Hunter Bobber. An Honest Review.
Aug 24, 2015 14:26:33 GMT 9.5
Benno, springerman, and 1 more like this
Post by Grot on Aug 24, 2015 14:26:33 GMT 9.5
Plenty of people like to bag Hunter Motorcycles. “Chink Crap”, “Shitty cheap Chinese Harley knockoffs”, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Very few people who bag them have owned one, ridden one, or for that matter even seen one. It’s the same “Jap Crap”, “Rice Burner”, prejudice that existed when Japanese bikes started appearing next to British and American ones. That is to say it is based on no evidence whatsoever… just personal prejudice and ignorance.
I have owned one. A 2013 Hunter Bobber. I’ve put miles on it. I’ve used it for daily commutes to and from work and I’ve used it for long weekend rides on country roads. I’ve done city traffic, I’ve done highways. I’ve done it in all sorts of weather and road conditions. I feel, unlike most Hunter detractors, I have some experience and evidence from which to base my comments.
So what are they like? What are they really like? First of all, there is some truth to what the detractors say. There are some things on my bike that are just cheap and nasty. Stuff like the instrumentation that either doesn’t work at all or is inaccurate, and the brake pads that are just.. well.. shit. The chrome is also crap and will rust rather easily and some nuts and bolts have a habit of vibrating loose and falling off ( I lost my steering lock the first week!). Poor placement of the fuel overflow line also has a tendency to dump small amounts of petrol onto the engine when you have more than half a tank full. But really, that is about the extent of it. Where stuff really matters ( the engine) the bike shines.
The engine starts first time every time and if properly maintained it keeps on keeping on. Seriously. The engine is pretty much bullet proof. The gearbox feels solid and appears to be as sturdy as the engine. The disc brakes with the twin piston calipers are surprisingly good. They are better than I expected for a bike in this price range and have no issues pulling the bike up in an emergency. That being said, they make a bit of noise unless you replace the hard as nails cheap brake pads with something softer and of better quality. The suspension is adequate, though some soft cocks might call it a rough ride. For a rigid frame though, I think the Bobber is incredibly comfortable and smooth.
The engine is a two cylinder, water cooled, 350 CC, fuel injected four stroke, putting out a meager 17kw power with 22 Nw-m of torque. You won’t be breaking any land speed records on this thing, nor do you have the torque to effortlessly overtake slower moving vehicles, but the top speed of 135-145 kph (with a tail wind) is adequate for general day to day riding on Australian roads. For a learner motorcycle, and that is what these things are being marketed as, it does the job and it does it well. It is fast enough to keep up with the traffic, handles reasonably well in the corners, and is forgiving of noob errors. Highway travel is doable, but to be honest I would not want to do a lot of it. It handles the speed ok, but the revs get a little high and the handling gets a bit more skittish. It vibrates a lot at 100kph. Still... totally doable.
The engine is based on that found in the Honda Rebel and as such it has been designed to be easy to maintain and service. It is a great bike for a learner to not only get a feel for riding bikes, but also for doing self maintenance. It’s a simple design and easy to wrap your head around. Service intervals are every 4000Km, and oil is changed roughly every 3000km. The long chain is a bitch though and will have to be adjusted every 250km or it starts to slap rather annoyingly. It might be different on other models but I’m adjusting my Bobber’s chain very frequently . It’s a pain, but I’m used to it, and it is a quick job to do once you’ve done it a few times.
If you are wondering about how difficult it is to get parts, don’t. Initially I was afraid of that too, what, with them being a small brand and all, but parts are easy to get. If you don’t have a dealer nearby Hunter have an online shop where you can order them. Ordering is quick and painless, parts ship very quickly; and their customer support is bloody fantastic.
I’ve had a few minor issues with the Bobber in the time I’ve had it, but nothing major, and nothing that has cost me any real money (plugs, chain and radiator cap is all I’ve bought). The bike is cheap as chips to run and is hands down the sexiest LAMS bike on the market. It’s been good to me in the time I’ve had it and has done everything I’ve asked of it. You can’t really ask for much more. I’ve recently upgraded to a bike $30,000 more expensive and yet, I like the Hunter so much I’ve still kept it!
If you are looking for a LAMS approved motorcycle that doesn’t look like a jet ski, will get you through your RE licence period, and get you hooked on bikes for life, then test ride a Hunter Bobber. It will put a grin on your face from ear to ear.
I have owned one. A 2013 Hunter Bobber. I’ve put miles on it. I’ve used it for daily commutes to and from work and I’ve used it for long weekend rides on country roads. I’ve done city traffic, I’ve done highways. I’ve done it in all sorts of weather and road conditions. I feel, unlike most Hunter detractors, I have some experience and evidence from which to base my comments.
So what are they like? What are they really like? First of all, there is some truth to what the detractors say. There are some things on my bike that are just cheap and nasty. Stuff like the instrumentation that either doesn’t work at all or is inaccurate, and the brake pads that are just.. well.. shit. The chrome is also crap and will rust rather easily and some nuts and bolts have a habit of vibrating loose and falling off ( I lost my steering lock the first week!). Poor placement of the fuel overflow line also has a tendency to dump small amounts of petrol onto the engine when you have more than half a tank full. But really, that is about the extent of it. Where stuff really matters ( the engine) the bike shines.
The engine starts first time every time and if properly maintained it keeps on keeping on. Seriously. The engine is pretty much bullet proof. The gearbox feels solid and appears to be as sturdy as the engine. The disc brakes with the twin piston calipers are surprisingly good. They are better than I expected for a bike in this price range and have no issues pulling the bike up in an emergency. That being said, they make a bit of noise unless you replace the hard as nails cheap brake pads with something softer and of better quality. The suspension is adequate, though some soft cocks might call it a rough ride. For a rigid frame though, I think the Bobber is incredibly comfortable and smooth.
The engine is a two cylinder, water cooled, 350 CC, fuel injected four stroke, putting out a meager 17kw power with 22 Nw-m of torque. You won’t be breaking any land speed records on this thing, nor do you have the torque to effortlessly overtake slower moving vehicles, but the top speed of 135-145 kph (with a tail wind) is adequate for general day to day riding on Australian roads. For a learner motorcycle, and that is what these things are being marketed as, it does the job and it does it well. It is fast enough to keep up with the traffic, handles reasonably well in the corners, and is forgiving of noob errors. Highway travel is doable, but to be honest I would not want to do a lot of it. It handles the speed ok, but the revs get a little high and the handling gets a bit more skittish. It vibrates a lot at 100kph. Still... totally doable.
The engine is based on that found in the Honda Rebel and as such it has been designed to be easy to maintain and service. It is a great bike for a learner to not only get a feel for riding bikes, but also for doing self maintenance. It’s a simple design and easy to wrap your head around. Service intervals are every 4000Km, and oil is changed roughly every 3000km. The long chain is a bitch though and will have to be adjusted every 250km or it starts to slap rather annoyingly. It might be different on other models but I’m adjusting my Bobber’s chain very frequently . It’s a pain, but I’m used to it, and it is a quick job to do once you’ve done it a few times.
If you are wondering about how difficult it is to get parts, don’t. Initially I was afraid of that too, what, with them being a small brand and all, but parts are easy to get. If you don’t have a dealer nearby Hunter have an online shop where you can order them. Ordering is quick and painless, parts ship very quickly; and their customer support is bloody fantastic.
I’ve had a few minor issues with the Bobber in the time I’ve had it, but nothing major, and nothing that has cost me any real money (plugs, chain and radiator cap is all I’ve bought). The bike is cheap as chips to run and is hands down the sexiest LAMS bike on the market. It’s been good to me in the time I’ve had it and has done everything I’ve asked of it. You can’t really ask for much more. I’ve recently upgraded to a bike $30,000 more expensive and yet, I like the Hunter so much I’ve still kept it!
If you are looking for a LAMS approved motorcycle that doesn’t look like a jet ski, will get you through your RE licence period, and get you hooked on bikes for life, then test ride a Hunter Bobber. It will put a grin on your face from ear to ear.
