SYM Citycom 300i compared with Hyosung MS3 250
Andrew Meeson for the Toronto Star
The SYM Citycom 300i scooter.
It isn't difficult to spot the difference between the Hyosung MS3 250 and SYM Citycom300i – just look at their footboards.
Though both new-for-2009 scooters have roughly the same size engines (MS3's being 249 cc and the Citycom's 263 cc), as well as fuel injection and continuously variable transmissions, one is aimed at the pocketbook and the other at the heart.
At $5,895, the SYM's overall fit and finish shows an attention to quality in manufacture that you find in the best scooters. Its footboards have tight tolerances with no gaps showing.
The $4,995 Hyosung, meanwhile, has gaps and ripples where its pieces fit together, especially around the floorboard and fairing. All the parts are there, but their whole is definitely less than their sum.
More worrying, during my brief test of the MS3, a minor split in its side fairing grew very quickly into a major split.
I was told the damage happened during shipping, not riding, and so I'd agreed to not to let the small split colour my view of the whole bike.
But within the space of 20 kilometres of riding, that minor crack spread to the floorboard above, leaving me with a bike with a floppy piece of footboard.
It could have been simple flexing or vibration of the bike at highway speeds, or it may have been a flaw in the manufacturing. It was not dangerous, but it did give me pause.
If you're spending five grand on a two-wheeler, you'd like to think it was made to withstand the stresses and strains of a GTA highway.
In their performance, the two bikes were surprisingly similar. On in-town streets, both felt nimble and sure-footed during cornering. At faster highway speeds, the Citycom was clearly more stable, largely due to its 16-inch wheels, but the Hyosung felt surprisingly secure despite its 14-inch wheels.
Once at highway speed, the windscreen on both proved tall enough to protect the rider from excessive buffeting – unlike many scooters of a similar size, such as the Kymco Frost 200i.
Both bikes have clear instrumentation with the analogue speedometer big and easy-to-read – just as it should be. The MS3's is about as basic as it gets, while the Citycom's had the added attraction of glowing a cool blue at night.
Both are big enough to seat two-up (with a helpful, stubby backrest for the pillion rider on the MS3). Yet both bikes are still narrow enough that even shorter riders can touch the ground without straining.
The MS3 clearly takes the prize for storage. Under the seat, there's enough room for a full-face helmet and then some. The Citycom is hampered by its larger wheels – its space is relatively shallow.
Even here, though, you can't help but notice the differences. The MS3 hinge looks flimsy, like it's sure to break under normal use. Not so with the more robust Citycom. Closing the seat is a fiddle with the MS3 because the seat doesn't always line up with the latch.
Even the tail lights had condensation inside, which made me wonder about the quality of the lights themselves.
Filling up the MS3's tank was also a lesson in poor workmanship. A soft rubber O-ring that separated the hard plastic gas spigot from the instrument panel was loose and kept pulling out when I pulled off the gas cap.
Also, no matter how gently I pulled the trigger on the gas nozzle, I got a lot of backsplash up the spout and onto the ground.
Both bikes accelerated quickly enough, but the MS3's throttle had so much play in it that gripping it tightly with your right hand was no guarantee that you'd be able to keep control of the bike.
A satisfying growl at full throttle on the MS3 turned out to really chug at a more sedate pace on neighbourhood roads.
A lot of this is the nature of the single-cylinder engine found in many scooters, but there are degrees and this is one of the gruffest ones.
But here's the bottom line.
The SYM Citycom costs $900 more than the Hyosung MS3. That might not seem like much, but it is 18 per cent more. Put another way: if gas costs about $1 a litre, then it's 900 litres of gas or about 45,000 kilometres of riding.
Depending on your commute, that's probably enough for a lifetime of scootering.
At this price range, Honda's $4,999 SH150i or Kymco's $4,700 Frost 200i have smaller, less powerful engines but far better build quality.
The $5,595 Vespa S also has a much better build quality and a classic design.
In these cases, though, you'd be a lot less happy about taking the Gardiner or DVP as a commuting option.
Both the Citycom and MS3 come with two-year warranties, but wouldn't you rather have a bike where you wouldn't have to rely on that coverage?
It depends on how much fit and finish – and the peace of mind that goes with it – is worth to you.
Andrew Meeson is Wheels' scooter commuter. He can be reached atameeson@thestar.ca
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