As Loncin’s premium brand, Voge has been establishing its name on the European market with the launch of many interesting models and proposals for the old continent and, in particular, for Portugal. We’ve been at the controls of the Voge 525 ACX and want to tell you a bit about it.
Looking at Voge, we realize that the Chinese brand’s range has a lot of models, some perhaps too similar, but we can also understand that this is due to “growing pains” and an attempt to enter the European market in a big way. The 525 ACX marked the revamp of the 500 cc range, with its naked sister likely to be next – and the new adventure, the 525 DSX has already been announced.
SOMETHING FAMILY-FRIENDLY
We talk about this a lot (or almost) every time we test a Chinese motorcycle, but it’s important to note that bikes from the other side of the world these days are a far cry from what they were 8/10 years ago. They may have a few details that deserve attention, but in general they are quite complete and well-built and, as a rule, they have mechanical components based on brands that have a lot of experience and were – or are – partners of the Chinese brands. All this to tell you that the Voge 525 ACX is a very familiar bike in terms of its behavior, particularly in terms of its engine. The 494 cc in-line twin-cylinder puts out 47.6 hp at 8,500 rpm and although they’re not racing horses, they work well and very smoothly, giving the impression that this engine is more focused on reliability than performance. We were even able to drive in high gears and at low revs, without having to worry about too many gear shifts or vibrations. The response is always prompt and what we would expect from a 500 cc engine with A2 license specifications, while consumption was under 5L (average of 4.6L during our test). There are no driving modes here, and the way the power is delivered depends on the rotation of the two cylinders and the sensitivity of the right hand grip. The gearbox is very smooth and well-shifted, which makes it even easier to drive and reduce gear changes.
BALANCE
The engine is always (or almost always) the main focus, but the way everything else reacts to the bike’s heartbeat is extremely important. That’s why Voge didn’t want to neglect the cycling, equipping this model with a 41 mm inverted fork at the front, with 151 mm of travel, very useful for off-road riding – but we’ll get to that in a moment. At the back, there’s a single shock absorber with connecting rods, which, although it’s not adjustable, behaves very well on any type of road surface, as does the front suspension. On the road, the suspensions offer a good compromise between the sensations they transmit and comfort, although we quickly realize their limits, something I consider positive, since we don’t lose our sense of what’s happening underneath us, even when we reach the maximum potential of the front and rear.
Off-road, we can expect similar behavior and then we realize that the Voge 525 ACX has its limitations, with the suspension being quite soft, but with good travel, which on the one hand allows us to ride to the beach more comfortably, but limits what we can do with this bike on rough terrain. But that’s what a scrambler bike is, right? With mixed tires – in this case the Metzeler Tourance, which we liked a lot on the road and off it too – a comfortable riding position, spoke rims with a 19″ front wheel and a satisfactory capacity to take a good unpaved route to the beaches of Costa da Caparica, with the possibility of taking some slide photos all the way to the destination. What more do we need? Well, that could be a rhetorical question, but in this case it’s not. For the Voge 525 ACX, it’s necessary to review the Nissin front brakes, which, despite having two 298 mm floating discs, proved to be less than biting and at odds with the rest of the bike. Disconnectable ABS on the rear wheel would also be a welcome addition, given this bike’s characteristics.
THE BEST Smoothness of the engine, homogeneity of the whole TO BE IMPROVED Braking, dashboard navigation
MATCHING EQUIPMENT
As mentioned at the beginning of this text, Chinese motorcycles are very different and Voge in particular has certain characteristics that are common to practically all its models. The 525 ACX is no exception and in addition to the round optics on the front that characterize all of the Chinese brand’s classic models, the 7″ TFT dashboard also characterizes this Voge, offering Bluetooth connectivity, two display modes and plenty of well-organized information. We’d just like more intuitive and faster navigation, something that has been a common feature of all Voge models. This model also has full LED lighting, a USB socket at the front and a tire pressure sensor as standard. And in addition to the technological gadgets, Voge has also equipped this 525 ACX with a small deflector at the front – which may have just been a placebo, but it sincerely seemed to make a small difference – and a raised “two-in-one” exhaust, which immediately gives away the fact that this is a scrambler bike because of its style, and compliant with EURO5 standards because of the huge size of the silencer.
BEAUTIFUL AND HONEST
Tastes are not debatable, it’s true. However, it’s safe to say that this Voge 525 ACX stands out for its distinctive scrambler style, but also for unique details such as the huge yellow “X” on the tank and the well-designed rear optics on the slender rear of the bike. Mechanically, we liked this model a lot because it gives us the feeling that everything is well aligned and built, with quality and the ability to last a good few years. Small details need to be fine-tuned and braking will definitely be the most important aspect. At the end of the day, the Voge 525 ACX is an honest bike that doesn’t compromise and really delivers what it promises. With all its features and the ability to be ridden with an A2 license, this bike is a serious proposition that shouldn’t be looked down on by the competition.