2017 UM Renegade Commando Classic review, road test

The Classic is equipped with a 279.5cc, single-cylinder fuel-injected motor that gets liquid-cooling and four valves. Overall, this is a relatively smooth motor that feels decently powered for a 280cc motorcycle. The engine puts out peak power of 25.15hp at a rather high 8,500rpm, while its peak torque of 23Nm kicks in at 7,000rpm. The first and second gears have shorter ratios, while third, fourth and fifth are quite tall. Sixth gear, on the other hand, is purely a cruising gear, which should help with mileage during highway cruising. And since torque and power are made higher up in the revs, you will need to really work through the gearbox to avoid knocking and stalling the machine. This is the sort of engine character you’d expect from something like a street-naked, and is quite uncharacteristic of a cruiser motorcycle.

That being said, gearshifts happen predictably and we did not find any false neutrals on our test ride. The Classic managed a 0-100kph time of 13.51sec, which isn’t exactly earth-shattering, but respectable for a 280cc cruiser. The bike feels happiest out on the highway, sustaining speeds of 80-90kph. There is a fair amount of vibration that creeps out of the handlebar and seat at high revs. The bike also gets a removable decibel killer on its silencers, which, when removed, gives the exhaust a louder note.