Peugeot Elyseo 100

I got a second hand Peugeot Elyseo 100 with 10000Km on it a month ago and I'm having great fun with it. It's by far the most fun I've ever had in city traffic. through corners it's very predictable. It's been reliable so far (but what can I say after only a month?). If you are a pizza deliverer with an urge to beat your rivals do not hesitate... seriously, Porsches and Ferraris may be faster on a circuit but in the real world of traffic jams, double parked trucks and speed bumps you will be among the faster people through your city/town/village. As soon as I've done some more Km on it, I will update this review on reliability and build quality, but as of yet, there seems to me no major problems.

I bought the Peugeot Elyseo in 2001 to replace a CG 125 as a commuter bike. All went well for the first 6000 kms then the scooter siezed solid for no apparent reason. The barrel and piston were replaced under warranty without any problems. Then at 10,000 kms the CDI unit failed. Again this was replaced under warranty. The symtoms being the scooter refusing to do more than 35kms/hr. At this point I was glad to have paid for dealer servicing from new.

However, at 14,000 kms, and out of warranty, the CDI unit failed again along with the coil and some other electrical bits. The bill came to 400 pounds. I complained to Peugeot UK who eventually refunded the cost of the CDI unit.

Once the scooter was out of warranty I did my own servicing, which is pretty straight forward. Eventually at about 18,000 kms the performance fell off. This turned out to be the original exhaust disintegrating internally. Due to the prohibitive cost of a genuine replacement I bought a Leo Vinci touring exhaust. This was easy to fit and the engine performance was back to normal. However, the finish on these exhausts is poor and they rust with a passion. Mine eventually cracked near the exhaust port. It must have made the scooter run very weak because it siezed again. The exhaust was welded up and a barrel and piston sourced from the breakers. The scooter siezed again for no apparent reason at about 40,000 kms, but this time only the piston and rings were wreaked. Stripping the bike down I noticed that the top exhaust mount, which is part of the engine casing was cracked and duly snapped off. This is apparently a common fault, caused in part by the weight of the original exhaust. I managed to get it welded back on but it failed again at 50,000kms. This time I made up a new bracket to hold the exhaust on. It is worth noting that the Leo Vinci exhaust weighs about a third of the original.

Apart from engine faults, the main stand is weak and can wear thru the supporting axle. The headlight is very poor and the bulb blows frequently. The indicator switch wore out and had to be replaced. I have never had any problems with the electric start but the kickstart mechanism seems weak and very components wear out if you use it a lot.

After this description you might think I would have hated the Peugeot. However, it has character, I love the smell of the synthetic two -stroke and I like a bike I understand and can work on. In contrast the Honda Pantheon I bought to replace the Peugeot ( but which I can't make myself sell) is well built, considerable faster and more economical but is totally bland.