CFMOTO’ s XO Papio Racer has an odd name and is a curious little critter of a motorcycle. Slotting into that wonderful niche of pint-sized urban runabouts such as Honda’ s Grom, the Papio seemingly exists to make you grin like an idiot while scuttling about town on something that looks, frankly, adorable. In a world where big capacity, big horsepower, and big bravado often steal the headlines and eyeballs, the Papio rolls up its tiny sleeves and does exactly none of that, and that’ s exactly why it’ s worth talking about.
WHAT IS IT? At the Papio’ s core sits a 126cc air-cooled, single cylinder engine. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, 126 cubic centimetres. That’ s barely more displacement than your lawn mower. But unlike your lawn mower, the Papio is fuel injected, has a six-speed gearbox, and makes just under 10hp at peak shout. In the realm of engine numbers, that does sound small. However, so does the 114kg kerb weight. Crack the throttle open and you won’ t be slipping off your seat, but you’ ll probably giggle at how willingly this little engine buzzes its way up the rev range. The top speed is best described as“ yes, technically”, but I reached into the high 90s( km / h) on some downhills, so there is credibility to some motorway commuting upon it. Extended motorway trips would be a stretch,
however I have heard tale of a tester taking it all the way up to the famous Puhoi pub, so perhaps such endeavours depend upon the size of rider kahunas as much as it does engine displacement. As a university student commuting across some 30km or so of motorway, I found the Papio brilliant at zipping through traffic at rush hour, but precarious and often honked at when everyone else was up to speed. I ended up taking the bus more often than not, and you can take what you will from that about me. The student in me also loves the $ 4490 price tag and two year warranty.
BUILD QUALITY One thing that is quickly noticed when throwing a leg over the Papio, an act akin to straddling a coffee table with its 760mm seat height, is that the build quality is incredibly well sorted for something in this size and price bracket. It feels solid, the paint finish is smart and glossy, and everything feels very strapped down. I’ d expect this bike to hold together pretty well after a silly lowside or two, wing mirrors notwithstanding. The seat is decently padded, though you’ re not avoiding all the road’ s undulations with both the upside-down front fork and single rear shock having only 96mm of travel apiece. More the problem child are the 12-inch rims; try not to hit any potholes.
KIWI RIDER 25