SUPER SOCO TC MAX (2019 - on) Review

Brakes are wooden and only just adequate. They are linked, and the "back" (back and one front piston) seems more effective than the front. I've tried to find after market pads but EBC only do a mirror image of the front pads. Very odd. It doesn't have regen braking which is a shame, and would help. Suspension is basic but works OK.

Pulls well from stationary but tails off at speed, as you'd expect from electric. Can manage a hill start on 1:10 with 100kg on board. No regen. The brake light switches cut the motor power so you can't do a hill start without rolling back a bit. At speed the throttle control becomes very on/off so its hard to ride smoothly above 40 on part throttle. The battery is quite temperature sensitive.

Some corrosion already showing in nooks and crannies. Its made fairly solidly so this will only be cosmetic. Seat/battery cover lock feels flimsy - like the key will snap one day.

Running costs are trivial. Elecricity is pennies, and tyres are in the cheap learner bike range. Haven't serviced it yet, but since there's only brake pads & fluid, tyres and a drive belt, it should be a doddle to DIY. I stripped the front brake to make sure it was all working OK (see below). Battery has a 2 year warranty, so we'll see how well that lasts. Could be an expensive replacement if it wears out after that.

LED headlight is good. Seat is thin, and not really big enough for two full sized adults (although you probably wouldn't want to ride any distance 2-up!). OK for transporting a child. Indicator switch is small and fiddly, and doesn't have push to cancel. I put a top box on for practicality and to improve the short seat / cafe racer style that I don't like. Hefting the battery out to take it inside to charge might be hard for shorter or weaker people. Its quite a lump and you have to lift it clear of the highest part of the bike. It does have the option to plug the charger into the bike, but that's only any good if you can do it in a shed or garage. Mine is out the front so I can't leave the charger out all night. I chose the alloy wheels as I didn't fancy trying to keep cheap chrome spokes clean through British winter road salt. Storage compartment in the "tank" seems to be designed to take the charger, but can also take a good sized U-lock, which is handy.

For short commutes it's fine but the seat is fairly hard which you feel over rougher areas. The brakes are effective, but lack ABS.

The motor is a mixed bag. The instant response is lovely, and the acceleration from lights is fine despite the tiny HP rating (Similar to the KTM Duke 125 that my commuting partner rode as a learner bike despite a large power difference) However, the throttle control is not as smooth as it should be, with noticeable step changes in power output that can be annoying at some speeds where you're bouncing from one to the other. Acceleration falls off dramatically at speed, past 40mph it's pretty gutless and I've never got much faster than 50mph on the flat with my 100kg self on it. Again, for town commutes I don't find this problematic at all, but would not choose to ride it on a 60mph+ limit road, where a normal 125 is fine.

Had a few error codes and one loose connection that resulted in loss of power while riding that I fixed myself - still a scary moment.

Running costs are fantastic - I'm looking at 60 miles a week and that costs me less than 50p

Lacking ABS is a shame. The tyres seem passable. The alarm is very quiet so will not have much use. However, the immobiliser is nice - if you try to roll the bike away it locks the rear wheel using the motor. Granted, at 100kg it's pretty steal-able anyway but certainly a nice touch. Sadly while the bike comes with tracking in some markets, in the UK this does not seem to work.