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Digital Dash. Speedo reads in KM or MPH. GPS testing shows that the speedometer is "optimistic" by 10% to 15%. I thought it was very kind of PSF to have the scoot custom painted to match my GPS! A nice feature is that the gas pump icon starts blinking when you are low on fuel. (Note: after receiving a couple emails, I think it important to note that the Explorist GPS does not come with the scoot!).

This is one fast scooter. I don't think speed testing means a lot until the unit is broken in but Zero to 40 mph is achieved in 8.52 seconds, right out of the box. For comparison, that's almost four seconds faster than a stock UM Matrix. With 700+ miles now logged, I get a GPS measured top speed of 64 mph.

For those of you familiar with Chinese scooters, this is not the same ol' thing. The rx150i has a modified GY6B engine. The scoot is rated 10.5 hp right out of the box. Here is what Power Sports Factory tells me about the engine:

"It's not the same and there are no cylinders or heads that will bolt up on the market at this time. The stud spacing is wider then a stock GY6 engine. It also has a High compression head and a wider and flatter piston. The bore and stoke is the same as a stock GY6 150cc. Also has a 26mm carb already installed from the factory so it's set up nice right out of the box. The only mod I suggest is to install an HP150 Carbon exhaust or something similar."

Note: I believe the statement that it's the same bore & stroke was a mistake, due to the fact that he said it was a wider piston. Specs in the manual indicate that it is indeed a slightly larger bore at 57.52mm. This would make it a 150.2cc engine, rather than the standard GY6 at 149.6cc. The engine also has a performance camshaft installed.

Some observations made while prepping the Eurojet: This was like no other Chinese scooter I've seen fresh out of the box. There were no loose bolts, nuts or screws. Build quality is quite good. Plastic panels fit very nicely. Yuasa battery. Prepping was a breeze, as everything was done properly at the factory.

This scoot is considerably smaller and lighter than the Phantom/Matrix clones.

One other note. This scooter is manufactured by Qianjiang (QJ Group), which is arguably one of the best manufacturers in China.

Gas cap:

This is one substantial gas cap. It's a locking cap which is located out from under the seat, which makes it easy to get to and fill. I'm not sure what went into the design of this thing but it's more substantial even than most automotive caps I've seen. The reason I bring up the gas cap is because it is indicative of the attention to detail found on this scooter.

The center stand is beefed up with a horizontal cross bar. It also sits back toward the rear of the scooter so that a large portion of the weight is supported by the front wheel. This is a vast improvement over the Phantom/Matrix design, which balances almost in the center of the scoot, leaving the center stand supporting almost all the weight.

The floor of the rx150i is a good 16" off the ground. I'm about 5'11" tall and need to sit fully to the rear of the seat to keep my knees out of my face. The resulting ride has a much higher center of gravity than I'm used to. At first I didn't like it but I'm adapting. The padding on the seat is pretty thick and the upholstry is thick heavy duty vinyl.

Suspension

The suspension consists of two hydraulic front shocks and a mono hydraulic rear shock. With the substantially shorter wheel base and single rear shock, I was fully expecting a rather bumpy ride. Such is not the case. The ride is nice and tight but actually surprisingly smooth. Smoother in fact than any of the other GY6 scooters I've ridden. Very close, but not quite as smooth as a Vespa ET4.

Tool Time

It may seem inconsequential until you are broken down on the side of the road. This tool kit includes several tools not found in most kits. Of course they are the same junky quality that comes with any such vehicle kit but they will do in a pinch. It even comes with a cute pink funnel for oil change (yuk). Don't ask me what that big ol' 38mm wrench is for but I hope I don't have to use it anytime soon!

Lights

The headlights are 12V 35/35W Halogen. The right bulb is for low beam and the left bulb is the high beam. They provide a good quality bright white light. Two additional 12V 5W running lights are on at all times. The charging system on this unit is a vast improvement over any other Chinese scooter I've ridden. You will not have dimming of the lights when you are idling at a stop light.

Blinkers are nothing out of the ordinary, except that they are loud enough that you aren't likely to forget they are on.

Documentation

I've seen a lot of owner's manuals for Chinese scooters and this one is a vast improvement. It's written in good English and is illustrated with photographs instead of cheesy drawings. It's not terribly in-depth but it does have a reasonably good trouble shooting section. There are a few errors though.

The infamous exhaust

This is an exhaust that I mistakenly criticized when I first saw it. Although it looks like a two stroke expansion chamber on the outside, it's not. As Alan describes it, it's a "four stroke pipe in drag". I've not noticed any negative affect from this pipe and it is very quiet.

It should be noted that the header pipe has a slightly different shape than most GY6 pipes. If you want to install a performance pipe, it would need to be heated and bent to shape. Word from PSF is that the addition of a performance pipe will add about 3-4 mph top end.

Consumer Warning:

A pipe being marketed on several websites looks very similar to the exhuast on the RX150i. It's not the same pipe. I installed the imposter on a UM Matrix and performance was very poor. If you look closely at the pic below, you can see how to tell the difference.

Carburetor

This is a 26mm Carb rather than the standard 24mm carb on other GY6 bikes. Build quality on it looks good. With it already being 26mm, you should be able to add a performance exhaust with no further modifications. We are looking for help identifying this carb. It has the word "Corundum" stamped on the side. Corundum is an aluminum alloy.

Air Box

The air box is located on the outside of the scooter. Air intake goes through a couple twists and turns and through a restricting snorkel on the way to the filter. The entire system is obviously well thought out and well built. Of course, engineers are calculating the perfect air/fuel mix, but if you are motorhead, you are looking at all the angles. One RX150i owner reported on the ScootDawg Forum that he removed the snorkel with good results. ScootDawg believes that when you start monkeying around with air intake, you also need to monkey with fuel and exhaust to keep everything in balance. PSF is good with tech support for dealers. This snorkel might be something to be removed if installing a performance exhaust along with up-jetting the carb.

Let's Talk Engineering
Over the past couple of years, I have become pretty well aquainted with the GY6 scooters out of China. Although the build and component quality can vary widely, they have all been pretty much the same design. It's quite obvious that somebody is re-thinking things. Take for example the crankcase venting. On the old GY6, the crankcase gasses were vented back into the air intake via the air box. That is all well and fine unless your engine is aging and you are experiencing a little more oil venting through the system. The oil can then saturate the air filter and cause real performance problems. With the Eurojet, the crank gasses are vented to a separate box where oil can be collected by a small foam filter. Oil then can drain via gravity through a drain tube. This system completely bypasses the air filter. This is just one of several engineering changes I have spotted in the 150i. I've started seeing this on other GY6 scooters as well and it's a welcome improvement.

Conclusion

I think this is one of the most forward thinking scooters I have seen out of China. What would I change? I would drop the floor level a couple of inches and use a more conventional exhaust system. Other than that, I just can't find much to change. Overall, if you are looking for a fast, nimble scooter for a very reasonable price from a company that has a reputation for strong support and parts availability, I recommend strongly that you consider the Strada RX150i.