2007 Honda FES125 Pantheon
Summary:
A fine commuting scooter in the Honda tradition
Faults:
Damaged (weak) sump drain plug prevented home oil change.
General Comments:
This is my first bike in 30 years, and is effective as cheap transport and to avoid parking problems. The onboard storage capacity is good, performance as good as I need, and nothing has actually failed on me. Fuel consumption (not measured in detail) appears to be close to 100 MPG on mixed lengths of journey. The engine burns a little oil, but nothing that seems excessive. The absence of a kick start once caused some embarrassment.
I cruise at 55 mph, can keep up on 60 mph roads, but motorways at 70 mph are asking a lot of the engine. The transmission offers impressive engine braking, keeping brake usage light. Brakes are powerful, and surprised the MoT engineer.
In our district, road surfaces cannot be seen as bike-friendly and my FES125 hates potholes, repair lines in the tarmac, white lines, and any kind of surface discontinuity on roundabouts, which leave me feeling very uncertain. I may have more to learn about handling a CVT bike through roundabouts, where changes in effective gear ratio seem to upset a chosen line.
This machine is not comfortable or powerful enough to be a long-distance cruiser, although decent road surfaces make a dramatic difference to both comfort and safety.
If I had one complaint, it would be that the main beam warning light is far too bright: I fixed this with a piece of gaffer tape.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 6th January, 2016
5th Dec 2009, 09:57
0-60 in less than 7 seconds is not true at all.