Small bike specialist Sinnis have a diverse variety of 125cc motorcycles available on the market in the UK, and the Akuma sits firmly in the mix again now it has been refreshed to meet euro 5 omission standards.

The Sinnis Akuma itself is a modern, aggressively styled, Chinese-made 125cc minibike built to be a cheap entry-level option to get you on the road for commuting around the urban jungle. But is it worth the £2,599 price tag?

Clearly, the Akuma has some Italian-inspired styling going on and we can obviously see there are familiarities with one of its major competitors the Benelli TNT. The resemblance is somewhat uncanny, but this is no bad thing. Popular with younger riders, and easy to modify with a stunt bike look there are plenty of options to make it your own.

With its short length, the Akuma is often referred to as a mini-bike, but the rest of the dimensions are pretty standard, but I’ll talk about more of these later on.

Apart from the halogen headlight, all the rest of the lighting including the DRL are all modern LED.

When it comes to colourways there are two options currently available, Ionic Red, and Carbon Black. The bike I had on test was the Ionic Red version, and I must say I am quite a fan of the blacked-out frame and components along with the bright red, it pops quite nicely.

Though for me, it’s a shame the white and red version back in the euro 4 days hasn’t been continued (as that looked even sportier).

Giving the Akuma all its life is an air cooled 124.6cc single cylinder, 2-valve, 4-stroke engine which kicks out a modest 9.7hp at 9,000rpm, and 8.5nm @7,500rpm.

Those numbers aren’t exactly going to shock anyone. However, when we look at the Akuma’s engine and other spec, we have to take into account what the Akuma is designed for, and that for me is urban journeys (ones when you don’t really expect to go beyond 45/50mph). For that kind of use the engine is more than at home, it can build up speed respectfully to 40mph, so getting around towns and cities will be pretty easy, allowing you to dart around traffic.

The gearbox on the Akuma is 5-speed, again which really affirms this hasn’t been designed with top speed in mind. The gearbox itself is solid, easy to navigate through the gears, and as you’d expect the clutch is light and very easy to use, with the reassurance of the gear indicator on the dash – all nice and user-friendly.

It is worth mentioning that the triple exhaust though does look decent in my opinion is actually near silent, and the bulk of the noise emitted from the Akuma is acutally from the engine, shame it doesn't make it sound a tad better.

Getting out onto the fast open roads with national speed limits is where the Akuma is definitely out of its comfort zone. Acceleration from 45mph is slow and best not be depended on, as environment and conditions can soon affect it. The top speed reached on the speedo, reads at 68mph, but in all honesty, I doubt it was much more than 62mph and it took a slope, full tuck, and an awful lot of persistence to reach it. Where everyday top speeds are concerned, I’d say 55mph is about right, but it really is best placed at home in a town or city where it is not relied upon for top speed.

Braking on the Sinnis Akuma is provided by a 276mm disc at the front with a 3-piston caliper, and on the rear is a 220mm disc with a single-piston caliper. As expected for a budget bike from China, there is no ABS to be found here, instead, you get the basic Combined Braking System (also known as linked braking). Though there is a 3-piston caliper at the front, one of those pistons starts to come into play when you hit the rear brake hence the term combined braking.

Though it has CBS which most of us aren’t a big fan of, the brakes on the Akuma actually did a pretty decent job on the test. The front brake is good and progressive, and the back brake, as usual, is more subtle. When you pull in both of those levers it does bring you to a nice halt, so braking for me was pretty good.

Now onto the suspension for me is a similar story to the braking, all-around at this price point it does a good job.

With USD forks at the front and a mono-shock to the rear, the suspension will do a decent job around urban roads which aren’t too rough. Get out of the Akuma’s home onto rougher rural roads for instance and yes things can get a bit bumpier, but most journeys on your average town road should be absolutely fine.

This new euro 5 version of the Akuma now has 14” wheels front and back which helps with a little bit more stability. Throw in the fact that the front wheel is a 120 wide tyre, and the rear is 140, the Akuma actually holds and grips the road pretty well, so even those rare occasions with the Akuma is close to 60mph, it actually feels pretty solid on the road.

An important thing to know about the Sinnis Akuma 125 is the fact it is a budget motorcycle, and it's fair to say it has been made to a price point. When you get to technology, this is where the budget feeling is felt. It has a nice large and clear digital dash which displays all the normal data well and quite clearly, though the panel does look cheap, and the buttons on either side of the display look and feel quite budget too.

A bizarre colour option on the the dash also allows you to navigate through 7 different display backgrounds colours, but if I'm honest I'm not really sure why this exists. All other functionality is very basic, but at this price point I don’t really expect much else, it would just be an area I would like to see improved upon for future versions.

Following on from the tech, the switch gear, likewise does the job and worked well on test but was another area that felt particularly budget friendly. The indicator switches for instance felt a bit on the flimsy side.

The seat height might actually surprise you as it is definitely not low. Coming in at 820mm high though it is quite a narrow seat, it might be a struggle for those shorter riders out there.

I’m quite a short rider myself at only 5’ 6 and definitely wasn’t flat-footing it so those under 5’ 4 blessed with short legs, I’d say would want to check for compatibility.

The seat itself is OK for short journeys, however, for me it does get a bit uncomfortable after a while, especially after an hour or so on the saddle. I’m not exactly the tallest or heaviest chap in the world, so always best to make sure you check for your own comfort and fit. I dare say the bigger the person you are, potentially the more uncomfortable it could get – but this is just an assumption!

It might not be a particularly long motorcycle, but as I alluded to earlier the rest of the dimensions are pretty standard.

The fuel tank on the Akuma houses an impressive 13 litres of fuel which is respectable for a 125. All going well and achieving a near 90mpg you can expect to get over 250 miles in range on a tank. So when based in an urban environment with likely short journeys, you’ll not be filling up the Akuma very often.

With the exposed steel trellis frame, sporting a shorter than usual total bike length of only 1855mm, it will come as no surprise that the Sinnis Akuma 125 is rather light. Coming in at 125kg, along with that short design, you can start to see in the designing process where the Akuma has been created to be pretty darn nimble.

Out on the roads, the Sinnis Akuma is one very agile motorcycle, it handles incredibly easily, and has to be one of the friendliest bikes to control. It's the ease of manoeuvrability that is a key characteristic of the Akuma. It might not go particularly fast, but it is fun darting around congested roads.

There is no doubt the Benelli TNT is a big competitor, another bike that has Italian-esq styling and is manufactured in China (while also being available for around £2,599). Stats are fairly comparable, with the TNT putting out slightly more horsepower (11.1bhp) while having a more accessible seat height at 780mm, the Akuma though does have a bigger fuel tank, wheels, and brakes.

Another competitor this time from a more premium offering is the Honda MSX 125 (aka The Grom). Now arguably the Grom and Akuma won’t be strong rivals as they are at completely different price points. The Grom starts at £3,849, which is a whole £1,250 more than the Akuma. There is no doubt that the Honda is a more premium, quality, and well-built offering which is hard to beat. But the Akuma isn’t there to match this, it is there to be a budget-friendly option for those on a tight budget, to buzz around town.

The Sinnis Akuma officially starts at £2,599 plus on the road. This includes a 2-year warranty.

With the first year covering: Parts, Labour & Breakdown, while the second year covers parts only.

The Sinnis Akuma is a very budget friendly motorcycle at £2,599. This is a low-priced entry point onto the 125cc market, which does open up and make it easier for people to get a new motorcycle. Its aim is to be a cost-effective mode of transport for nipping around town beating the traffic while having fun doing so – and it definitely does meet its objective that is for sure!

However, purchasing a budget motorcycle that is produced in China does come with the concerns of longevity, and resell value which I, unfortunately, am not able to answer as I have tested a relatively new motorcycle for a two weeks period. This bad boy from Sinnis did impress me and didn’t let me down or show any areas of major concern.

The positives for me are for one, that it looks great, and although my younger days are behind me, the Akuma I believe will still appeal to those younger riders fresh off grasping their CBT certificate.

Secondly, the Akuma comes packed with a large fuel tank, decent brakes, and suspension (for typical urban roads) with a pokey enough engine to have fun squeezing through traffic and not going much beyond 45mph. The Sinnis Akuma 125 does the job solidly and firmly puts itself in the shop window for those wanting a budget-friendly bike, with a little bit of attitude on top.

On the other hand, when it comes to areas that let me down. One point worth mentioning what the seat. The seat can become a little uncomfortable (and could be a touch lower too), I would definitely check if you are a taller or larger person for compatibility. The dash and switchgear on the Akuma also feel a bit cheap and the tech is minimal, but then again these are compromises you expect for such an affordable machine.

• Affordable and cheap to run
• Looks great - will most definitely appeal to the younger rider!
• Large fuel tank

• Produced in China - unsure of longevity thus far 
• Seat gets uncomfortable after a while

I hope you enjoyed my full road test review on the new Euro5 compliant Sinnis Akuma 125!

If you have your very own Sinnis Akuma, or perhaps another motorcycle you need to insure, make sure to get a motorcycle insurance quote direct from Lexham!

Last but not least, if the Sinnis Akuma is up your street, feel free to take a look at our Top 10 Chinese-built 125cc motorcycles for more!

Engine	124.6cc, Air Cooled, SOHC 2-Valve, 4 Stroke
Fuel tank	13L
Brakes	Front: 276mm Hydraulic Single Disc Rear: 220mm Hydraulic Single Disc (CBS)
Suspension	Front: Upside-down Telescopic Fork Rear: Swingarm, Direct Action Mono-Shock Absorber
Seat height	820mm
Weight	125kg
Price	£2599 + OTR