SYM Symba

Sym Symba 100cc, 2013. Fun, Pickup and Delivery, Postmans Workhorse – Good little 4 stroke scooter for around town speed limits. It will keep up in 60kmh zones and if pressed it will wind out to 80km/hr. Rides well over bumps, good handling, a little buzzy over 50km/hr. The engine layout of this scooter is a little different from the majority of scooters in that the engine is bolted to the bike frame, whereas the engine of most scooters is attached to the trailing suspension arm driving the rear wheel. When the engine is bolted to the frame it usually makes for better weight distribution and good handling.

So this scooter is more of a step-thru motor bike than it is a scooter, making it easier to get on and off than many bikes. The advantage of this design, much like the Honda Cub, is that it is relatively easy to remove the pillion seat and have a large level load space suitable for a large range of carry boxes. This is not always possible with many modern scooter designs because the petrol tank is under the pillion seat and the seat has to be lifted to top up with fuel.

There are some things that may cause difficulty for new riders but they can be easily overcome. This bike has a gear shift with an automatic clutch so it needs a little practice. It has a lot of torque in 1st gear and tends to leap forward as soon as the clutch engages, however the other gears are very flexible at low speeds. These characteristics are typical of the work horse bike where first gear is devoted to moving off with a heavy load, but not a lot of acceleration is attained, that comes later.

Sometimes people buy this bike second hand and don't get the benefit of the instruction book, so these are the basics about the gear change. Push down on the back part of the gear lever to change up, Push down of the front part of the lever to change down. A green light on the speedo will indicate when the bike is in neutral. There are Four gears. To change gear it is necessary to use the throttle to drop the engine speed for one second or less just before the change. This sudden drop in engine speed or low engine speed, operates the automatic clutch, The automatic clutch is not operated by the gear lever.

If the heel/toe gear change lever is uncomfortable it can be easily removed from the spline and refitted at a different angle. My personal adjustments involved changing the angle of the lever and also clamping a heel pad to the lever to increase the size of the contact area squared, from about 3 cm to 5cm. Starting off, the first and second gears are very low range so one can go up to second gear almost right away, but coming down through the gears its best to wait until the bike is almost stopped before engaging first and second.

The bike will roll up to the traffic lights and stop without any change down being necessary, provided the throttle is against the stop and the bike is at its proper idle speed. Then figure out the number of clicks to get back to first. One must always be aware that the auto clutch operates by engine speed. It is called a centrifugal clutch. An example of auto clutch quirks is demonstrated when the traffic flow puts the rider at a constant speed 50km/h in third gear. It may take more than just flicking the revs down on the throttle to get the auto clutch to engage and allow changing up to 4th.

Slowing down and then accelerating again will do the trick, if the traffic flow will allow it. The long travel gear change and my personal riding position makes it better for me to use a heel-heel method for changing gears rather than a heel-toe method.

There have been some cases of the engine suddenly cutting out and then being able to restart soon afterwards. Most of these have been traced to problems with the canister that absorbs fuel vapour from the fuel tank. If the bike is stalling a handy test is to disconnect the fuel tank breather line at the canister and see if it makes a difference. Failing this, check the breather line for blockage or pinching, also avoid overfilling the fuel tank. This would appear to be an add on system for countries that require air pollution control equipment.

The fuel tank has a large outside hole and a small inside hole, make sure the fuel filler hose nozzle, goes right to the inside hole and there is no accumulation of fuel at the top of the tank. Also the filler cap on this bike is the type that must make a seal with the tank, so make sure there are no air leaks. This system needs to be working right to get a good reliable idle speed. In general, a strong steady low idle speed and adjustment of the auto clutch to allow some coasting ability without dragging the engine along, are central to the proper operation of this bike.

Some people have a problem getting the right amount fuel into the tank. I had trouble with this until I got to know the fuel capacity. The fuel gauge has five lights, when it is down at two lights I go to the service station with a $2 coin. On the browser there is a selection for automatic feed and the smallest amount is 1$, so I press it twice and get two dollars of Caltex 98 premium, that takes it up to four lights, sometimes five but it gets the job done quickly for me without overfilling. These are prices and capacity for North Queensland Australia with the bike sitting level on the rear stand. Its just a matter of working out a system that suits the prices and capacity in your area.

The bike has no storage space fitted, but the pillion seat can be easily removed and a rear box of your own design can be added, or factory made extended cargo rack, front basket, or panniers. I have recently fitted a 60 litre Tactix light carry box from Bunnings hardware. The long tall rectangular shape of the box gives large carrying capacity without looking bulky. The 60 litre box is just wide enough for a large helmet. A rectangular carry box with a lid that opens forward is a big advantage, because when it is opened forward it can be supported underneath by a flipped up seat or the handle bars. This provides an ideal sorting area for the carry box goods.

The bike has a green indicator light on the speedometer to show when the blinkers are flashing and also an audio signal. In strong sunlight the indicator light cannot be seen and the audio signal diminishes with age. The blinkers are held in position with a locating spigot but the rubber base is flexible enough to by pass the spigot and set the flashing lights pointing a little upwards. This is an extremely useful modification and safety issue as the blinkers are not self cancelling and can accidentally left on, if the rider can not see them flashing. I have ridden the bike every day for three years so I am not writing about something I have not experienced.

If you live in Queensland, the licence requirements can cause some difficulty as it is above 50cc. The supervisory provisions for learners with a car license, seem excessive and can lead to inconsistencies going from a 50cc bike to 100cc. For example, a person with a Qld car license can have approval and a couple of years experience riding a 50cc bike, but to go to a 100cc bike like the little Symba, there is a written test and L plates required and the rider is supposed to be supervised every time they take the Symba on the road, this is the approved drill until such time as they get the LAM license. It is little wonder that many riders will opt for one of the larger LAM approved bikes, that can go up to approximately 600cc, but if cheap running is a big issue and the roads are only 60-70kph limit, the Symba is hard to beat.

The bike favours shorter riders as tall riders may find themselves sitting on the metal hand grip in front of the pillion seat. The hand grip can be padded or a full length seat can be purchased, bearing in mind that the whole seat has to swing open to provide access to the fuel tank.

To purchase the bike new, on the road with a choice of colour, it is well into the $3000-4000 range which is expensive, considering the basic technology and the effort changing gears in traffic compared to a fully auto bike. Depends if you want zip and large cargo capacity, or comfort and simplicity. Nice ride, quiet, adaptable to carry items that are normally inconvenient on a scooter. Have to change gears. Licence requirements. Getting well into the $3000-$4000 price range, new and registered and choice of colour.

Good bike around town and in parks. Easy and fun to ride. Economical. Reliable. Fun! Fun! Fun! – Same wonderful experiences as my Honda Cub 65 of 1970 in Malaysia. Even the same blue colour. Easy to ride on city streets and does well on parks and state forests. Very stable at city limit speeds of 50 and 60 kph but would not recommend exceeding 70 kph. The Symba 100 is designed for basic transportation and fun riding. Had only managed maximum of $4 in fuel per top up. The engine loosened up after 500 km. Love the Cub. Fun and reliable. Lack of power but what can we expect from an engine of 101 cc.