Author: Iggy Grainger Posted: 15 Apr 2014
At £2495 the new Sinnis Apache 250 won’t really break the bank but does it offer good value for money, or is it just another cheap and cheerful Chinese motorcycle?
Bike choice is often dictated by the type of riding we do, if you want to do long distance you’ll perhaps choose a tourer, city journeys all year round might see you buying a scooter, or for a bit of urban and rural day to day use a budget priced super motard might do the job. Every time I ride something like the Sinnis Apache 250 it reminds me just how much fun this style of bike can be. Ok this one isn’t over powerful; it produces a claimed 19.3bhp (less at the rear wheel), which is hardly enough power to get you into trouble and will only just hit 70mph down hill but it is still a great little bike. Aside from making less power than expected (although the importer says a Dep exhaust and remap will help on production models) I still enjoyed using the bike for a couple of weeks.
The Apache is fuel injected, using a Siemens system, so starts easily enough and runs well. The engine itself is a single cylinder oil cooled lump, based on the Suzuki GS motor, so reliability shouldn’t be much of a concern and I was easily getting 73mpg out of it, which isn’t bad at all. The Apache uses a five-speed gearbox and it feels slick enough in use, in fact the whole package works quite well. The 250 also has 300mm wavy floating disks, uprated front forks and monoshock, a reinforced swinging arm and a new frame to set it apart from the popular Apache 125. The 250 also has flexi plastics with new paintwork and graphics, a long range 10.6 litre tank, stainless exhaust, LED rear light/indicators and a digital dash. So it’s not too badly spec’d for its price and spares are easy to get hold of and affordable.
Like most super motards the Apache is at it’s best blasting around country lanes where torque is more important than out and out power. You can have a bit of fun chucking the bike into corners, or roundabouts where it’ll stay planted and fire you safely out the other side. In the dry the budget 17” Kingstone tyres work well enough, although they will slide under harsh braking in the wet. To be honest I’d be looking to swap those before next winter if I bought an Apache, so abuse them through summer. The brakes and suspension are both of great quality though, so no complaints there and for £2495 I don’t think you’re getting a bad bike at all, especially with its two year warranty. The Apache is fuss free, easy to ride and looks good enough. Release a few extra horses and add some sticky rubber and you’ll enjoy it even more.
Who are Sinnis?
Sinnis Motorcycles have been around in the UK since 2006 when they first started working with Chinese Suzuki partner, Jinan Qingqi. Sinnis distribute their range of 21 bikes and scooters in the UK and have concentrated on developing good quality but affordable machines. Marketing and communications manager, Anthony Jackson rode a Sinnis Apache 125 in the 2011 Mongol Rally and was the first motorcycle team to complete the epic 10,000 mile journey.
+ points: Price, MPG, easy to ride
- points: Lack of power, cheap tyres
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