Riding a motorcycle is supposed to be fun, even for those taking their first steps. That’s why we were delighted to ride a Voge 300AC for several days, a small naked bike built with newcomers in mind, but which still offered good riding moments for someone already well experienced in this field.

It’s sometimes frustrating to ride low-cylinder models – sometimes even too expensive for what they’re worth – and realize that they weren’t designed (or there was cost containment) for the less experienced. I’m talking about brake levers with a poor feel and no adjustment, suspensions that fall short of expectations, etc. Fortunately, we didn’t find any of that in this Voge, which seems to have been really well thought out and built – even at its benchmark price – and only in one respect can we really point the finger: a rider of tall stature won’t be able to fit on this bike!

THE RANGE

The brand is no longer new here at Motociclismo, but let us remind you that Voge is the premium brand of the Loncin manufacturer, which has a lot of experience in engine manufacturing. At the moment, Voge has models in the Adventure, Naked, Classic, Scooter and Electric segments, and while the current range is already very interesting, there will soon be other models shown at the last edition of EICMA. Other good news: the five-year warranty that the brand now offers for the entire range and the fact that anyone who doesn’t like this 300AC for some reason has other models available that are very similar. One of them is the 300ACX, which has the same single-cylinder engine but has spoke rims, a single seat and different aesthetic details in a more scrambler philosophy.

As for the 350AC, it has also arrived on the market and is also a classic-looking naked bike, but it has a parallel twin-cylinder engine and a series of components and general finishes that put it on a slightly more “premium” level compared to the smaller displacement bikes.

GOOD DETAILS

For those newly qualified with an A2 license, the bike we have here has some good features: 28.5 horsepower that’s easy for even the least experienced to handle, a low weight of 170 kg in running order (which actually feels a lot smaller) and an accessible seat. Aesthetically, it’s immediately noticeable for its beautiful headlight, taillight and LED indicators and for the good looks of the bike, with an inverted fork and two brake discs at the front with ABS from Bosch (the brand that also gives its name to the fuel injection system).

On the other hand, the instrumentation is very simple: there’s a gasoline level, a partial totalizer, and although you can change the shade of the background, there isn’t even a clock, but there is a USB port. Dynamically, the liquid-cooled engine is a lot of fun! The transmission is much longer than that of the 300 Rally we tested last month, but it doesn’t lack power, even though it prefers to run at medium/high speeds. You can drive in sixth gear from 3,500 rpm (at around 60 km/h), and you can see that it really wakes up after 6,500 rpm, allowing you to quickly reach 130 km/h and even 150 km/h when you rev it up. Not bad! As for the vibrations, which are sometimes annoying on single-cylinders, they don’t bother much and only appear at the last revs of the tachometer. Another highlight is the very pleasant sound of the exhaust, which even emits some interesting rumbles when decelerating!

THE BEST PRICE, FUN ENGINE, DYNAMIC

IMPROVING ERGONOMICS, INSTRUMENTATION, THROTTLE TRAVEL

DYNAMICS AND DETAILS
In terms of dynamics, there’s not much to say except praise! The inverted fork works very well and the two-disc front brake doesn’t fail either, and the feel of the adjustable lever is good. At the rear, the single shock absorber with connecting rods does its job without compromise.

It’s in terms of ergonomics, then, that this bike has a few shortcomings, since the fact that the seats are independent means that the rider can’t get a little further back. Ideally, the rider shouldn’t be much taller than 1.70m, otherwise the good riding position will be affected. Other details also worthy of improvement are the small passenger seat – which doesn’t have hard grips – the gear selector which is too close to the footrest and the accelerator handle which stretches too much. You twist the handle, twist it, and it doesn’t seem to reach the end, and some of the stickers don’t look very modern either. As for the rest, there are many good things to say, including the performance of the Cordial tires, both dry and in the rain, despite my initial doubts.

It’s a fun little bike, very economical (average consumption is around 3.9 l/100 km), with a great price and an excellent warranty, so I personally rate it as one of the most interesting Voge in the current range.

O conteúdo Review – Voge 300 AC – getting off to a fun start aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.