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| SYM Mio 50 |
It’s hard being a macho dumb male sort in scooter land; there’s basically nothing you can do to prevent the inevitable snigger from the usual cave dwelling male. “Cute scooter…wimp†or something to that effect is usually accompanied by a little smirk. See this cave man feels it’s his business to make us scooter people feel small, weak and generally inferior to his gargantuan fantasticness. Here however is the fun bit. I believe it is something else which is small. Now I’m sure you’ve heard that the average fast car driver is usually making up for some sort of…inadequacy. So all things being equal, us scooter riders are well…huge.
Women thankfully don’t suffer from this idiotic display of testosterone and quite happily scooter around without any fear of the ‘Cave Manâ€; in fact cave man is usually chasing said scooter girl around. That I believe is the answer to the problem…see cave man is simply afraid of us scooter boys. See we can get around quicker than he can in his eight billion horsepower V8 engined petrol consuming juggernaut…which is stuck in traffic. While he sits venting his massive amount of pent up fury at the drivers around him like a caged animal…us scooter boys are parked at the local café having a latte with the cute scooter girl. You can’t beat us cave man…but you can join us. We welcome you with open arms. The above intro is for good reason; have a look at the bike I’m testing here. The SYM Mio 50 is well very very very target orientated. It’s targeted fairly obviously at women, now given our female reviewer was…well we don’t have one yet. That would be me then…and no I don’t wear a dress when I test the girlier bikes…it’s not safe. I only wear them when I go out at night.
Forget the styling stuff man, get over yourself…this intro will never end. THE SCOOTER. I was in no hurry to finish my intro for good reason; I simply don’t have much to say about the SYM Mio 50. Here it is then…it’s cool, in fact it’s basically identical to the SYM Mio 100 I rode recently except for the 50cc engine. Same great handling only even better as it weighs less at just 80kg; same cool styling with lots of extra features, same high build quality, same solid brakes with a disc up front and a drum in back, same same same.
Performance is pretty solid for a four stroke 50cc bike; we got 11 seconds to 50kph with our usual 70kg rider. The test bike had only done 33kms so I imagine this may even improve slightly once the bike is fully run in. Fuel economy was about the same as the Mio 100 at 3l/100kms or around 77MPG; about average for a 50cc scooter. Ease of use is very high as it is very light and simple to put on the centre stand and generally move around. The under seat storage area is quite large and will just fit a smaller full face helmet. The only things you’ll miss on the Mio 50 are a lockable front glove box and a conventional indicator switch. The slider type switch that SYM use on the two Mio’s is not best solution. Summing up…if you’re after a 50cc scooter put the SYM Mio 50 on the top of your list. It’s a hard bike to beat at the price. Price: USA $2099 NZ $2590 UK£1499
Manufacturer Specifications
Comments
(5)
 written by vincel , May 09, 2009
Hey Matt in Vancouver,
Votes: +0
I am 6'3 and about 85kg and to be fair the little mio is a bit tight.. I would ride one if I were you and see if you can put up with it... the foot area is a bit small too so definitely try one on for size... shouldn't have any drama with the power though it is reasonably zippy. Not sure what to suggest as I don't really know what you have available out there in Canada but look at a two stroke japanese/taiwanese machine if you have access to them as they tend to have a bit more go report abuse
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 written by Matt in Vancouver , May 01, 2009
This is the "top model" on my list currently for its styling and price. I'm going to have a look at one this weekend, but I'm concerned about 2 things:
Votes: +0
1. My height. I am 6'1 and on many models the handle bars bang off my knees and I end up with a turning range of about 5 degrees. 2. My weight. I am about 90kg or 195lbs and Vancouver is a rather hilly in certain areas and I'd hate to have to push my scooter up a hill! How do you think this model would handle a guy my size and if not, is there a better model at 50cc with the same retro look that won't break the bank (or my knees)? report abuse
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 written by Keith , March 04, 2009
I keep close watch on all my vehicles and my Mio is returning consistent 105 - 110 mpg. (Flat topography down here in the south of NZ). I have done 1800Kms in the six months I have owned it and it has just kept on getting faster. A 2 stroke Yamaha tried "pushing" me into a light head wind recently so I opened up and he just got smaller in the mirrors! Acceleration has improved also. To think I nearly didn't buy it because at 0 k's it seemed gutless!
Votes: +0
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 written by scoot_nz , August 25, 2008
I have done 140 K's on my new Mio (identical to the review machine) and I would add another half star to your reviewers ratings. My gas gauge was on empty at 100K's neat so I pulled in and filled her up. Ooops! Not empty! Took 2.8 litres to overflow. 101 MPG This scoot just keeps getting better and better. Slow to warm up so seems gutless when first tried but let her warm up and don't be afraid to twist the throttle and she will surprise you! Over 40 yrs since I rode and owned a 125cc Vespa so the memory is dim but I don't think it was any more fun than this little beauty!
Votes: +5
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I have Mio 100 for 3 months now, 3 bad things about it:
1. The plastic cover is so thin, I've never crashed or bumped into anything but I have a crack already at the side of the front lamp, it's like paper.
2. The throttle got stuck open a few times and today it apparently got stuck for good, had to leave it at home. I guess it's because of cold weather which is not that cold really, -1 centigrade here...
3. I'm 1.79cm 70kg, I'm not heavy so no complaints about the power, but my knees stick out from the front cover and get pretty cold in this weather.
So overall impression, it's a cute scooter for easy rides in sunny and warm weather, but quite nondurable and impractical for everyday use in real life, real city, and varying weather conditions.
cheers,
D.