Entry level bikes are one thing, but they have to look cool. What youngster wants to ride a bike that looks like it belongs in a fleet of delivery machine?
The Pacer looks the part. We took one out for a week.
Have a look and tell us that it’s not pretty.
The sculpted tank complements the shaped fenders, neat cowl, and brushed aluminium finishes. The mag wheels could be from a high-end cruiser, the taillight array from a custom bobber, and the headlamp and cover from a Harley. It seems that they have thrown an accessory book at this one, from the cool bullet indicators to the USB charging port on the handlebars. Included is also a rear carrier out back and some giant crash bars on the engine.
We’d probably remove those.
The four-stroke engine is mated to a five-speed gearbox with electric start. A simple carburettor supplies fuel. Climb on board – the seat height is perfect for all rider sizes, the basic analogue clock tells you speed with a fuel indicator.
Hit the starter, and she quietly idles away in your driveway.
First gear, open the throttle, and the bike delivers a grunty pull away from standstill. Hit the urban back roads, no complaints about the clutch and gearing, it’s all smooth enough with meaty acceleration. You need to understand that this is a stylish little bike that has been built to a price point. The suspension is basic but comfortable.
We want to check this bikes range, so we filled the 18 litre tank to the brim and our six foot odd 105KG rider (undoubtably not this bikes target audience) took on a proper long stretch from our offices in Kempton, towards the East Rand Mall, calling on clients and then onwards… all the way around the freeway towards Eastgate, up and around Sandton and onto the Pretoria freeway.
We rode up the slopes past Midrand and on to Centurion to call on customers there. Then we hit the road back around to our offices again – a round trip of 120 km – and we aren’t going to lie.
It was a long day.
She’s happy at 80 km/h with a top speed of just more than 100, so from here on out, our team will be taking the back roads.
The brakes are just fine for a bike like this, drums out back with a single disc up front – no complaints. The tyres on this bike are dual-purpose units, so as often happens, the lighties took it onto the gravel roads and had some fun. Small bikes are easy to ride in the dirt.
The 191cc, four-stroke single-cylinder engine pushes out 10kW and 12.5Nm of torque. They tell us that fuel consumption is roughly 2.3l/100km, which means that we’ll be riding this bike for a long time before we need to fill her up again…
SA Motorcycles, the importers of the Big Boy brand, is a massive player in the SA motorcycling scene with a monster dealer network and a parts department so large that it will make your eyes water.
Their focus has always been on convenience, price, quick turnaround and parts supply. We’ve often needed random bits – a wheel for a pitbike, a CDI box for a small commuter, a headlight – these guys have always had the bits in stock at reasonable prices.
If you consider the price, the Pacer seems to be a great choice as a little urban runabout.
Good looking, economical, practical, with great parts backup.
R22999.00
