GARELLI XO 125 (2010 - on) Review

Famous Italian motorcycle brand Garelli is back with a new range of scooters and mopeds. The XO is effectively their flagship model and benefits from sharp looks, stable 16” wheels and decent disc brakes. It’s a stylish and perfectly adequate town run-around - the only drawback is a slightly lacklustre engine.

The XO fits into the big wheel scooter category thanks to its 16” rims. As such it’s very stable and easy to handle from walking pace all the way up to its top speed. The XO stops brilliantly thanks to disc brakes front and rear – a lot of similar scoots have a drum on the back.

The performance from the XO 125’s 125cc air-cooled single is fit for city use, but a little uninspiring compared to the competition. Top speed is around 55-60mph, but you might see 70 if you can get a decent slipstream going! Performance at town speeds is fine but above 50mph the XO 125 starts to struggle.  

Although Garelli is an Italian company, the XO is actually made in China then shipped over to Italy for the finishing touches and quality control. Garelli’s UK distributors Granby Motors assure us that parts and backup won’t be a problem, but it’s unlikely to be on par with more major brands - something buyers should consider before parting with their cash.

At £2,199 the Garelli is pretty much mid market – cheaper than most of the Japanese or Italian offerings but a lot more than the unknown Chinese scooters out there. The XO appears to be reasonable quality but it’s still an unknown quantity, so it’s hard not to be tempted to spend a little more for a big-brand scooter from the likes of Suzuki or Yamaha. In fact, Honda’s brilliant new PCX125 costs almost the same at £2,270. Find a scooter for sale.

The Garelli XO 125 has a sturdy luggage rack designed to take an optional top box, flush-fit indicators and cool LED spotlights in the front fairing – plus they deserve points for giving us that rear disc brake. But the underseat storage bay is way too shallow to take my full-face helmet and the cubbyhole in the leg-shield is a nice thought but oddly shaped, limiting it’s usefulness. Compare and buy parts for the XO in the MCN Shop.