An all-singing, fully equipped adventure bike for a smidge over nine grand? There’s got to be a catch, surely? Dave Manning tells us what we need to know. Photos from Too Fast Media
Having ridden the Voge DS900X for a day, I have the feeling that the only catch that its bargain price can bring is the name. While you may not know much about Voge, it seems that it is a brand that is on the rise in the UK, and this twin cylinder 900 is the new kid on its block.
The parallel twin engine is, to all intents and purposes, the same engine as that used in the BMW F900, with both companies’ engines being built by Loncin (which is actually the Voge parent company). That said, they are not identical – although capacity, bore and stroke and compression are the same, and some of the casings are, too. But there are enough differences to allow them to stand apart. Factory figures show that the Voge has 12 less bhp, but a higher torque figure by 2Nm (which may be down to ECU settings, or more likely due to the exhaust and airbox configurations), with the end result being the DSX feeling a little less eager and punchy, but probably a little more flexible than the motor in the German machine.
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As you’d expect, the parallel twin powerplant is flexible and potent enough for everyday use, albeit not as feisty or as characterful as, say, a KTM of similar capacity. But then, not everyone wants their ride to be started ‘ready to race’ do they? The quickshifter is perhaps an indication of where the Voge sits, in that it is fitted and it works well enough, but certainly not as fluidly or as swiftly as bikes that have performance as a greater focus. It’s not a bad ’shifter, although there is a feeling that it has been fitted just so it can be added to the spec sheet rather than as an actual performance aid that’s been part of the bike’s development.
That modern spec engine is joined by an astoundingly high level of componentry – there’s heated grips and seat, crash bars, additional lights, full luggage set, cruise control, centre stand, etc. To put that little lot into context, if you spec’d up a BMW 900GS to the same level, you’d be looking at double the price of the Voge…
And it’s not just the tech and ancillaries that are of a decent spec, as the DSX has some decent hardware in the chassis, too, including Kayaba forks and rear shock, and the brake calipers are Brembo, albeit the older, non-radial style of caliper, and I have to admit to being a bit disappointed in their performance, as they’re not quite up to scratch when compared with the brakes on comparable models from other manufacturers.
Now, I don’t reckon that this is just down to them being an older design, or the Voge being quite a heavy machine, but more of a mismatch between pad compound and disc material, and they could even be improved just by a swap of pads.
While the quality control of Chinese bikes has come on leaps and bounds in the last decade (even more so in the last couple of years), it does seem that the one thing that is still being used to skimp on costs is pad choice (or development). There are some other little niggles that might have normally been ironed out in the development process. While both brake and clutch levers are adjustable for span, the hand guards and their bracketry mean that it’s nigh on impossible to alter them. The indicator switch doesn’t have a ’click’ so I found myself checking (again and again) if it was on, or off. And some of the fasteners already had an orange/brown tinge that suggested they’d get rusty really quickly, and some of the coating (zinc?) looked a little thin.
But those little niggles are balanced out by there being no thin and flimsy plastic that looks as though it’ll crack and splinter at the words ‘ham-fisted’, and there are no mismatched fasteners or zip ties used in place of more appropriate devices, so overall the quality is much higher than is so often (incorrectly) assumed when someone uses the words ‘Chinese-built’.
The three-piece luggage that comes as standard fitment seems of a decent quality, so much so that each box has a nice fleecy/velvet lining that is held in place by Velcro, that is actually rigid enough to stand as a box when removed. And the top box is big enough to fit in an adventure-style helmet (my large-peaked Icon lid that you see in the pics fitted a treat). The pillion seat seems quite suitable (I tried it out while parked at a photo location), although that top box does intrude a little, forcing you further forward than the seat wants you to be.
In contrast to some other manufacturers’ models, the Voge has a screen that is really easy to adjust, possible with one hand when you’re sat on the bike, although on a bright and dry day on minor byways and highways in Lancashire, I didn’t get the chance to experience the screen’s effectiveness at either motorway speeds or in poor weather conditions.
There are four ride modes – the usual variety of Road, Sport, Rain and Enduro – while for those folks who like to commit to a bit more adventurous exploring, the ABS can be switched off (ABS and traction control are off in the Enduro mode). That said, the DSX is perhaps more appropriate for what has become traditional ‘adventure’ riding – i.e. the occasional bit of mild exploring along gravel trails or grassy fire roads. This is no pseudo-enduro machine capable of off-road competition, and it has a very heavy road bias. Which is, of course, exactly what the current market is demanding.
The 7-inch TFT dash display is a decent size, but then it needs to be given the amount of information that it can show (including tyre pressures). It’s flanked by a pair of power supply sockets, the USB/mini USB on the left, and a cigarette lighter-type on the right.
It’s got keyless ignition, so you can leave the fob in your pocket which ‘improves both ease of use and security’ according to factory blurb. I’m not entirely convinced of that, as you still need the keys for the luggage and fuel cap… and, talking of things that many folk will consider to be nothing more than a fad and pretty much irrelevant if you’ve not grown up in the Playstation generation, there’s the blind spot assistance lights that flash an orange triangle in the mirrors when vehicles are detected nearby by the onboard RADAR.
I got fed up of telling the Voge: “Yes, I’d already seen that, tell me something I don’t know!” Of course, it is a safety aid and genuinely beneficial, and I am old, grumpy and cynical… There’s also the rear proximity warning, which flashes the brake lights and indicators when a vehicle is approaching from behind. Aside from giving the driver of that vehicle some extra awareness, it also flashes the dash lights so the rider can either move out of the way or prepare for impact. Again, some might consider it a gimmick, but if it saves a collision it has to be a good thing. And besides, it makes for great fun and games if you’re following a DSX, playing at either trying to creep up behind unannounced, or in making the rider jump with lots of flashing lights when you’d not been spotted in the mirrors…
Being launched in late summer, it was soon clear that the Voge is ready for a British winter as it has (as standard, of course) heated grips and a heated seat, both controlled by buttons on the left-hand switchgear, as is the cruise control, which is very similar to the KTM style t-shaped paddle, and easy to use.
And we have to keep referring to the price of a quid under nine grand (plus OTR charges, so actually £9200-ish). It’s not a cheap bike at that price, but it most certainly is a cheap bike in the context of adventure bikes, especially when you look at the level of spec, and realise that there isn’t really much cutting of corners when it comes to the level of build.
Okay, so the calipers are old-style axially mounted Brembos, but the tyres are the excellent Pirelli Scorpion Trail hoops, and pretty much all of the things that other manufacturers list on their accessory packages come as standard with the DSX. Plus some others, like the 1080p camera. Yes, the Voge is equipped with a ‘dashcam’ located in the nose of the fairing and, aside from being able to continually record (to a memory card of your choice slotted into the bike’s hardware), you can also record still images while on the move by pressing the appropriate button on the right-hand bar! The operations can be controlled from your phone via the Voge app, which will, of course, allow you to interact with your bike in various other ways, too.
There’s a phrase that, when I started in the bike industry a quarter-of-a-century ago, I never thought I’d use: ‘Interact with your bike.’ It’s certainly something that has come to be normal over the course of the 21st century’s first quarter, and it’s not going to be going away. And it seems that Voge is covering every aspect of that interaction, and all as basic spec rather than costly additions. Nice.
Specification: Voge DS900X
Engine: 895cc, parallel twin, 270° crankshaft, DOHC, water-cooling, eight valves, slipper clutch, 86mmx77mm bore/stroke
Power: 93.8bhp (70kW) @ 8250rpm
Torque: 70.1lb-ft (95Nm) @ 6000rpm
Frame: Steel frame, bolt-on steel subframe
Wheelbase: 1580mm
Rider aids: Traction control, four modes (Sport, Rain, Enduro, Road), blind spot warning, rear proximity alert, tyre pressure monitoring
Brakes: (F) Twin two-piston Brembo calipers, 305mm discs, (R) Single piston Brembo caliper, 265mm disc, dual channel ABS switchable for off-road
Transmission: Six gears, chain final drive, quickshifter
Suspension: (F) Upside-down KYB forks, preload, rebound and compression adjustable, 194mm travel, (R) KYB shock, reload and rebound adjustable, 198mm travel
Wheels/Tyres: (F) 21in spoked wheel, 90/90x21in Pirelli Scorpion Trail III tyre, (R) 17in spoked wheel, 150/70x17in Pirelli Scorpion Trail III tyre
Seat height: 825mm
Fuel capacity: 17 litres
Weight: 238kg
Contact: www.vogemotorcycles.com
Price: £9200
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