It’s not often we road test the less mainstream scooter brands on ScooterLab, not for reasons of vanity or snobbiness but it takes us almost a week to ride, photograph, shoot video, write a feature and edit the video/videos.

The smaller brands aren’t always willing (or able) to support what we do through advertising and as ScooterLab is a FREE online magazine we have to pay the bills somehow. Anyway, occasionally we make an exception and Sinnis have ended up with a review on two of their current 125cc scooters.

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Connect and Hero-X

We’ve got two learner legal scooters here, different in styling, features, engine spec and of course price. At the lower end of the price range we have the commuter focussed Sinnis Connect (in Metallic Ultra White). It’s a £2299 (plus OTR costs) air-cooled 125. We’ve also got the higher spec Hero-X 125 in grey. That one retails at £2899 (plus OTR) and has a more powerful liquid-cooled engine, better equipment, higher quality finish and in my opinion better looks. Both scooters come with a two-year warranty (year two is parts only) and Sinnis have numerous dealers around the country so you shouldn’t be too far from one.

First impressions

Let’s make a start on the Hero-X shall we? I tend not to look into specs/prices etc. of any scooters I’m going to be testing until after I’ve given them a fair appraisal but I was pretty surprised by this one as soon as it was wheeled out of the delivery van. It looked good.

The styling is pretty smart for starters and you can tell it’s not at the budget end of the Sinnis range. It has a quality look and feel to it. For instance, that side slung engine-mounted rad shows it’s not only liquid-cooled but that the Chinese designers are taking note of current trends and following the likes of Piaggio/Honda/Yamaha etc.

The switchgear all looks to be good quality, no flimsy switches or clunky mechanisms. So far so good. Switch the scooter on and you’re rewarded with the orange glow of the crystal-clear LCD dash, no expense spared there either. Things don’t stop there, the Hero-X also has full LED lighting, a handsome looking rear light cluster and wavy front brake disc.

The Connect came out of the van whilst I was busy admiring the Hero-X and again, this looked as good as a modern commuter scooter should do. A few little details like the Metallic Ultra White paintwork and contrasting brown seat (the Metallic Slate Blue version comes with a black seat) make it stand out. Overall the Connect looks good and I was eager to get out and ride them both.

Unsurprisingly, I took the sportier looking Hero-X out first and I wasn’t to be disappointed. Ok, the engine isn’t the fastest liquid-cooled 125 on the planet but it is still quite nippy and you’ll see 60 on the very good quality multi-function LCD instruments. It’s probably more like 56mph in real terms but it gets there fairly quickly and gives you the confidence to ride defensively and doesn’t leave you being scared to filter.

I like the whole look and feel of this scooter, Sinnis didn’t do much dollar saving when they put the spec together that’s for sure. In fact, the only cost saving thing I can see is that they’ve opted to use linked brakes rather than ABS. Not that that’s a problem, the brakes (discs at both ends) work just fine. Running on 13” wheels means the scooter keeps to the more familiar scooter dimensions but the trade-off for that (when compared to a larger wheeled scooter like the Connect) is that you can feel more of the bumps. Having said that though, most of my own scooters run on 10” wheels so I’ve got no complaints in this department. Suspension isn’t perhaps as well damped as you’d get with a more expensive scooter so the front is a little bit choppy but it’s not bad really.

Insured by Lexham

Whilst on test both these scooters were insured through specialist scooter insurance broker, Lexham. Give them a try when your next renewal is due, or if you’re buying a new scooter.

LED lights are becoming the norm now and the Hero-X has them all around, including a distinctive 3-piece rear light. At the front end the scooter boasts daytime running lights and one of the best scooter LED headlights I’ve seen in a long time. If you’re using a scooter at night on a regular basis this really is a good selling point.
There’s a good-sized under seat space on this machine which is always very handy to have. There’s enough space for a jacket in there and a lock. With flat floorboards the scooter is easy to mount and you can also use the fold out hook to fasten a bag to, which is useful. The underseat storage space is operated using the ignition switch, as is the pop out fuel filler cap. There’s no ‘keyless ignition’ on this scooter, not that I’m a big fan of those, nor is there any start-stop tech. You do get a double USB adaptor to charge your devices though. Overall there’s not much for me to criticise on this scooter, it’s a good looking, easy to ride, fairly well spec’d liquid-cooled 125 for less than £3,000. Well worth a look I’d say.

Sinnis Hero-X 125 tech specs

Power: 11.38bhp @ 7,800rpm
Cooling: Liquid-cooled
Approval: Euro 5

Brakes: Front and rear hydraulic discs (linked braking system)
Front tyre: 120/70-13
Rear tyre: 130/70-13

Weight: 146kg
Length: 1975mm
Height: 1135mm
Wheelbase: 1410mm

Colour options: Matte Black, Grey

Price: £2899 + OTR

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Connect

It’s pretty obvious that the Connect is aimed right at the budget driven commuter, its styling is more conservative than the Hero-X. It’s also slightly more basic, the engine is the cheaper air-cooled type, the clocks aren’t quite so fancy to look at and the ride quality isn’t as good. It also has a slightly cheaper feel to it. Hardly surprising though because it’s £600 less than the other scooter on test. Price is one thing that everybody is concerned about at the minute and if you need to cut costs but still have to get to work a budget option may be what you need.

Too much rattle

On my first ride of the Connect I was quite disappointed, it rattled over bumps and I expected to lose a few fillings before I got home. It was only whilst taking photos of the scooter that I realised later that there was a piece of loose plastic rattling around in the top box. That was causing lots of vibration and noise. Once removed (that’s it under the seat) the ride was much better, although the suspension isn’t quite as good as it should be on this model. One thing that is probably too good are the brakes, like the Hero-X this also has linked hydraulic brakes but these are sharper than a sharp thing. They’ll stop you dead, which is a good thing but I reckon they’d scare a newbie rider. It took me a while to get used to them.

Big wheels keep on rolling

Despite being air-cooled, this engine wasn’t bad at all, the scooter goes almost as well as the Hero-X and the top end is pretty similar too. You do get a little extra power with the liquid-cooled machine and it’s better on longer runs but it’s not a deal breaker for most low-mileage commuters. Cost is probably more important to many. One thing that is a slight compromise with this and many high-wheeled scooters is that you lose some storage space, the Connect probably has around half the space of the Hero-X under the seat. That’s helped by the optional top box though. Running on 16” wheels the Connect feels instantly different to ride than its 13” wheeled stable mate. You can have a bit of fun on it for sure, although that budget suspension spoils the party slightly.

Digital dash

Although there’s a digital dash on this one its nowhere near as nice to look at or use as the one on the Hero-X. It’s pretty basic and although it’s good at night it can hardly be seen in direct sunlight. The switchgear also feels and looks cheaper, hardly surprising though because it is. Remember, this is a budget end 125cc commuter scooter rather than a top spec Japanese or Italian machine.

Sinnis Connect 125 tech specs

Power: 9.65bhp @ 8,000rpm
Cooling: Air-cooled
Approval: Euro 5
Brakes: Front and rear hydraulic discs (linked braking system)
Front tyre: 110/70-16
Rear tyre: 110/70-16
Weight: 120kg
Length: 1980mm
Height: 1150mm
Wheelbase: 1350mm
Colour options: Metallic Slate White, Metallic Ultra White

Price: £2299 + OTR

Summing it up

Overall the two scooters were in different leagues, as you’d expect given the difference in price. The Connect is your typical budget end commuter machine. It gets you to work, looks ok and you aren’t going to worry about it too much once you’ve parked it up for the day. There’s every chance it’ll be there to take you home again after work because the local toerags nicked the Piaggio parked next to it. Sometimes being flash isn’t always a good thing and blending in can be a positive.

If I could stretch my finances though I’d opt for the altogether better Hero-X. It’s going to cost you £600 more, which if you’re having it on finance over three years would cost you around £16 extra per month. For me, that extra cost is well worth it. It looks good, rides well, has plenty of street cred (as far as less mainstream brands go) and should be both reliable and economic to run.

Get down to your local Sinnis dealer and tell them that ScooterLab sent you. If you’re a dealer yourself and want to look at advertising on this 100% scooter platform you can email us at advertising@scooterlab.uk

Words, photos and video: Iggy
Action shots: Linsey