WORDS: PETER ELLIOTT
PHOTOS: GEOFF OSBORNE
O
n the surface this little commuter
scooter is a darling. It’s bright,
light, and modern. Twin
headlights, twin daytime running lamps
and huge indicators on the front body
cowl, as well as to the rear, mean that
you and your intentions are going to be
clearly noticed. The finish overall, albeit
plastic, is top drawer. it exposing a bit of plastic and a screw
– looking a bit, well… amateur. The light
metal screw always caught the light and
it bugged the shit out of me. Am I being
niggling and pernickety? Yes, perhaps,
but it caught my attention every time I
looked at the bike.
The fabric is smart, with EVO stamped
into the top, and red stitching picks out a
stylish relief, and the whole seat flips up
easily with a twist of the key in the left
side keyhole. It took a second to find it,
and why not use an ignition lock? At the rear, somewhat sadly, is the
ubiquitous little drum brake. Dull,
and not particularly efficient in the
21st century.
However, that said, the mechanics are
brilliant. The front disc picked out in red
But, to my taste, the F-act Evo is a bit
looks great, and more importantly works
‘curate’s egg’, i.e. good in parts.
great, adding real stopping power in the
front end. The levers are stylish and
The seat, for example is comfortable, the
black and their braking feel is smooth,
riding position upright and it does not tilt
like good fishing reel drags.
the pelvis in odd directons, like Piaggio’s
offerings sometimes do to me.
And why build a scoot that cannot store
even a single open face helmet under
the seat? Storage is ‘de rigeur’ on a scoot
body and lack of it will necessitate buying
a luggage box, altering the aesthetic and
reducing aerodynamics. And why, when
you build in such stylish angles and lines,
would you not make the seat fit into that
cutaway shape in the bodyshell plastic,
like a crocodile’s jaws might? Instead the
seat body ignores the angle, passes over
On the plus side again – the tyres are
large and wider than normal and they
offer a look of ‘heft’ to the bike, but
they also add real grip and delicious
manoeuvrability in tight, niggly spaces.
They are mounted on grunty and
attractive cast mags. They impart a feel
of real quality, are unlikely to rust, are
dead stable in riding, and no longer look
like welded leftover bits from a press-
stamped table leg of communist origin.
Excellent work on that front Keeway!
KIWI RIDER 71