Peugeot Tweet 125

Comfortable, light, easy to ride but put on the wind shield and in the sun the speedometer MELTS!

I wrote the previous review of the Tweet, so having had it for just over a year now, I wanted to add a few updates.

I have really enjoyed this scooter! It starts first time, everytime. Not had a single problem with it. Disc brakes at front and back have served me well in London traffic. It continues to be nippy and nimble in London traffic, and ecomonical, matching the mgp as stated by Peugeot, which is around 85mpg. I have since test ridden a Vespa LX 15, and there is just no way I would go back to one of them. The upright riding position suits me well, as do the large wheels.

Two points that irritate me slightly about the scooter. Firstly, the fuel tank isnt massive, so I am having to refuel every 4 days, whereas with my previous scooters which had larger fuel tanks, it was once a week max. This is a slight bug-bear. The second thing is kind of related - the Piaggio range have the 3v engine which boasts up to 140+mpg. This is significantly higher than 85mg I get from the Tweet. Although I worked out this would save me only like £150-£200 a yr in fuel costs, it does bug me. If the engine was already 3v, then I wouldnt care about the small fuel tank as it would last me more than a week.

That aside, I have no plans to change scooters yet. If Peugeot were to bring out a Tweet with a 3v equivalent engine, then I would upgrade to that, I maight also look at the new Piaggio Liberty 3v when it hits the UK next yr. But I wont be disappointed if I stay with the Tweet for another yr, as the quality of the ride really is excellent.

So, I have previously has a Piaggio Fly 125, which I liked but found a bit bland, and a Vespa GT 125, which I loved in terms of power and enjoyment of riding, but found fuel economy and manoeverability in the city let it down a bit. I also had problems with the electric-only start on both the Fly and Vespa, so I was looking for a new scooter to with good performance + improved maneoverability (compared to my heavy vespa) and good fuel economy, and a kick start - without spending a fortune on a new bike.

My local dealer stocks Peugeots, and I had looked at the Tweets and thought they looked quite nice, but the silly name put me off. I had my eye on a Peugeot Vivacity 125 instead. Until I test drove it, the 125 version lacked power and pull, and the brakes were well dodgy (rear drum). So under duress I test drove a Tweet RS, and instantly it was everything I wanted, performance-wise. I took a week to think about it, as the name still put me off. But then I viewed the RS version the dealer had, and decided to stop over-thinking things, and just buy the bike!

So here's my review. The Peugeot Tweet RS 125 is incredibly light! It weighs in at 109k, which is 31ks less than my Vespa, and the difference is incredible. Combined with the 16 inch wheels, filtering is so much easier, through much narrower gaps than I ever could before. Can practically filter as much as cyclists. Because the bike is so light, it is very nippy on the road, with acceleration matching that of other 125 scooters with more powerful engines. I'm still breaking it in, and not pushing it too much, but it is performing well. I like the sound of the engine. I make good use of the side stand on my drive at home. Front and rear disc brakes as good as those on my Vespa. It has some under-seat button which you can switch off the electrics to bike, as a hidden security measure when the bike is left alone.

Downsides: lack of space under the seat, so you will need a top box for sure, and small fuel tank meaning you'll need to refuel fairly often. I think these are the only two points I'd mark the bike down on, and all the other positives far outweight them.

I went for the RS version as it is more sporty, so I am no longer bothered by the name of the bike (Tweet!). I get quite a few secret admiring glances on the road, as you dont tend to see too many of these bikes out there at the moment. Hopefully, people like me showing there's more to a bike than the name will inspire more people to buy them! This is a budget 125 scooter, but I cant think what else you can get for under 2k that matches the spec, performance and ridability (unless you go for Chinese). Comes with a 2 yr warranty.