Review: Kymco Venox 250
Remember how we laughed at the Japanese when they came along with their first wave of motorcycles and badly worded press releases? Now the Taiwanese are up to it as well. Building proper motorcycles, and fracturing the Queen’s English, that is. A Web-based press release from the Taiwanese Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) assures us that the development of a 250cc twin-cylinder engine “heralds a new ear [sic] for Taiwan’s motorcycle industry”.
Taiwan is no newcomer to two- wheeled transport, producing around 1,2-million scooters a year. Problem is, until recently, legislation limited engine capacity to 150cc for machines intended for the domestic market, so Taiwanese products fell somewhere short of the “yippee” mark on the adrenaline scale. But four years ago, pending the entry of their country into the World Trade Organisation, the Taiwanese government commissioned ITRI to develop a twin-cylinder 250cc Vee-twin for export to European markets.
ITRI got together with scooter manufacturer Kymco and the fruit of their efforts is the Kymco Venox 250. I don’t know where the name comes from or what it means, but whoever chose it demonstrated unusual restraint. Other Kymco models include Dink, Heroism, Bet & Win, Top Boy, Zing, Grand King and New Filly, so the temptation to go overboard must have been immense when names were being bandied about.
The Venox is an eye catcher, and a big machine. During the time we had it numerous interested bystanders came across to ask where it came from, and what size engine it had. There’s no badge anywhere on the bike to state what capacity it is, so serious posers could safely get away with claiming an extra 800cc or so. Of course, the game would be up when the show got on the road, because 250ccs have to be revved pretty hard to get 178kg of bike plus the weight of the rider moving.
A look at the specifications reveals that appearances can be deceptive. Although much chunkier than its half-sized sibling, the Hipster 125, the Venox weighs just 19,5kg more, and is 125mm lower and 160mm narrower to boot. Overall length is just 50mm greater, and stability consequently better. After spending some time on both we found the 250cc cruiser to impart much more of a big-bike feel.
As 250cc four-stroke engines go the Taiwanese engine is pretty exemplary. With two overhead camshafts a cylinder and an 11,2:1 compression ratio the little liquid-cooled V-twin churns out a claimed 20kW at 10 000rpm, and 20,5Nm torque at 8 000. This means that it doesn’t plod along at one revolution a city block as a Harley Davidson does, but when its neck’s being wrung it’s capable of reasonably brisk performance. Vibration is really non-existent, and the bike has one of the slickest shifting five-speed gearboxes we’ve encountered upon any motorcycle ever. Bar none. Top speed is between 130kph and 140kph, and acceleration is good enough to keep you ahead of the traffic. We suspect that a decent set of pipes would not only amplify the beautiful exhaust note, but would also liberate a few more horses from the little mill. The brakes — disc up front, drum at the rear — were good, but not as good as those of the 125cc Hipster.
The Kymco Venox 250 really does herald a new era for the Taiwanese motorcycle industry. It’s a real motorcycle and it feels like one.
It’s well built and stylish, and could quite easily have come from any of the Japanese big four manufacturers. At R31 999 it may not set the road on fire, but it offers good manners and a real-bike feel at an affordable price.