2007 UM V2S250

NAME: Tricia Szulewski
AGE: 35
HEIGHT: 5’ 7”
POSITION: RoadBike Art Director
BEEN RIDING FOR: 12 years
OWNS: 1999 Honda Shadow ACE 750; 2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200S

Since I’m not a guy, and I don’t have a giant ego driving my pre-conceived notions (see Jon Langston’s full review in RoadBike Nov/Dec 2007), I was actually looking forward to my chance to try out the UM. For my first ride, a bunch of us here at RoadBike took a fellow coworker on his debut “lunch ride” on his newly acquired first bike. Needless to say, the pace was pretty relaxed, and there was very little showboating going on, as is the case on many of these excursions (I work with too many boys!) I found this bike to be surprisingly well-made. It’s comfortable, reliable, and has a lot of features you don’t even find on larger displacement, more expensive bikes. The UM handles easily, and very well, and the brakes are superb for this pricepoint.

I thoroughly enjoyed my group ride, and came off it looking forward to taking possession of the UM for a while, so I could get a better idea of the bike’s capabilities. While the bike shines and is the most fun on twisty back roads, I found my brief highway experience surprisingly enjoyable. Full-throttle redlining through every gear is the way I like to ride the bike. But I’m not a big fan of clip-ons, and after an hour of hard riding, my hands and back ache from the sportbike seating position and extreme handlebar vibration.

Oh, and of the 150 miles I clocked, this bike got 60 miles to the gallon! Add that to the low MSRP and I think this little 250 is a great buy for not just beginners, or high-schoolers, but for commuters and those who want a fun second bike as well.

The bike gots lots of looks everywhere we took it.

It’s a nice-looking cockpit.

For an entry-level bike, we were impressed by the dashboard features, which include an LED fuel-gauge, odometer, speedometer, tripometer, clock, and an analog tachometer.	Unimpressive, though, were the sloppy details, like cheap hardware, gaps, and mirrors and windshield that distort their images.
But, other details like bungee hooks…	…and easy to access, roomy underseat storage and battery made up for it.
This strap that attaches the passenger pillion to the bike’s frame is a little odd.	Even odder, is some of the wording on the warning labels. Especially when it states the displacement as 647cc.
In case you can’t find the oil filter, here it is.	Overall, it’s a fine-looking machine. You’re getting a bargain-priced beginner’s sportbike that you don’t see every day.

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