Photo by AtsushiSekino
GPX is a Thai motorcycle manufacturer with a playful spirit
GPX Japan sponsored a test ride event for the 2022 model at Okegawa Sportsland on April 22, and this report is from that event. GPX is a Thai motorcycle manufacturer with a short history of only about 10 years, but it has rapidly grown to become the third largest manufacturer in Thailand after Thai Honda and Thai Yamaha.
GPX Japan, the parent company of Tsukiki Racing, will start importing motorcycles to Japan in 2019. In order to make it easier for more people to enjoy these motorcycles, which have become much more expensive than they were a decade ago, the company has selected models with a good balance of "quality" and "price" and is introducing them to the Japanese market. The number of sales locations has increased to 30 in Japan, including stores that handle the motorcycles.
What is interesting is that in addition to originally designed machines such as the Legend 250 Twin III introduced in the previous issue, the company also offers a lineup of machines with styling that looks familiar to many. The POPz 110 introduced here is one such machine. With its slim 17-inch tires front and rear, horizontally laid-down single-cylinder engine, and distinctive leg shields, it is indescribably a Super Cub.
The recent disappearance of business motorcycles such as Yamaha's Mate and Suzuki's Birdie from the lineup has made the homage to them quite conspicuous, but a closer look reveals that the details of the design are quite elaborate. While the original Super Cub incorporated a functional design with a business mindset, the POPz features sleek styling with a more "hobbyist" look, such as slimmer leg shields that protrude less than those of the original. POPz has a sleeker styling with a more "hobbyist" look, with slimmer leg shields that protrude less than the original.
1. Styling with mod fashion in mind
Coloring: Vermilion orange
Total length/overall width/Overall height: 1,880mm/745mm/1,070mm
Vehicle weigh: 100kg
Wheel distance: 1,230mm
Minimum ground clearance: 180mm
The Super Cub Style 110 is a playful mix of traditional and neo-retro styling that can only be described as "Super Cub style". The leg shields feature the Union Jack of the British flag as well as the iconic target mark of mod fashion. The tie is an adaptation of the Japanese-born Visibi style with British mod elements.
Selling price
Approx. 2,080 USD (tax included)
2. Compact and easy-to-manage motorcycle
Seat height: 760mm
The slim Super Cub-style chassis and slim seat provide excellent footing for a 172cm 75kg frame, with room to sit on one's heels and knees. The easy-to-ride style also makes it suitable for riding regardless of whether you are wearing Japanese or Western clothes.
3. This is a surprisingly sporty motorcycle! -Riding Review-
Actually, I own a Cross Cub 110 and a Super Cub 110 Pro. Since I'm here, I'd like to share with you my impressions of the POPz 110 from the perspective of a Cub owner! I was surprised by the playful styling, which is a modern interpretation of the original C125! Moreover, the more you look at it, the more it looks like a Cub. Yamaha's Mate and Suzuki's Birdie are also intended to look like Cubs. However, although they are "Cub-like," there is a sense of wanting to somehow differentiate them from Cubs, which in turn creates a sense of discomfort.
The POPz 110, however, is a 100% homage to the Cub, and its "Cub-ness" is extraordinary. Japan is now home to the world's four major motorcycle manufacturers, but the early days of the country's motorcycle industry were said to have begun with the copying of foreign-made motorcycles.
What surprised me when I started driving was the vigor of the engine. Speaking from a shareholder's point of view, even though it is a 110 cc engine, the torque is punchy and the push-off feeling at the start is quite strong. The torque pulse is also noticeably grainy, giving it a sporty feel. 110 series Cubs require foot pedal clutch operation to raise the front end, but in the case of the POPz 110, the front tire seems to rise with just a touch of the throttle. That is how strong the low-speed torque is.
In addition, business motorcycle style engines like this are often built with a priority on convenience, such as "comfort" and "quietness," but the engine of the POPz 110 is highly hobbyist and is built with a 100% fun-ride feel. Therefore, acceleration is punchy, and opening the throttle is pure fun and makes you want to open the throttle more.
This test ride was on a closed course, a mini-circuit with tight corners. Well, as with the Cub, you can feel the body flexing under stress in the corners, but if the engine is healthy and the brakes are of the disc type and work well, you will naturally want to open the throttle wide open.
Incidentally, the POPz series used to have a model lineup with a 125 cc engine mounted on the same chassis, but from this season, the lineup has shifted to a 110 cc engine. The displacement was deliberately reduced in order to improve durability and reliability, and there were many requests in the home country to install the 110cc engine, which has a better track record.
Even though it was a mini-circuit, in addition to driving at full throttle on the straights, the engine brakes were applied so hard that the tires squealed before the first corner. The motorcycle had the performance to withstand such a heavy load on the engine.
4. Detail
In addition to the low seat height of 760 mm, the seat shape with a narrower front section provides good footing.
The leg shields are less protruding on the left and right sides than those of the original model, as if design is more important than functions such as wind and mud shields.
Seesaw pedal type engine with automatic centrifugal clutch. It is clutch lever-less and can be driven with an AT-only small motorcycle license.
Engine type/Displacement: Air-cooled 4-stroke SOHC single cylinder/109cc
Speed change mechanism: Rotary 4-step speed change
Maximum output: Undisclosed
Maximum torque: Undisclosed
The wheels are 17" front and rear and are cast but not tubeless. The rear features a chain cover, and the chain is a D.I.D. 428 size, non-seal.
Front tire size: 2.25-17
Rear tire size: 2.50-17
The original Super Cub just got disc brakes and cast wheels for the 2022 model change, and the POPz 110 also has disc brakes on the front.
Front Brake: Single push 2 pots/disc 220mm diameter
Rear brake: Drum
The rear shock has a two-stage switchable preload adjustment mechanism for pillion use. The lever type is easy to operate, but the rear suspension becomes stiffer.
The pillion footpeg is not the type directly attached to the swingarm, but has a special bracket and looks comfortable.
Cutting out the cockpit alone, it does not look like the Super Cub of a few years ago. The switch box area is not an "Okamochi" type where all driving controls are done with the right hand, but a distributed type where the throttle and brake are done with the right hand and the switches are done with the left hand.
A front carrier is standard equipment. POPz is put together with retro styling, but only this front carrier is very practical.
The iconic target mark of mod fashion is designed throughout. The "POPz" logo is playful with the letter "O" headphones and cat ears.
Headlights, taillights, and indicator lights are all LED.
5. Coloring
The POPz 110 is available in 5 colors: Candice Red, Vermilion Orange, Cabin Super Black, British Green, and Stain Silver.
Candace Red
Cabin Super Black
British Green
Stain Silver
