photo of the author and
Year of issue
| Engine 4T, 125 smz | Power
| Weight
| Top speed
| Price
BM Maxxy 125, scooter
Year of issue
| Engine
| Power
| Weight 105 kg | Top speed
| Price
The Kaliningrad company Baltmotors has expanded the assortment of scooters with motors more than a fifty dollars, now there are three models, all of them are based on motor vehicles of the Chinese company Chingchi (Qingqi). The most “fighting”, undoubtedly, is Biwis, a copy of BW's “Yamaha” bestseller. Last year, the Maxx 125 model (with a foot brake) was replaced by the more stylish Maxxy 125 (without it). The largest Galaxy 125 model has not undergone changes, and if so, then there is nothing to test them in the test, especially since we have already done this (see Moto, No. 5-2004).
In the capital's Baltmotors motor show, both news were boldly passed on to us: they say, judge them yourself. Maxxy - with a "zero" mileage, Biwis also "aged" somewhere around 500 km. You cannot determine the mileage more accurately - the speedometer “grunted”. What is significant: the weaknesses of the Chinese motorcycle industry are not alien.
Although both scooters are of the same cubic capacity, they are close in size and weight, outwardly they are completely different. If Maxxy looks like a dynamic and modern machine, then Biwis is defiantly sporty and ascetic. Thick wheels, headlights with shields, a front guard, steering wheel guard, high ground clearance and a raised front wing allude to off-road performance - all this is in contrast to the Maxxy “road dude”. This class of “off-road” scooters (note that it is written in quotation marks, since they were created primarily for asphalt) is not new; Yamaha BW's prototype is more than 10 years old. The merit of the Chinese is that they installed an affordable 4-stroke engine.
Tightly knocked down Biwis 125 - spilled "fifty dollars" (for which many choose it - so as not to fool yourself with registration). The fee for this is a small one and a half saddle: two adult riders will not fit on it. There is another inconvenience for the passenger (and for the driver) - the back of the seat is tilted, so the “second number”, if you agree to huddle on the small patch, will always crawl onto the one who is driving. But on Maxxy both of them are quite spacious and comfortable: the seat is horizontal and quite long. For the passenger, extensive handles are provided on the sides of the saddle, passing into the trunk.
For the pilot, if he is 180 cm tall, both devices will not seem large at all: the rotated steering wheel rests on his knees (at the same time, you unwittingly press the sound signal button on Biwis). The way out is to move back. On Biwis, this is doable, but on Maxxy the “fifth point” does not allow a small fracture of the seat. You can’t sit up for so long, so you have to either move to the steering wheel or completely move back. But then the passenger will have no place. But, I repeat, it’s uncomfortable only for those who are “over 180”.
Control devices and controls are almost the same on both scooters. The differences are minimal: Maxxy has a light on key with two positions: “turn on” and “turn off”. There is no parking light, so in the dark you should not leave the device with the headlight on and the engine off - the battery will “croak”. Both models with kick starters, which means that even if the battery is completely discharged, you can start it. At Biwis, the far-near switch allows the headlight to flash.
The rubber handlebars of the scooter steering wheel correspond to the image: the Maxxy is more “plump” and supple to the touch, the Biwis’s are stiff and thin, like enduro motorcycles. Mirrors: Biwis has round, uncomplicated, and there is little to see. The cases of Maxxy mirrors are oval, they have fewer dead zones, and they are fixed through an elastic element, hence the image does not skip during collisions with bumps in the road. However, when starting due to vibrations of the motor, you cannot distinguish anything at all.
