Since the bottom dropped out of the scooter market in Europe eighteen months ago most manufacturers put their scooter development programs on hold for a while, but it seems the Far Eastern manufacturers are quite happy to keep producing new models and, for Sym at least, it’s still happy days as their share of the UK scooter market keeps increasing. Quality products at an affordable price, backed up by a good dealer network and a reliable service department is always a winner with customers.

The Voyager - which is available as a 125cc and 250cc, will become the flagship super-scooter in the Sym range when it lands on our shores shortly. We were given the exclusive chance to test the prototype recently. My first impressions of it as it sat looking sorry for itself (the panels and paintwork on prototypes aren’t up to the standard of the finished product) were “blimey it’s big” but once it’s in action size becomes irrelevant – something I often remind the missus about!

As is fashionable on many modern machines you turn the ignition key and the needles on the clocks dramatically sweep the dials whilst the engine management system does its pre launch checks – it impresses me anyway. A quick press of the starter button and the meaty, single cylinder, four stroke motor springs into life.

With camera gear and waterproofs safely stowed in the large carpeted (and illuminated) underseat storage area I was off out into the countryside to blow the winter cobwebs away. From the moment I sat on the Voyager I felt at home and my earlier concerns at its bulky appearance soon disappeared. The cruiser is well planted and handles like a dream, it corners like an Intercity 125 and could be ridden hard from the off without any worries about stability. It’s low centre of gravity and stiff chassis work perfectly to make riding a pleasure. Fast sweeping rural roads are where this scooter shines, just point and go, it flows through the twisties with ease. The scoot pulls well from a standing start and keeps going well upto around 40mph then the engine seems to hit a bit of a flat spot and it takes a while to get upto an indicated 70mph, once it’s got going though it pulls well and I saw 77mph on the clock. The engine block has the casting in place to fit the gubbins for a fuel injection system so hopefully that’ll happen sooner rather than later which should make a big difference to the power delivery over this naturally aspirated model and help to iron out the mid range problems I experienced.

It’s certainly not the fastest 250 on the planet but it is designed for touring after all and will happily do the legal limit and help to keep your license intact. Ground clearance is quite good although I did manage to scrape it a bit on a roundabout but in normal use the scooter isn’t likely to be leaving a shower of sparks behind at every bend! The large dual seat is very comfortable and has a back support for the rider which helps to take a bit of the strain on long journeys; the passenger is also given plenty of room and they have a good sized grab rail to hold on to and fold out foot pegs - so you shouldn’t get too much earache from any back seat drivers! As is usually the case with scooters fitted with a screen it’s often a compromise and only riders of the perfect height will feel the full benefits of it, I was a little bit too tall for this one and suffered a bit of wind noise but it was bearable and helped to keep most of the cold and rain at bay.

Linked braking systems aren’t one of my favourite scooter accessories, I’m quite capable of operating two levers at the same time thank you very much, but manufacturers seem to think we’re all too daft (or lazy) to brake properly. As linked systems go though the Voyagers actually works quite well. The right hand lever operated the large, four piston, front disc independently and it had enough power to scrub off speed quite well on it’s own, the left lever operates the front and rear discs together and provided plenty of stopping power to haul the big machine up safely – just remember to try and do your braking before cranking the scoot over for a corner or it will try to sit up otherwise! It’s not quite clear how the machine will arrive in the UK but Sym are rumoured to be working on an ABS system for the Voyager so we may well see that on later models. Back in the city the Voyager is equally capable and will happily burble through the busy traffic as slow as you like without so much as a wobble, it can be ridden at walking pace easily and wasn’t too wide to filter, you can fold the large mirrors in as well if the traffic gets too close for comfort. If you’ve never ridden a feet forward cruiser before you’ll be amazed at the way they handle, the Sym Joyride for instance is one of the best around and the Voyager will be the natural scoot to trade up to for any existing owners wanting a little bit more poke. A 250cc scoot is also quite handy for people who like to commute and do a bit of touring at the weekend. Initial purchase price, insurance and running costs aren’t as high as buying a maxi but they are still very useable and can handle anything you throw at them.