Well-I did it! I got my brand new Daelim S1 from Ace Scooters on Saturday! And I must say I'm not disappointed!!! This scoot certainly has the capability to be everything I expected from it-urban commuting tool to joyride heaven! I'll put my review up here and, as this is my very first attempt, please be gentle with me!!
My first impressions were that this was a well made machine. The quality and fit of the panels is excellent. The paintwork is great. The seat is comfy and the riding position is, for me, just right. I am 178cm (5'10""in the old money) and my knees have planty of room! I like the very slight forward lean the machine creates. I feel very visible in traffic and I think the machine has plenty of presence on the road. I can get both feet down on the road when stationary too.
I worked out my ride home to take me directly through the centre of the city. From Joondalup, I got onto Wanneroo Road and followed this right into town. I rode through Northbridge and down William Street, over the horseshoe bridge and then up Wellington Street to East Perth. From there, I went over the Causeway Bridge and turned onto the Albany Highway in Vic Park. I stayed on the highway all the way home. All-in-all, the door-to-door distance was 62km on a good range of roads and traffic conditions. The weather on Saturday was wet and windy, although when I rode it stayed pretty dry apart from a small amount of drizzle. The roads were a mixture of wet and dry.
Wanneroo Rd is a major thoroughfare from the Northern suburbs of Perth into the city centre. It has various speed limits from 60 to 80, so I thought it would be a good way home! I must admit, when I left Ace I was quite timid on the scoot. I just kept thinking "`New tyres, release agent, wet roads-WHOA nelly!!" How long do you think that lasted.....? After about five minutes riding the stupid, joker-style grin had crept over my face! This scoot is a hoot! It is well planted on the road and felt really predictable! The brakes were pretty good and my confidence in the handling was growing every second. For the first couple of traffic lights I didn't filter. I wanted to get an idea of just how the scoot would fire off the line, so I stayed in my lane and did a few practice starts to judge my takeoff against the cars around me. Didn't take me long to find the S1 is fairly swift of the line!!
When I finally went to the front, I was confident about the scoot's ability to get clear. While the S1 is nippy, I have so far found that, from a standing start, there is a bit of a 'lag'' before the power REALLY kicks in. Off the line the scoot moves OK but it takes that second before things really get going. Once the power kicks in, the Daelim fairly leapt down the road! This was the same on all terrain conditions-flat, uphill, downhill. Now, being a brand new scoot, it could be this 'lag' is due to the tightness of the engine.... Or simply me having to get used to how CVT really works. In any event, I didn't feel in danger from the cagers. On the entire journey home, only one car equalled me off the line and that was a V8 Commodore - so I'd expect that! It's a good job he was in the other lane! This speed off the line is very important, as it lets the cagers know that you're not a lawnmower on wheels to be mowed down AND it helps establish your road position quickly. As scooternut said the other day, if someone wants to overtake the bloody scoot, they'll do it regardless. But if you show the cars you can travel at what they would deem to be a 'legitimate roadusers' speed' (ie: THEIR speed!!), then, in my opinion, they'll be less likely to run you down for the sake of it! Must add here that, at a set of lights in front of Carousel, a BEAUTIFUL Triumph Speed Triple filtered up to the front of the other lane and I got an agreeable nod from the rider! Kudos to the S1!!!!
What I love about this scoot is its roll-on performance. From any speed, twist the throttle and the S1 just...., well, in the words of Kylie Mole: "She goes, she goes, she goes - she just goes!" Ride at 60, open up and-whoosh!!! That sweeeeet exhaust note kicks in and the bike takes off! Now, let's be relative about this! I'm not talking 60 to 160 in 2.1 seconds!! It IS a 125 after all!!! But the pulling power of the engine is sure and smooth enough to pull you around an abling cager before they have realised what you have done! There is no lag with the S1's roll-on performance. The engine spins sweetly - perhaps because it an oversquare engine (bore bigger than stroke) and doesn't want to stop. I got to 100 today and there was still more to give. I would expect roll-on performace at the top of the speed range to be more modest, but I haven't been game to REALLY test that out yet due to the newness of the engine. But in those commuting speeds, this bike's got it where it counts!
I have also noticed there appears to be a lot of 'natural' engine braking with this scoot. What I mean is, when I close off the throttle approaching a corner or a roundabout, the scoot slows quite quickly without the aid of brakes. If fact, today I was barely using my brakes at all! The scoot was slowing to a cornering speed and so there was no need. Simply enjoy the corner and-WHOOSH!! out the other side!! I also got a tad more adventurous with the handling today as the roads were dry around where I live. I started to lean the scoot more (but still thinking tyre release compound-easy tiger!!) and was rewarded with some sure cornering. Although not scraping the exhaust (yet??!), the S1 went round twisties with poise and solidity. Ne'er a twitch to be felt! Filtering past the stationary traffic in town and around Carousel in Cannington was easy as! At slow speeds, the bike felt poised and happy. I used a combination of left hand brake and throttle to control my speed in between the cagers and never felt at risk.
Storage-wise, the underseat area is a bit TARDIS-like! I seem to be able to cram heaps of shopping in there! My new Nolan N42 helmet and gloves fit in there with room to spare. I love the little light that comes on when the seat is opened too! I fitted a 33L Givi topbox to add to the overall storage. Yes-I fitted it! The shop was SOOO busy on Saturday, Steve kindly lent me his tools and let me work out the back whilst he sold heaps of Vespas!! The key operated little glovebox is perfect for house keys, mobile phone - even a Nintendo DS Lite will fit in there! So I'll be able to fill it up with loads of crap in no time! Nice touch having a 12v DC outlet in there too!
The centre stand is a breeze to operate. Seems like I just have to tap my toe on it and the scoot rocks back quickly and surely. Very little lifting on the passenger grabrail is necessary. I just have to hold on to it to steady things. Can't tell you how the light works at night yet cos I haven't been out in darkness. Will post when I've done this-basketball on Thursday night is a possiblity. After spending well over an hour riding home, I can say the seat is great! No hardness to be felt at all after that length of time. The horn is loud and easy to operate. If only the indicator switch underneath was as big!!
Now-it wouldn't be a review if there wasn't some evenhandness. There are some things about the Daelim I think need improving. As just mentioned, the indicator switch has issues!.It is just a little too far away from the handgrip for my liking. I'm finding I have to shift my hand slightly to turn it both on and off. I'm also finding the 'off' functionality a little unpredictable. Sometimes it seems like I have pressed off but it hasn't worked. It seems there is very little actual movement in the switch, so the press has to be spot on to work. I think there is a little getting used to my new gloves involved here, but the ergonomics of the switch position is just a little wrong for my pure riding pleasure. The mirrors are rock solid - no vibration whatsoever! But, in Steve's very true words (cough, cough) I am a 'broadshouldered' guy and I have found the S1's mirrors are not quite wide enough. I felt this when I test rode, but it's easily fixable. I have already attached two two inch convex blind spot mirrors and I can see great now!
The brakes are also proving to be something I need to get used to. The combined functionality is GREAT! I LOVE the stopping power there. But on their own, the brakes are already feeling a tad 'wooden'. I'm finding I have to give a REALLY good tug on either lever to pull the scoot up. I read somewhere during my research on the S1 that aftermarket pads do improve the stopping power, so that might be something to look into. However, I appreciate the newness of the scoot is something I have to get used to as well. Brakes have to 'bed in', right? In any event, I have no fear of locking up the brakes, which is VERY important to me. But I'll continue to keep an eye on this.
Overall, for me and my needs, this is money well spent! The fun factor is priceless! And I think my wife wants one now as well! 
A very BIG thanks to Steve at Ace for all his help with my endless questions and requests! This guy is totally priceless and is FANTASTIC to deal with! It pays to choose your dealer I think!
A definate thumbs up for the S1. If you're in the market for a pacy, racy, feature-laden 125, you must get yourself on one of these before you buy!
With the very kindest regards
Live the Dream - Ride a Scoot!! Preferably a Daelim S1!!! Troy Corser knows how good these scoots are, cos he's got one!!!!!