VOGE 300 RALLY
If there’s one contentious subject in motorcycling guaranteed to prompt a long and divisive debate, it’s Chinese-built bikes. I’ve had many a conversation with a variety of people on the subject, and though few rarely end in full agreement, almost everyone admits the far-eastern nation is getting better and better at producing more and more credible machines. Personally, I have little doubt about China becoming a big player in bike manufacture. It’s just a question of when. I’m old enough to remember the arrival of Japanese bike firms, and just how much their produce polarised opinion, too. We all know how that story ended.
On that very basis I was keen to try the Voge in this test. A visual study soon brought encouragement. Unlike several Chinese machines I’ve looked at in recent years, the 300 Rally is solid, stylish, and certainly appears very well put together. It features plenty of well-engineered parts like the steel beam frame, and the fit and quality of all fasteners is excellent. Overall, the Voge is robustly finished with durable-looking paint. Had it not had the brand name on the fairing, I could have been convinced it came from a bigger, more established manufacturer.
In time, riding it brought further positivity, and though by the end of the test it was obvious some improvements could be made to the performance in key areas, the overall assessment of the bike simply had to be very optimistic. Mind you, when Gary handed over the Voge keys, he did so warning me about the weakness of the front brake. I must say I couldn’t agree with him totally, though do think stopping could be a sharper, shorter affair. When you’re used to it, and accept that quite a bit more pressure needs to be applied to the brake lever, it’s not too bad. I think fitting some more aggressive pads might help, but braking distances are definitely something you have to make allowances for.
It’s a similar story with the suspension, with both ends of the bike feeling underdamped and generally having a crude action when you ask more of them. Both Gary and Ross rode the 300 well off-road, no doubt helped by their leg length allowing them to ‘paddle’ the tall machine with their feet down through the rockier sections. I had more difficulty thanks to the Voge’s lofty seat. Also I had a bit of a scare when the forks snapped back to their full extent after bottoming out when I hit a deep hole. In doing so, the steering was effectively lost, as the front wheel suddenly left the road momentarily. After that, I was always wary of the same chance of reduced control. On the road the suspension just felt a bit dead and didn’t cope with more seriously-damaged roads as well as I’d have preferred. Like the brakes, it’s not too bad, and some remedial work would no doubt bring improvement to its action.
Luckily, the engine performance is pretty modest, with the sort of restrained delivery that encourages steadier riding anyway. It’s by no means a slug, but just like the motors powering all four of these bikes, they simply can’t send you up to heady speeds, however long you wait. Once
you adjust your expectations, you’ll be fine and will probably enjoy the lazy nature of its power delivery. Some thought the motor was a bit vibey, though personally I felt it was just a little harsh and could easily live with it. Gary thought some of the gearbox ratios were spaced a little too widely for riding off-road.
The happy trade-off of this engine calmness is, of course, reduced running costs. Fuel consumption is superb, though using E5 unleaded is recommended, which is more costly and not always available in some smaller petrol stations. I have it on good authority running on E10 every so often isn’t harmful, but it can end up with throttle response becoming a bit fluffy with continued use.
Fluffy’s a word that comes to mind when describing the Voge’s comfort level. Okay, it’s better on smoother roads, but with a good protective fairing and screen, decent if tall seat, and roomy riding position, longer distance runs are well within the remit of this bike.
But without doubt, one key factor of the bike that’s both exceptional and beyond debate is its value. Discussions between us on the question of just how a bike like this can cost only £4000 lasted for quite some time. Given its build quality, acceptable enough performance level and components like crash bars and rack fitted as standard, there is no other option than describing the
Voge Rally as an absolute bargain. And using the price tag alone as the standard by which everything about the Chinese should be judged, it’s a lot more difficult to fault.