Make friends with Firenze

TO KNOW just how quickly the Chinese and Taiwanese motorcycle makers are catching the Japanese, you only need to look at the Bolwell Firenze.

Here is a 250cc four-stroke scooter to take on the similarly sized Honda Forza, Suzuki Burgman and Yamaha Majesty, for only $6990.

Made by SYM in Taiwan, the Firenze is a big improvement over the little Jolie and LeGrande we've tested from the same manufacturer, with better panel fit and switchgear and a smoother transmission. The Firenze follows the European trend towards "styled" head and tail-lights to give it an identity.

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There's a generous seat with a decent handrail and fold-out pegs for the pillion. The big mirrors fold out of the way for parking and there's a generous underseat storage bin, complete with courtesy light and tiny toolkit. It won't take big fullface helmets, though.

There are neat brushed alloy strips along the bodywork and the cockpit is set off by white-faced instruments. You even get twin cup holders.

Running gear is fairly standard, with trailing axle front forks, 13in. wheels and disc brakes front and rear.

The 250.6cc engine is a liquid-cooled four-valve unit.

For learners with freeways to negotiate on the way to work, or those expecting to take their riding

a little farther than the week-day commute, a scooter with a bigger engine like this is a good option.

ON THE ROAD

THE 250 makes Hoddle St less of a white-knuckle experience when it's time to go home. No problems staying out of the way of the traffic with this scooter.

It's also capable of a cruise into the country at weekends, with a range of 250km, but the Firenze is more of a lugger than a fighter.

Passing on freeways needs planning. It takes a while to wind up when you're already doing 90km/h.

The windscreen height is good, even for taller riders, with no buffeting, but it could be a bit wider to reduce wind noise on the helmet.

Thanks to a dry weight of 173kg it is stable on road seams and lumps, despite the small wheels.

All the hand controls are easy to use and the rear brake is impressive.

Instrumentation is comprehensive, with fuel and coolant temperature gauges, tripmeter and clock.

We still don't like the four-way ignition switch, which incorporates the petrol cap release, and the lit SYM logo is a bit of overkill.

The biggest surprise was the rear shocks. After the softly sprung LeGrande and Jolie, SYM has gone the opposite way with the Firenze.

It is surprisingly stiff at the back with 2000km on the odometer and we wouldn't expect it to soften up dramatically with more kilometres.