Road Test Vmoto Monaco 125 The Vmoto Monaco is one of the best selling 125's in Australia, with good reason. Brendon The Vmoto Monaco is one of the best selling 125's in Australia, with good reason. An attractive scooter with sports styling fitted with 12" alloy wheels, 6.5 ltr fuel tank, alarm/immobilser, remote start and underseat storage.
The 125cc four stroke engine produces 6.4kw of power which is just above average for its class, one noticable item is weight. At only 102kg which is around 10kg less than average giving it one of the best power to weight ratios in its class. They get up to 90km/h (speedo indicated) pretty quickly and are happy to cruise at that all day. Flat out on a Monaco in around 100-105km/h (Flat road, no tailwinds).
The Monaco is fitted with a good size disc front brake and a drum rear. Despite the sticker on the front guard they do not posses ABS brakes. The stopping power is very good for the class and its quite an easy scooter to throw around corners.
Ergonomics are good with all controls at easy reach, the seating position comfortable with room to adjust your riding position. There is room for a passenger and like all 125's how much room depends on the size of the rider. The Monaco is happy to carry a pillion and if you adjust the rear shock to suit will happily carry two without fuss. Underseat storage is good with room for some full face and most open face helmets.
As one of Australia's biggest selling 125's parts are easily obtained and are very inexpensive. If you damage a body panel it's is cheaper to get a new colour matched one than repair the old one. It is also a low risk category insurance wise making it cheap and easy to insure. Servicing intervals are class average at every 4,000 kms and adhering to this schedule will ensure it lasts you a long time.
We have done quite a few kilometres on Monaco's, we've also hotted a few up and with the benefit of this experience we know all the good and bad points of this particular scoot. So what goes wrong with Monaco's? Nothing really, provided you check the oil level every now and again and keep it serviced they will serve you well. The good thing about a Monaco is they are very easy to improve, as a budget scoot some of the standard items could be better such as the tyres. The standard tyres have quite large tread blocks which make the bike feel rough. Fit a set of good tyres when the standard ones wear and you'll think your on a different scoot. Same with fork oil, brake fluid etc. Most of the items that I am mentioning are wear and tear items and will end up being replaced via normal servicing so your Monaco will get better with age.
A key attraction of a Monaco is its sports styling and all the extras you get for the money, alloy wheels, Alarm immobiliser, remote start, adjustable rear shock, top box. With its recently announced price drop from $2990 +orc to an unbelievable $2,399 +orc makes it an excellent proposition for the money. What else is there out there in the price bracket? Indian built Honda Lead 100 with drum brakes and Piaggio Zip 100 with only 4.2kw of power (Monaco 6.4kw). While he other two scoots are "premium brands" the just don't stack up well aginst the Monaco for features and value for money.
The Monaco is backed with a 12 month, return to dealer, unlimited km warranty. The Monaco is a reliable and cheap way to get onto a 125cc scooter.
published 8/02/2007 |