Motorcycle specifications Voge525 R 2023 Motorcycle school?

Voge, the Chinese manufacturer, wants to broaden its range and not just focus on the trail market. The company is offering its new 525 R roadster with a youthful, enticing look. Could it be a school bike like some Honda CBs or Kawasaki ER6 / Z650s? Perhaps, yes ..

the art of appearance

Statically, this 525 R (which follows on from the 500 R) is a real eye-catcher! It's a look that's sure to turn many a young (and not so young) biker's head. The 500 R plays the role of big sister, and its plastic has been taken over and slightly refined. Fire, tank shell (17 L), rear hull line: everything is taut on this bike, and you can feel the bowstring ready to release its arrow and propel it forward. Medium-displacement bikes can be bland, but not this one. Voge has pushed the styling envelope right down to the smallest detail, and the engine is just as aesthetically pleasing, with a particularly elaborate crankcase combining black and polished surfaces. The light signature features LEDs throughout.

What's new compared to the 500 R is the LCD screen behind the handlebars, which looks as modern as the rest of the bike. The display offers a choice of colors (orange, blue, grey) and displays the rev counter, gear engaged, fuel gauge / average consumption and a clock. A USB port lets you charge a phone or GPS, a nice touch.

A sharp chassis: Nissin, KYB, Pirelli or Bosch

Voge is at it again with its bike design. The chassis is based on a tubular steel trellis frame. The frame is grafted onto a Kayaba suspension system, with a 41 mm KYB upside-down fork offering 109 mm of travel. The rear monoshock comes from the same supplier and offers 119 mm of travel, with some adjustment options. The fork is not adjustable. For greater efficiency and progressiveness, the shock absorber is mounted on pushrods.

Braking is entrusted to the Nissin duo for hardware and Bosch for ABS management. The front features a 298 mm double disc with 2-piston calipers, while the rear is fitted with a 240 mm disc with a Nissin single-piston caliper.

the chassis offers 160 mm of ground clearance and a seat height of 785 mm. This makes the bike accessible to the widest possible range of riders.

In terms of safety, we're also delighted to note that the bike is fitted with European tires, Pirelli Angel 120/70 at the front and 150/60 at the rear. The design has had no impact on tire choice. Some manufacturers have a tendency to fit a 160 tire on small bikes to make them look bigger, but when it comes to riding these little machines, the 150 offers much better handling.

Voge announces a running weight of 198 kg, so the 525 R is slightly overweight compared to its Chinese rivals by around 15 kilos.

525, you're bluffing!

With this name, one might be tempted to make the following shortcut: this bike is a 525 cm3. But no! The sirens of marketing have deceived you. The 500 was already just a 471 cm2 and the 525 will be just a 494 cm3. In fact, the 180° vertical twin-cylinder engine's stroke bore has changed slightly, from 67 x 68.8 mm to 68 x 68 mm. As a result, the roadster gains 4 hp, from 43.5 hp to 47.5 hp (35 kW) at 8,500 rpm, right at the bottom of the red zone.

more welcome is the 1.5 Nm increase in torque at 7,000 rpm, with a maximum value of 44.5 Nm. This will make the engine a little smoother, as the 180° timing is sometimes a little sharp. It's also worth noting that Voge has entrusted Bosch with an EFI control unit for fuel injection tuning. The engine is backed up by a 6-speed gearbox, and final drive is via a chain (on the beautiful banana swingarm).

That's all there is to it! And yes, there are no riding modes or traction control: this 525 R is driven and controlled the old-fashioned way. It's all in the right wrist.

small size, small price

The Voge 525 R has all the makings of a big bike, with its seductive looks and decent performance, but it still has the good taste not to put too much of a burden on the wallet. While it can't stay under 6,000 euros like the 500, it comes in at 6,095 euros with a 3-year warranty.

This price places it well below the scarecrow of the category: Miss Kawasaki Z650 and its price of 7,649 euros!

Inexpensive for the equipment on offer, lively and cheerful, this Voge 525 R has all the makings of a school bike: a great bike for beginners to have fun on.

Vincent Beaucousin - Manufacturer's photos