Seems like an axcellent bike. Functional, comfortable and economical. Motorcycle media are trying for decades to convince us, ordinary riders, that motorcycling is all about speed. It is not. I enjoy cruising at modest speed as many other riders do. I don't need 150 hp motor...
Great review, very fair. Had mine for 10 weeks now on a daily 40mile commute, mixed rural, urban and dual carriage way. Absolutely love it. Looks fab but really nimble and can pass anything I need to. Very comfortable riding position with great forward visibility and excellent mirrors. If you want a comfortable but fun commuter/tourer consider it.
That could very well be my next bike. I like the ADV bike format but they are all so damn bloated and that looks like a nimble and very compelling package. As you say, stonking along on the motorway has all the appeal of cutting your toenails for me! It’s all about bimbling down the country lanes at one with your surroundings. The worlds your oyster with that engine package. Love it. ❤
More reviews of the left-field and smaller capacity stuff like this please Spicy. Looks a decent bike for those without brand prejudice... what about residual values/durability/ spares support though?? I've a Zontes dealer near me and I'll admit they do look good irl.
If Andy stocks them it means all that side of things is good as he takes the cost when things go wrong. Unlike many dealers he stocks models of bikes not brands as in the Chinese market brand is not the factor it is factory that made that bike.
Zontes are good well made bikes, but as I found to my cost nobody wants to pay a decent price for a used one (ZT310T 1 yr old in my case). Very expensive mistake.
Great review. I just retired to Portugal and am looking for a new bike. I chose not to bring my T120 from the States. Also considering the upcoming Scrambler 400x. The price on this bike is great too but higher in Portugal because of that nasty VAT! Thanks!
From South-Africa , great video Ive got a 310 T2 for a year now love my bike ,few thing i would change Stock tyres are not for offroad And put on a seat cusion for trips over 300km
Would love to see you review some of the RE 350s Spicy to see your opinion. They don't make much sense on paper, sure, but they have lots of character.
I have a T350 all good but vibes need lessening and 1,2 and 3rd gear all to low and very close, in fact I use 2nd to pull away. For the money very good.
I love how it looks and for the price it seems worth it, im just a little bit hesitant about the keyless feature and thinking it might be simple to steal, especially with that no-battery feature, and obviously the battery life span
I do not think it would make it any more likely or easy to be stolen giving how thieves actually steal bikes. And many large brands like Triumph have it on nearly all their bikes.....However I too would still just like to have a key.
@@spicy110 i appreciate the fast response, but yeah that’s probably true, sounds like from the video this bike is worth the price, i just dont know if it’ll be reliable as i plan on keeping it for a long time, and how good is it compared to a sym NHT-300 or voge 300DS considering both of them are at a cheaper price. Again, i appreciate the fast response, thanks for the review!
A lot of these new bikes like CF Moto are proving you can get a really good bike that's totally kitted out with all the electronic goodies without breaking the bank! I'm VERY interested. Do u know of these are or will be avail on the US?
Unrelated to this video, however, you’ve done a fair bit on Zero bikes in your time, any thoughts on FXE vs S? Both cbt legal. I know you’ve compared FXE FX FXS. Keep up the good vids 🫡
Sadly I have not got to ride the S yet, it was supposed to happen at some point but it fell through as I think the bike was needed elsewhere or something like that.
I have a Himalayan and my partner has a little Zontes G1. She absolutely loves it, and has WAY better build quality and reliability so far. They might be similar price but I'd pick the Zontes every time.
@@spicy110 But they have a very short service interval, ie just over 3000 miles now that seems very low to me, my honda has a service interval of 9000 miles I wouldn't recomend servicing it at 9000 miles, realistically it would be around the 5 to 6 thousand mile range so with this having a short service interval of around 3 thousand miles that suggests it would actually be around the 1500 to 2000 mile range realistically, which makes it a very short service interval. Which makes me wonder just how reliable a bike like this could be with such a short service interval. Also all those electronic things to go wrong, it uses electronics to open the petrol flap, the seat, to adjust the wind shield and it only has a 5 amp output apparently. All pointing to a potentially very unreliable bike. Which is a shame because it looks nice and the price seems good. What if your battery runs down, you can't open the petrol flap, or the seat. Another concern is that tail light, as the guy from bennets pointed out, it sits way too far back and may make the bike invisitble to tall vehicles. It's a good effort but these little things need to be addressed, I was tempted as I need a new commuter but there are just too many what ifs with this bike, no manual overides.
@@spicy110 Oh just one other thing, what happens with regards to the steering lock if for some reason you lose the keyless fob thing or for some reason it gets damaged or the battery simply goes flat. Does it then mean the bike is a brick until you change the battery.
13:26 that white car pulling out from the right clearly wasn't paying a great deal of attention: one of the reasons I ride with lights on and wear high visibility bike clothing and a yellow lid.
They do not see you if they do not look sadly. I found out the hard way in 2012. Now I am the one looking out for them, its a far safer way to go. Not saying hi vis is a bad idea btw. 🙂👍
For the price, there are a lot of small cool things. Tank cap opener, electric windscreen, keyless (with auto lock)... but what if your battery is dead? How do you open the seat to change the battery?
Like all truly keyless bikes there is a way to do that. It won't get the bike started but it will get you under the seat to the batt. Exactly now that is done on this bike I can not say but there will be a way. This comes up everytime I get a keyless system. 😁👍
On my ZT125-U I have a permemently connected lead for a battery tender hidden behind a pop off side panel just in case but never had a need for it. The dealer I got my bike from actually fit the lead to every Zontes he sells at no extra cost.
I don't like HNTR 350s. Too much hype for a very basic bike. This is what a 350 should be. Although it is a grand more to buy so I can see a quandry here! RE - we know who they are and the quality is good. Zontes - who? Will it attract 50 year old blokes - I doubt it. It needs to be cheaper. I can get a very good second hand 900 or 1200 for this money 😞 Even a classic like an R BMW.
Nothing has changed, for many years I make motorcycle reviews over the summer and other videos during autumn and winter and spring. I will be making subject based videos too when they come up.
UA-cam placed 4 ads it should not have shown you more than 4 and likely less. Problem is no ads no video, I have to pay my bills and run this channel you can not do that for free. That is why I have patreon for regulars.
it looks ok. but i'll never buy chinese motorcycle ever again. Especially Zontes. they just fall apart. Even spicy mwentioned "the build quality".. it's a pity he wont own and review one after one years use. Everything is 'Good' when it's brand new.
I owned and rode 2 much poorer quality Chinese bike for 7 years. If they fall apart all the time Andy would not sell them. What went wrong with yours and did you buy it new?
I've owned my Zontes G1 for a year - rode through the winter and kept outside on the drive. You'd need a magnifying glass to find any corrosion. Only proper-washed it twice in that time. Fantastic piece of kit! 100 mpg too - great for the 60 mile commute ;) Surprisingly for a 125 it also averages 70 on the M4.
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Seems like an axcellent bike. Functional, comfortable and economical. Motorcycle media are trying for decades to convince us, ordinary riders, that motorcycling is all about speed. It is not. I enjoy cruising at modest speed as many other riders do. I don't need 150 hp motor...
Bought my first Zontes on this model. Fantastic bike to ride.
Great review, very fair. Had mine for 10 weeks now on a daily 40mile commute, mixed rural, urban and dual carriage way. Absolutely love it. Looks fab but really nimble and can pass anything I need to. Very comfortable riding position with great forward visibility and excellent mirrors. If you want a comfortable but fun commuter/tourer consider it.
Thanks for sharing
Knocking out the reviews matey.
I have them stacked up! I was not joking when I said I was not holding back this year haha 🙂👍
Bikes like this just demonstrate how much the big manufacturers are gouging their customers.
Zontes are fantastic. I rode one on my CBT. And it survived!
This would be my first bike if they were in the US. Thanks for the good review
That could very well be my next bike. I like the ADV bike format but they are all so damn bloated and that looks like a nimble and very compelling package. As you say, stonking along on the motorway has all the appeal of cutting your toenails for me! It’s all about bimbling down the country lanes at one with your surroundings. The worlds your oyster with that engine package. Love it. ❤
The U1 has a slipper clutch. If going offroad simply take out the ABS fuse. If you walk away the bike will not lock itself just turn off the ignition.
Excellent little bike! I’m impressed! 👍
the switch gear is backlit, The light switch on the right hand side turns that off, it also has 2 USB ports.
More reviews of the left-field and smaller capacity stuff like this please Spicy.
Looks a decent bike for those without brand prejudice... what about residual values/durability/ spares support though??
I've a Zontes dealer near me and I'll admit they do look good irl.
If Andy stocks them it means all that side of things is good as he takes the cost when things go wrong. Unlike many dealers he stocks models of bikes not brands as in the Chinese market brand is not the factor it is factory that made that bike.
Zontes are good well made bikes, but as I found to my cost nobody wants to pay a decent price for a used one (ZT310T 1 yr old in my case). Very expensive mistake.
Great review. I just retired to Portugal and am looking for a new bike. I chose not to bring my T120 from the States. Also considering the upcoming Scrambler 400x. The price on this bike is great too but higher in Portugal because of that nasty VAT! Thanks!
From South-Africa , great video
Ive got a 310 T2 for a year now
love my bike ,few thing i would change
Stock tyres are not for offroad
And put on a seat cusion for trips over 300km
I am really interested in this bike! Have you had any issues with your bike? My local dealer as one in black, looks great.
Would love to see you review some of the RE 350s Spicy to see your opinion. They don't make much sense on paper, sure, but they have lots of character.
I think your becoming a Zontes fan!. Zontes joins the big four so its now the big 5.
That fuel cap button thing is cool
Awesome little motorcycle, unfortunately we don't get the 350 and the GK model here in South Africa.
Great review, thanks 😊. Have been considering the GK350 as a first bike, but this may be worth considering also.
Hi I had the ztu1 and now I have just got the brand new adv 310
I gave up after the 8th advert.
2 adverts every couple of minutes?
Nah. I'm going back to watching you advert free.
I have a T350 all good but vibes need lessening and 1,2 and 3rd gear all to low and very close, in fact I use 2nd to pull away. For the money very good.
I love how it looks and for the price it seems worth it, im just a little bit hesitant about the keyless feature and thinking it might be simple to steal, especially with that no-battery feature, and obviously the battery life span
I do not think it would make it any more likely or easy to be stolen giving how thieves actually steal bikes. And many large brands like Triumph have it on nearly all their bikes.....However I too would still just like to have a key.
@@spicy110 i appreciate the fast response, but yeah that’s probably true, sounds like from the video this bike is worth the price, i just dont know if it’ll be reliable as i plan on keeping it for a long time, and how good is it compared to a sym NHT-300 or voge 300DS considering both of them are at a cheaper price.
Again, i appreciate the fast response, thanks for the review!
G, day great video I have to say I love that bike I would buy it.
Looks like a great bike for the money! Not sure about the handlebar width and weight though. Is it quite front heavy?
looks bloody good I wouldn’t think twice about getting one of them 👍🏻
Zontes are planning on bring out an 800 triple
Bike looks mega where did you get your catchy opening tune from love it
Great 👍 review btw.
That is alot of bike for 4,500 quid. You get nowhere where near that amount of equipment on the 310 GS.
That's because BMW's are a complete rip-off for people with no brain 🤣
@@edwardwilliammorris1340 Sssh, we need those folk to keep the economy turning over.
Cheers 🍻
A lot of these new bikes like CF Moto are proving you can get a really good bike that's totally kitted out with all the electronic goodies without breaking the bank! I'm VERY interested. Do u know of these are or will be avail on the US?
Unrelated to this video, however, you’ve done a fair bit on Zero bikes in your time, any thoughts on FXE vs S? Both cbt legal. I know you’ve compared FXE FX FXS.
Keep up the good vids 🫡
Sadly I have not got to ride the S yet, it was supposed to happen at some point but it fell through as I think the bike was needed elsewhere or something like that.
thanks for testing. being also your height, good to know how it sits on.
priced like RE Himalayan, wondering how it compares..
I have a Himalayan and my partner has a little Zontes G1. She absolutely loves it, and has WAY better build quality and reliability so far. They might be similar price but I'd pick the Zontes every time.
올해 존테스 125G1 7개월 7000km 좀 넘게 탔었구요 중국산 이라는 폄하된 인식에 사로잡혀 125cc 를 선택했지만 결코 후회하지 안구요 비록 작은 배기량 이기때문에 출력도 작아 중고로 되팔기는 했지만 만족할만한 브랜드 임에는 틀림없습니다
Had to translate but that is a fair assessment. 👍
The big question is, how reliable is it? there is not much point having a bike that looks good sitting in the garage all the time.
Andy would not sell them if they went wrong a lot, he says they are one of the most reliable Chinese brands these days.
@@spicy110 But they have a very short service interval, ie just over 3000 miles now that seems very low to me, my honda has a service interval of 9000 miles I wouldn't recomend servicing it at 9000 miles, realistically it would be around the 5 to 6 thousand mile range so with this having a short service interval of around 3 thousand miles that suggests it would actually be around the 1500 to 2000 mile range realistically, which makes it a very short service interval.
Which makes me wonder just how reliable a bike like this could be with such a short service interval.
Also all those electronic things to go wrong, it uses electronics to open the petrol flap, the seat, to adjust the wind shield and it only has a 5 amp output apparently.
All pointing to a potentially very unreliable bike.
Which is a shame because it looks nice and the price seems good.
What if your battery runs down, you can't open the petrol flap, or the seat.
Another concern is that tail light, as the guy from bennets pointed out, it sits way too far back and may make the bike invisitble to tall vehicles.
It's a good effort but these little things need to be addressed, I was tempted as I need a new commuter but there are just too many what ifs with this bike, no manual overides.
@@spicy110 Oh just one other thing, what happens with regards to the steering lock if for some reason you lose the keyless fob thing or for some reason it gets damaged or the battery simply goes flat.
Does it then mean the bike is a brick until you change the battery.
13:26 that white car pulling out from the right clearly wasn't paying a great deal of attention: one of the reasons I ride with lights on and wear high visibility bike clothing and a yellow lid.
They do not see you if they do not look sadly. I found out the hard way in 2012. Now I am the one looking out for them, its a far safer way to go. Not saying hi vis is a bad idea btw. 🙂👍
Liked the review i'm 63 and own V-Strom 250 on a 20 plate . What do you think was the down side of the 250?
Only the lack of punch from the engine, Here is my review ua-cam.com/video/1HVBRbPSeV8/v-deo.html
What helmet were you using in this video?
For the price, there are a lot of small cool things. Tank cap opener, electric windscreen, keyless (with auto lock)...
but what if your battery is dead? How do you open the seat to change the battery?
Like all truly keyless bikes there is a way to do that. It won't get the bike started but it will get you under the seat to the batt. Exactly now that is done on this bike I can not say but there will be a way. This comes up everytime I get a keyless system. 😁👍
On my ZT125-U I have a permemently connected lead for a battery tender hidden behind a pop off side panel just in case but never had a need for it. The dealer I got my bike from actually fit the lead to every Zontes he sells at no extra cost.
@@Mean-bj8wp good idea Batman :)
there is a charging port by the rear tyre, you get the charger with the bike
@@Bigalref1 wow, I wonder if they do a bigger twin?
A2 cheaper brand new than some A1 !
how is the engine compared to the 310 version?
I don't like HNTR 350s. Too much hype for a very basic bike. This is what a 350 should be. Although it is a grand more to buy so I can see a quandry here! RE - we know who they are and the quality is good. Zontes - who? Will it attract 50 year old blokes - I doubt it. It needs to be cheaper. I can get a very good second hand 900 or 1200 for this money 😞 Even a classic like an R BMW.
Is this predominantly a bike review channel now ?
Nothing has changed, for many years I make motorcycle reviews over the summer and other videos during autumn and winter and spring. I will be making subject based videos too when they come up.
I wouldn't have faith in any of the elecronics on a Chinese bike especially that electric petrol cap release
Where do you think most bikes electric systems are built?
Any plans for a gk125 review?
it is in the pipe line if one is available.
heated grips...your only thinking about cold Europe not hot Asia!
There is nothing interesting in the wheel adjuster, it is the standard in many bikes
Go on then, name some bike with an external bolt in a holder like that.
MPH?
If you mean am I talking mph then yes.
196kg 350, oof.
To many silly gadgets to go wrong rather a Himalayan
화면 어지러워😢
Screen Clutter?
Too many ads. unwatchable😵💫
UA-cam placed 4 ads it should not have shown you more than 4 and likely less. Problem is no ads no video, I have to pay my bills and run this channel you can not do that for free. That is why I have patreon for regulars.
it looks ok. but i'll never buy chinese motorcycle ever again. Especially Zontes. they just fall apart. Even spicy mwentioned "the build quality".. it's a pity he wont own and review one after one years use. Everything is 'Good' when it's brand new.
I owned and rode 2 much poorer quality Chinese bike for 7 years. If they fall apart all the time Andy would not sell them. What went wrong with yours and did you buy it new?
I've owned my Zontes G1 for a year - rode through the winter and kept outside on the drive. You'd need a magnifying glass to find any corrosion. Only proper-washed it twice in that time. Fantastic piece of kit! 100 mpg too - great for the 60 mile commute ;) Surprisingly for a 125 it also averages 70 on the M4.