NEW Sinnis SM-R - Review (2022 - on)

Price: £3399 | Power: 14.8bhp | Weight: 140kg | Overall BikeSocial Rating: 4/5

Supermotos are great fun, aren’t they? Their fans certainly seem to think so, and the formula certainly hasn’t changed much in years. Take a trail bike, keep its long travel suspension, short wheelbase and short gearing, but add smaller 17-inch wheels and sticky tyres. The result should deliver decent acceleration, plenty of attitude and nippy city transport, even as a 125. The SM-R is Sinnis’ take on the whole concept. It looks the part, has a reasonable price tag, packs 14.8bhp and is A1-licence friendly. But does it work out in practice?

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Price

How much is the Sinnis SM-R (2022)? £3399

Good news for Sinnis here, because the SM-R doesn’t have much competition – in fact, if you’re determined to own a new 125cc Supermoto then there’s not a lot of choice full stop. None of the Japanese big four offer one (though Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha did until last year), and as a niche product it doesn’t have much traction with the bargain Chinese brands either. Lexmoto’s Assault (£2200) is lower tech, and not a true supermoto anyway, while Rieju’s MRT 125LC (£4799) holds the top end, complete with Yamaha four-valve engine, Marzocchi forks and Bosch ABS. That leaves the Aprilia SX125 (£3850) and the Sinnis SM-R (£3399) with the middle ground to themselves.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Power and torque

There’s one thing you notice about the SM-R straightaway, and it’s not the seat (of which more later). It’s very low geared, and first is so short that I was changing up after the first few metres or dispensing with the lowest ratio altogether.

Not that it matters once moving, because the SM-R has decent power and torque which give good performance for a 125 as long as you’re willing to use the revs. The test bike would spin round to the limiter at an indicated 11,500rpm, but it was no slower changing up at 8-9000, with a good enough midrange to keep things moving.

A1-licence bikes can wilt on hills, but the SM-R has enough grunt to keep up 55mph in sixth gear, thanks to that low gearing, though it struggles to exceed 60mph into a headwind and even at 50mph its buzzing along at 8000rpm. With a tailwind the little Sinnis would wind up to an indicated 70-72mph, at which point it was almost at peak revs in top gear. Either way, it’ll happily cruise at 55-60mph the flat, so it’s just fast enough for dual-carriageways without getting bothered by HGVs.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Engine and transmission

Remember when Chinese-made 125s were simple, cheap and low-tech? Not anymore. The Sinnis motor is a liquid-cooled, double overhead cam 125 with four valves, and fully Euro 5 compliant to boot. It’s also Sinnis’ most powerful 125 so far, with 14.8bhp at 9500rpm putting it near the top of the A1 licence class. With an engine spec like that, the SM-R wouldn’t really get away with fewer than six gears, so that’s what it has.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Economy

We didn’t have time to measure the SM-R’s fuel economy, and Sinnis claims a very precise 80.83mpg, though like any geared 125 with a four-stroke motor, the little Sinnis shouldn’t have much trouble giving up to 90mpg, given some restraint and steady round town running. The tank holds a modest 6.5 litres, so you can expect a range of around 100 miles before refill time.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Handling, suspension, chassis and weight

Supermotos have high seats – it sort of goes with the territory of adapting a trailie for the road – but the SM-R is a monster which I measured at 910mm (Sinnis say 885mm). For anyone less than six-foot with legs to match that means tiptoe at the traffic lights, and look for a handy kerb if you want to hop on or off. Still, once on the move none of that matters, because the Sinnis supermoto is super-slim and weighs just 140kg, so it’s very easy to thread through traffic. The throttle’s a bit on/off jerky at low speed but otherwise it’s all good, and the high seat does give a commanding view.

It works pretty well out of town too, and the Timsun 17-inch tyres front and rear grip well on streaming wet roads, when our long, dry summer finally gave way to rain. The long-travel suspension may not be over endowed with adjustment (you just get pre-load adjustment on the rear shock, none on the USD forks) but is well in control with decent damping – there’s none of the bounciness you can get with long forks and shocks. The wide bars give light, precise steering, always nice to have.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Brakes

ABS isn’t compulsory on A1-class 125s (just linked brakes) but at nearly £3500 the Sinnis has them as part of the package, with a 290mm front disc and 240mm rear doing the stopping. They are linked as well, proving good and powerful enough just using the pedal, the ABS kicking in on the rear brake during hard stops in the wet.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Comfort

No one buys a 125cc supermoto for its cossetting comfort, but the Sinnis doesn’t do too badly. The seat might be high, but it’s reasonably comfy and is big enough for two. You’re a bit in the wind, thanks to a high and wide riding position, but I could imagine doing longer trips on the SM-R. There are pillion pegs but no grabrail, so passengers need to trust the rider or have strong arms.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Rider aids and extra equipment/accessories

This might be a relatively sophisticated 125, but it’s still built down to a price, so don’t expect anything clever in terms of extras. The tiny dash does cram in a lot of information including a speedo, fuel gauge, odometer, clock and gear indicator. Smallest of all is the bar rev counter, just a token thing which looks good in the showroom but is tricky to read on the move. The mirrors are reasonably big, but they vibe at speed, and if you’re looking for the sort of 125 which takes a sensible screen and topbox, look elsewhere. You do get a two-year warranty, but it’s parts-only in the second year.

Sinnis SM-R (2022) Verdict

The SM-R might have its flaws as a sensible commuter (especially for the shorter-legged) but as 125cc supermoto with attitude it ticks all the boxes. Sharp looks with good performance, handling and brakes. If you have an A1 licence and like the supermoto style, you’d be daft not to consider it.

2022 Sinnis SM-R Specification

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