
Plates were 8500 yuan. Had no problem getting them.
Attachment 7793
2. Bodywork:
Everything looks fine. Welding, frame, paint job. Everything is up to the standard and the bike feels like a quality product. There certainly is that level of attention to detail that some bikes lack. For instance, the tank filler keyhole cover is laced with a minuscule rubber band just so it doesn't make any noise.
All the controls are where they should be. The quality of plastic parts is definitely better than that of my YaXiang LD 450's.
3. Equipment:
The bike is stock as you see it in the pictures. I haven't added/modded anything. The setup is regular: mirrors, luggage rack, nothing else. The bike comes equipped with very sharp and loud (but not annoying) horn. That's an important thing! The low/high beam headlamp is very bright and shines exactly where it should. No additional setup required. I feel safe and comfortable riding at night.
The bike has a very huge tank (that needs tone filled with #97, BTW) and that lasts forever. I refilled her, like, 3 times since I bought her and she's being ridden daily. The mileage according to the manual is 1.5 L per 100 KM. That does feel like it and is truly impressive, especially compared to my YaXiang, which I have to fill up once in 2 days. The small windscreen is not really very helpful, but it does deflect wind at speeds above 100 and is a welcome thing.
Attachment 7794
4. Ride:
It's as smooth as it can get. No sound, no vibration. In terms of comfort this must be one of the most comfortable bikes I've ridden. Baby likes it :) Very suitable for a girl to ride - my wife could operate it after 1.5 hour training. The ability to plant both feet on the ground when standing is certainly confidence inspiring.
The break-in period the shop mechanic set was 600 km. Must be broken in by now, then. In the very beginning gear shifting was kinda rough. Especially between the 1-st and 2-nd gear. Feels way better now. Had the clutch cable freeplay adjusted at the shop twice. The stock setup makes it engage by the end of the swing, didn't feel comfortable to me at all.
The pickup, well... there's no pickup. Or so I feel. This is definitely not a sport bike. It accelerates smoothly to its 100 something km/h and cruises comfortably at that speed. Sure, the bike can go faster but I felt no need to push the engine over its limit. 6-speed gearbox and small rear sprocket make it a nice small commuter. Actually, I noticed myself riding in the 3-rd gear in town without any need/desire to up/downshift. Feels more like a scooter than a bike.
Probably I could de-restrict the bike using a straight flow exhaust and resetting ECU somehow (yes, that thing is fuel-injected), but since it's a bike for my wife I don't think doing that would be a good idea.
Very nimble in corners, handles well and the adjustable rear shocks are great. The front fork is a bit...thin. I know it's enough for a 150, but still I'd want something beefier :)
The riding position is very comfortable and relaxed. The panel is easily read and even has a gear indicator. I think that's very helpful for the beginning riders. The thing redlines at 10K RPM and has no power beyond that even though the tacho is gauged to 12K. The useful power band is between 7K to 10K I'd say. You can ride it lower and it'll be very forgiving and will never cut off in the wrong gear. But if you want to have that "real-bike-not-a-scooter" feeling, you'd better ride her close to redline.
Pillion feels very good. The bike is small. I mean, very small. Still the place for the 2-up is more than enough and when I took my wife on a trip around Nanjing city she felt OK and said it was way better than any other bike I had owned except for a Honda Supermagna 750:)
5. Design:
Naturally, it's a scaled down street bike with some lovely fairing. I like it in blue, my wife likes it in blue. I think it'd look more beautiful in white with a red/black frame, but the shop had no other color options. I think I saw it in grey on some website, blue looks better still. My friends who are all into big bikes totally love this small Suzuki's design and believe it's an ideal city bike.
Attachment 7795
6. Cons:
1) 10800 yuan seems a little bit too high for a bike like that.
2) I'd be happy to see disc brakes front AND rear. Still the rear drum is quite effective.
3) Too underpowered for me, but perfect for my wife.
More details to follow as the bike's being used.
Hi Steve, "thunder" name is taking from Suzuki Indonesia which is Suzuki EN125 and call it here Suzuki Thunder 125....:D
this is the link : http://www.suzuki.co.id/pdf/brochure_thunder.pdf
OK, got it!Quote:
Originally Posted by shadow
OK, it's 700km on the clock and I had the Suzuki dealer at HuJu Road do the basic maintenance. They changed the coil, fine-tuned the clutch lever and lubricated the chain for free. Marked it in the service manual and said the next maintenance has to be done with 1200 km on the clock.
Good service, fast and professional. The personnel were welcome and forthcoming.
Bike is OK so far.
2 days ago the bike's ignition/steering lock had a problem. Electrics would cut off and the bike was dead. In the shop they said it was a minor problem and they'd change the lock for free on warranty. So they did. Good service, fast, 0 yuan paid.
Good job Suzuki Nanjing!
Attachment 7796
I've got the EN150-J, the cop version. There are a few minor differences in the bike but I think were both basically dealing with the same thing.
I've got a buzzing under the take someplace that I've looked for but I can't find. Otherwise the bike is running great.
We've been riding around two up for a week or so. (not really on a trip, just around Dalian) On a straight it can cruse at a 100/kmh two up with some gear (30kg worth?) and a *bit* extra throttle to spare. I haven't pushed it because that's as fast as I want to go anyhow.
The saddle bags on the cop version are small, almost impractically small. The one grace is that the racks they have will allow you to easily strap things in top of them with bungee nets. When I've packed much gear the tent and sleeping bags (in a waterproof stuff sack) went on top of either bag, giving me room in the bags.
Glad to see someone else has one of these, even if it is your wife! ;p
I know EN 150, it's the faired one. EN 150-A has no front fairing. Haven't heard of EN 150-J.
Pics please!!!
How did you manage to register the cop version? I thought the cop bikes were for cops only, like, you need to show the shop your cop license or something to purchase one...
It does go 100 plus and handles very well.
Do you have FI or is it a carburetted version? How much did you pay for it?
As for that buzzing, I think it could be the front brake pads. My front brake was screeching for about a thousand KM and then it disappeared. Could you probably identify the place where the noise comes from? It'd be a lot more helpful.
Cheers,
Ride safe!
OK, I know the thread has been dead and all, but still.
I removed the bags from my wife's Suzuki. 2 reasons: a) one of the bags developed a fist-size hole in the corner and thusly can no longer be considered waterproof. b) ill fit. Obviously, the bags weren't crafted specifically for EN-150, which means they impacted the rear blinkers and, well, rear right blinker housing snapped and the blinker is hanging down Chinese cabbage bike-style.
Anyways, I'm looking for a decent topbox to fit on the bike. The bike itself is pretty small, so the topbox should aesthetically fit (that is, dimension-wise, it shouldn't look massive). Besides, I need a good quality one. I mean something that would last me as long as possible.
If anybody is reading this, do you have any suggestions?
Taobao links are much appreciated :)
I'd stick to the side bags and dislocate blinkers, and maybe fit some cargo rack with pannier mounts.
Top case irresistibly invites you to finish him with a decisive "mawashi geri".
:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Zorge
I threw the bags away already. Besides I never had a bike with a topbox, want to try!
Looks the kind of bike the unofficial motorbike taxis here are using in Shanghai, camping beside subway exit all around the city. If you drive that kind of bike here you might have some people hail at you ;)
Indeed :) I'd probably give them a lift, though!Quote:
Originally Posted by Topmanda
It's all about the insides: Japanese build, EFI, 6-speed gearbox, you know, more than meets the eye (c)
Right, so after a very short search I purchased a "Yonghe" topbox from taobao for about 150 yuan.
It went on nicely, straightforward bolt-on installation.
Attachment 12290
Attachment 12291
Hahah, well I've been afk for a while guys. I've been back in the states for almost a year.
Steve, the EN-150 looks nice in blue! Sorry I can't attach a picture of mine. Seems like my previous uploads aren't available any more. I'll look into it.
I got the cop version registered by just having them remove the sirens and the light pillar. There didn't seem to be any other limitations. It sure did look like a cop bike still. In fact I think they also scrapped off some reflective stripes too. It was FI and ran like a top. The vibration wasn't from the forks I'm almost sure. It sounded just like the gas cap was loose and I think (but doubt) that it could have been the fuel pump which I think was mounted in the tank.
Otherwise, and not the thread jack, but I've just got myself a new R75/5. This is it with the solo seat and with bench seat and bags.
Attachment 13235Attachment 13236
Nice bike, Maux!
How much was that???
Lent my EN-150 to a friend for a brief ride to XiXia Mountain (Nanjing). The dude crashed it into a pit. Front forks, wheel axis, headlight assembly needed replacement. I got the parts from taobao and had them replaced in the local bike shop, where I work on all of my bikes.
The bike is back and runs alright, I still have a feeling that the handling changed slightly, but I can not pinpoint, WHAT changed about the handling. All the parts are original, stock.
Well, turns out, Suzuki is 2 years old. Time does fly... I took it for the yearly check last week, and the following is how the process went and my impressions on it.
First of all, I'm very happy I didn't have to queue for a couple of days, like it usually is with most bureaucratic places. It was less than half an hour all in all. 80 yuan is a decent price as well, I believe.
First, they checked the brakes (front and rear).
Attachment 15085
Next was wheel alignment (or so I was told).
Attachment 15086
Then they checked the headlight (low beam / high beam)
Attachment 15087
And the last one was CO (exhaust gas measurement), of which I have no picture because I believe sticking a huge probe up the bike's exhaust pipe is a somewhat private thing.
What they didn't check: blinkers, instruments, suspension - my wild guess: a decent Chinese bike doesn't need all that in decent Chinese traffic.
Now I got a "check-up paper" for the next 2 years. Hip-Hip Hooray!
Sold my Suzuki to my mechanic today. Hope he has good experience with it!