TheScooterScoop

(Thanks to the Urban Moto Shop, right here in Austin, for providing our stunt scooter!)

Daelim is finally available here in Austin! Last week Urban Moto Shop gave me a buzz and invited me to come by and check it out, so just this last Friday I took them up on it.

First things first. Who the HELL is Daelim Motor? Another fly-by-night knock-off shop? Not at all. Daelim, whose importer is based in Miami, FL, is the only scooter manufacturer from Korea that is available in the USA (oops! except, as Bryce points out, Hyosung). Word on the street is that the fit-and-finish is on par with Taiwanese offerings. That being said, the common conception is that the order of production quality goes something like Japanese, Italian, Taiwanese, and Chinese, with Elbonian following in a close 5th place.

Daelim Motor Ltd. has been manufacturing motorcycles in Korea since 1962. In 1982 their head company, Daelim Industrial, merged with Kia Industrial to form the company known today as Daelim Motor Co. Ltd.., the largest builders of motorcycles in Korea, producing more than 300,000 motorcycles a year. Also, any proper Daelim sales person would be quick to point out, that Daelim had been working in a coalition with Honda Motor Company of Japan to produce their scooters… which leads you to imagine that they build with strict quality control.. AND, for the most part it seems that is the case (although the History 125 that Urban Moto originally received had an issue with the speedometer, that may have been a shipping issue.)

They had a few different models in stock, the S2 which comes in a 125 or 250 4-stroke, the History 125 4-stroker and even the Roadwin which is one of Daelim’s motorcycles. I’ve always kinda liked the History (called the Forté overseas), but Greg insisted I give the Delfino a twist… but, before I do, let’s take a closer look at her.

Clean and relatively modern (Daelim’s site describes it as “New Millennium Design” where “Simplicity made by Dolphin shaped body-line and stability made by plump rear design comes along with the stylish city life.” um, ok), to the experienced a first glance would tell you this isn’t a Chinese knock-off. When I grabbed the brakes they were solid and the handles didn’t feel like they might snap off. I approve. The seat was comfy and as you can see from the first image, a 6’2″ rider can easily sit flat footed thanks to the 31.5″ seat height.

Under this comfy seat was some pretty impressive storage. My new 3/4 summer helmet (Momo Mini from Benchmark Helmets) easily fit below (look for that review soon too). You can also see the oil cap because this IS, after all, a 2-stroke. You can also see the mount plate for a top box from Daelim on the rear spoiler.

On close inspection you might notice that the exhaust pipe appears to be sealed off. What would normally be the exhaust pipe in a 4-stroke is, from what I can tell, the expansion chamber and the exhaust gases actually exit a smaller pipe below. I’m not sure what a good custom exhaust, (maybe bigger jet, update the rollers/sliders and add a Kevlar belt) will do for her performance, but I have to say I wasn’t disappointed with the stock set up.

Spin her to the left a bit and you can see the grafix on the side that say “Delfino”. I’m sure you won’t have trouble removing them should the urge strike. Now that I see them from afar, they don’t look so bad. When I was right up on the scooter, I didn’t dig ‘em.

Delfino is Italian for “dolphin”. I like dolphins and all, but I was pleased that the only dolphin on the scooter was here on the speedo. If you know a graphic designer you could have that whole backplate redone with something more menacing like a shark or some skulls and stuff. You’ll notice it says 80 MPH. Maybe they were leaving some room for growth. She WILL however make short work of 60 MPH.

This is the shot where you can see that tiny exhaust pipe coming off of that larger faux-pipe/expansion chamber. You also notice that she comes with a side stand as the center stand is up in this photo.

Additional storage can be found above the headlight. Not much, but I could close it with this Dr.Pepper inside… in case you like drinking warm Dr.Pepper.

I kinda like the look and she was definitely well put together.

Strike a pose. See the telescopic fork suspension? It handled my 40 MPH speed bump nicely.

Down here you can see where the gas cap resides and you might be able to make out the front disc brake which offered some decent stopability. In the rear she’s got drum brakes.

So… What we’ve got here is a solidly built, 100cc (99.7cc kickin’ out 8HP to be exact), air-cooled, automatic 2-stroke scooter sittin’ on 10″ wheels and pulling upwards of 83 MPG. Those numbers are not bad, but when you tack on Daelim’s 2 year warranty and an MSRP of $1990 (I hear the pricing is being updated today which could mean this baby won’t be able to compete in the “Best sub $2000 scooter” category, sorry), you’ve got a really swell value.

Now, for performance. I know I’ve been holding this back. As you may recall, when I got to Urban Moto, Greg suggested I take the Delfino for a spin. He said everyone else in the shop poo-poo’d the thing until they took it around the block and like everyone else, I was giddy with the pick-up this baby had. This was a true twist-n-GO! I bounced onto South Lamar without once fearing that I’d be run over by on coming cars. VERY responsive. I even thought, “THIS would be a good scooter for the wife”.

She ran quick and quiet. I had wished I had the time to run a quarter-mile test to illustrate how quick she was, but I can tell you it was a helluvalot faster than any comparably priced 50cc 4-stroke.

So far the available options are a top case and an extended windscreen. Don’t bother looking for them on the website. They’re not to be found. As for the two year limited warranty, it breaks down like this:
- First period (up to 365 days): All parts covered.
- Second period (up to 540 days): Engine and electric ONLY.
- Third period (up to 730 days): Engine ONLY.
So, EVERYTHING is not covered for the 2 year period, but it still better than most.

Here’s the specs courtesy of P-Town Scooters in Portland.

PLUSES:
+ Pleasingly Peppy!
+ “Plump Rear Design” (who doesn’t like plump rears?)
+ Owner’s manual AND service manual available for easy download (while the writing is pleasant it can be wordy and redundant at times.)
+ Has a parking break and a light for the under seat storage.
+ Well built (dealers love ‘em, riders love ‘em)
+ 2-Strokes aren’t dead!
+ Nice price at sub $2000 (at least as of right now)
+ Great Warranty (2 years, but you might not ever need it)

MINUSES:
- Dolphins remind me of Key West and you KNOW what kind of scooters they rent down there. Blech.
- Brand still relatively unknown, making for a lower resale value should you ever decide to part with her.
- May not be available in your “neck of the woods” just yet.
- Website not so great. Would like to have a little more info on the scooters and accessories. Needs a writer to help them build the “Daelim” experience, not just clinical specs.

This scooter is definitely recommended if you:
-> Don’t have very long legs
-> Travel at speeds up and around 50 mph
-> Like to have some get-up-and-go
-> Can spend between $2000 and $2650 (adding tax, prep, etc)
-> Don’t like your scooter to be in the shop
-> Enjoy good fuel economy (85mpg)