2016 UM Renegade Commando, Sport S review, test ride

Or do they?

However, when you look at the bikes up-close, that’s where things start to go a bit wrong. Both the bikes have their fair share of quality problems with plastic centre panels not aligning exactly, and the plastic quality (on the panels and even the switchgear) feeling like it was built to an ultra-low price.

While paint quality was good, we did notice some chipping around the lip of the fuel-filler port on the tank. The lack of an overflow gutter around the port was also a severe issue when topping up the bikes, as excess fuel would invariably flow over the tank, and this had even left stains on the matte finish of the Commando. Then there were some other QC issues on the Sport S test bike such as, the handlebar being slightly bent to one side, the misaligned shroud for the fork slider hitting the fork legs, the speedo needle vibrating to the point of illegibility, and the final end plate of the muffler that seemed to be missing, resulting in an exhaust noise that was unbearable after a few minutes. In addition to that, the fuel gauges showed completely wrong readings.

Power play

Things get a little better when you come to the 279.5cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled motor. In a bid to keep costs down, UM has opted to use a carburetor for fuelling as opposed to an FI system; the short-stroke motor, on the whole, works quite well. It’s quick to rev, makes an acceptable 24.8hp of peak power and while aural refinement is somewhat lacking, there aren’t too many vibes to speak of, unless of course, you rev the motor hard. Its 21.8Nm of peak torque, although adequate, feels a bit lacklustre. This is largely because UM has opted for excessively tall gear ratios for the six-speed gearbox. We found first gear redlined at an indicated 70kph, second gear at an indicated 105kph. But after hitting a speedo-indicated 140kph in fourth gear, there was simply no more acceleration available in the top two gears. As a result of the gearing, to get a quick move on, you need to wind the motor up; something mildly unappetising on a cruiser.