Introducing:

Anyone who owns a Symba or a SYM scooter will soon be familiar with this name:  Alliance Powersports (website not quite up yet).  They're the new USA distributor of SYM vehicles, taking over this month from the former distributor, Carter Brothers (see story about Carter Brothers, below).

This is great news for Symba fans!  So far, the response by SYM dealers regarding Alliance Powersports has been very positive:  scooters are in stock and shipping, parts and accessories are flowing again, and warranties are being honored - including those on bikes sold through the previous distributor.  The people at Alliance are excited at this new opportunity to really do justice to the Symba and the other quality scooters made by SYM.  They are definitely keeping the Symba as part of the USA product line (why wouldn't they - it's very popular!), and are looking to adding the new and much-anticipated Classic 150.  The impression I got from my emails and phone calls with Mike Hickman, the head honcho over at Alliance, is that this is going to be a whole new ball game.  Hooray!

And by the way, if you'd like to add a really fine 125cc scooter as a companion to your Symba, you can get the (made by SYM) Lance Cali Classic at only $1995 ($300 less than the SYM Fiddle-II), at Alliance's sister company, Lance Powersports.

Now You Can Have The Symba Bench Seat AND A Rear Rack!

Good news for Symba owners who have opted for the bench seart! SYM has finally introduced a new rear rack for the Symba that fits with the bench seat.  It's not quite in the USA yet, but Chris at Ooty's Scooters (Santa Barbara, CA) has put in an order for them - along with more of the bench seats, which have been hard to find for quite some time now. Email Chris to reserve one or both for your Symba!


Note in the photo above that there is also a Symba "inner" rack that fits on the legshield.  Let's hope they soon become available as well!

The Symba Conquers the Australian Outback

Two intrepid Australian chaps have made the 2,148 mile journey across their home continent, from Perth to Melbourne - each on a Symba, of course!  Of note is the fact that on one day of the trip the temperature went over 110 degrees (F)!  Just shows to go you - the Symba is a quality machine that can take extremes in stride and just keep going.  The only issue either bike had during the 7-day trek was a flat tire (or, "tyre", to use the king's English).  The full story is here.

A Few Simple Customizations Can Make Your Symba Really Special!

This Symba is new on my list of favorites!  The owner painted the side covers to match the body - which may sound like a minor point but I think it really enhances the classic "Cub" lines of the bike - and he added rally striping and decal to the legshield.  Nnnice!  I'm not too keen on windshields, though - but if you're going for that British "Mod" scooter look, they work.  About 8 more headlamps would be fitting as well.  Perhaps that's next on his list!  Thanks for the submission!  Visit the owner's blog here.

Symba Appears in Local News Report on Scooter Industry

Story link: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

It's not great news (scooter sales off by 67% compared with prior year - oof!), but there is a great shot of the Symba.

Taiwan's Super Cub History...

The Super Cub is the most manufactured motor vehicle in history, having been made not just in Japan but throughout Asia for the past 52 years.  

In Taiwan, Honda chose to license manufacturing to local companies operating on the Island, rather than pay the stiff import duties levied on imported vehicles.

The company they chose to manufacture Honda motorcycles for them was Sanyang Industry Co. (SYM), which started production of the Super Cub in 1962. This photo is of the SYM museum in Hsinchu, Taiwan.  Note the C100 Cub on the right and the Symba on the far left, with all the intervening models in between.


Today, SYM is one of the major manufacturers of both motorcycles and automobiles in Taiwan.  No longer under license from Honda, SYM produces a line of world-class quality scooters and motorcycles that are designed in Taiwan by SYM engineers, and compete with Honda and other major brands head-on.  SYM has won praise and admiration for its extremely high quality standards and the resulting durability of its scooters.  Thus, we have the Symba, which came to these shores in 2009, two years after SYM's entry into the USA.

Download it Today - The Symba Service Manual!

The Symba Service Manual.  Every Symba owner should have a copy of this document.  If you ever need to adjust your valve clearance, set the ignition timing, gap a new spark plug, replace the main fuse, etc... this is the source for technical specifications and instructions on how to make such adjustments and repairs.


As far as I know, this is the only copy available in its entirety online.


Download it here.