Music players are not a common feature on motorcycles and their rare appearances are usually reserved for expensive touring models from brands like BMW or Harley-Davidson. Lexmoto’s Venom 125 is nothing of the sort, yet this budget 125 cc naked motorcycle breaks the mold with a standard built-in MP3 player.
Targeting European holders of A1 category licenses (up to 125 cc and 11 kW), the Venom 125 is meant to appeal to an audience that may be as young as 17 years old. While the aggressive streetfighter look may well serve this purpose, it is the inclusion of an MP3 player that helps it stand out from the crowd.
The built-in player is housed in a discrete panel on top of the fuel tank, right above the cap, and is controlled by three easily accessible multi-function buttons. The player accepts either a USB device or a MicroSD card (or both with a toggle function) and is coupled with speakers hidden behind the plastic panels at both sides of the fuel tank.
Although it may not be the hi-tech audio system one would meet on an extravagant BMW tourer, it probably endows the Venom with a strong selling advantage for youngsters hunting for their first motorcycle. Actually, the real question is, why hasn't anyone thought of this before?
The Exeter, UK-based company imports motorcycles and scooters from China, rebrands them as Lexmoto and sells them in the UK and France. The Venom 125 is the latest addition to its range, powered by a four stroke 125 cc single cylinder engine that produces a maximum output of 11 hp (8.5 kW) at 9,000 rpm. It has a maximum speed of 105 km/h (65 mph) and comes equipped with disc brakes all around, a single rear shock absorber and a lush instrument cluster.
Apparently the Venom is originally made by the Chinese company Senke Motor, a brand name owned by Heshan Guoji Nanlian Motorcycle Industry Co.,Ltd., which in turn is part of China Machines and Equipments Group Corporation Ltd. from Guangdong, China.
Lexmoto is selling the bike for £1,350 (approx. US$2,045).
Enjoy the Venom 125 playing AC/DC’s Back in Black in the following video description of the MP3 player’s functions.
Source: Lexmoto
Young motorcycle riders should be focusing their full attention on the road and all obstacles and vehicles around them 360 degrees. Perhaps a better 'feature' would be a warning system when they go too fast or get too close to other objects; or perhaps a warning system that sounds when they wait too long to brake; something I have also noticed with younger drivers a lot.
My question is: How are the riders going to be able to operate the mp3 system while they are already occupied with texting on their phones?