Voge Sr4 Max, what the premium Chinese scooter looks and feels like

In 2024, Voge, a company born in 2018 within the giant Loncin as a 'premium' brand, gave a more precise indication to its mid-range model by adding the word 'Max' to the name of its Sr4 scooter (6,000 euro). Sound familiar? To us it immediately reminded us of Yamaha's Xmax 300; after all, the Japanese brand has made a real flagship of the word 'Max' since the birth of the successful Tmax, a maxi scooter that needs no introduction. To compete on the same level as the Japanese competition (including the Honda Forza 350), the new Voge Sr4 Max sports a remarkable build quality with carefully crafted details at a price about 5-600 euro less: to realise this, one only has to examine the saddle, the handlebar blocks, the handlebar controls and the assembly of the bodywork plastics. The standard equipment, then, is that of a top-of-the-range scooter: electric windscreen, heated grips and seat, keyless start with remote control, full LED headlights, 7-inch colour dashboard that connects to the smartphone and even a front camera capable of recording decent quality video footage on a micro SD card.

The engine is a single-cylinder 350 cc engine with 34 hp, more than enough to push the Voge's 205 kg dry, plus about 13 litres of petrol that goes into the tank, whose nozzle is in the central tunnel (convenient: you fill up while sitting down). The declared average consumption is 28 km/l, a value confirmed by our test. For city riding, on cobblestones and wet pedestrian crossings, the standard traction control is a holy hand, but in general all the chassis is well in place: sturdy steel tube frame with rectangular section, 15" front rim (14" at the rear), Kayaba fork and shock absorbers and brakes worthy of a motorbike: 265 mm double front disc with four-piston floating caliper and 265 mm rear disc; the parking brake, very convenient when parking downhill on the side stand), is in front of the left lever. Safety feature: during hard braking the rear lights flash automatically, warning the following vehicle.

Having a motorcycling DNA, when testing a scooter, the tendency is to look more at the substance than the form. With the Voge Sr4 Max, however, even the overall look is gratifying, especially the front end that stands out from the competition: the full LED headlights give a pleasingly aggressive 'look', well integrated with the air intakes and the windscreen that can be adjusted in height with a button behind the instrumentation. Here we also find the buttons to adjust the heating of both the grips and the seat, on three levels. The seat at 775 mm from the ground immediately offers a lot of confidence with the Sfida Sr4 from the first kilometres, especially as there is plenty of space for the knees (a little less for the feet), even for taller riders.

The handlebars, wide and high, offer good control and close a particularly comfortable triangulation with saddles and footpegs, which prevents soreness. The engine is powerful and guarantees decisive acceleration despite the fact that the Voge is not a twig; shame about the traction control that intervenes by cutting power a little abruptly when needed. The second and final drawback of the Voge is the large (41 litres) and illuminated under-seat compartment, which is a little irregular in shape and does not allow full use of the space. We liked the Sr4 Max a lot in curves, even at high speed, because it holds the trajectories very well and was quite good in changes of direction, thanks to a correct weight distribution. This is also appreciated in traffic, an area in which the Voge does not tire thanks to an easy and non-demanding ride. The braking is good, proportionate and suited to the scooter's characteristics, as is the protection from the air: placed all the way up, the windscreen protects even 190 cm tall riders very well. Finally, the suspension: set a bit on the stiff side to favour a brilliant ride, on the most difficult city potholes they let through some jolts to the rider's back, but nothing annoying.