Urban Gathering

On the Melbourne press launch for the Django range, Peugeot Motocycles (yes, it is Motocycles, not Motorcycles) importers, Urban Moto Imports, presented us with the “full set” of Django scooters – Evasion, Allure and Sport.

Like I said earlier, styling is subjective, but I’d be pretty confident in declaring the Django Evasion, which was my favourite, will also be the preferred choice of most other Peugeot scooter buyers.

Mounting up outside Melbourne’s Savoy Hotel, I found the saddle nicely-shaped and comfortable. Seat height is a low 770mm and the rider’s section of the seat tilts up to access the underseat storage, which will take an open-face helmet, but not a full-face – unless you have a very small head.

Bar reach is comfortable and relaxed, with a surprising amount of room in the footwell, too. The single-level footwell was at a sensible height for me and even taller riders on the launch found it comfortable. Being flat, the footwell also allows for small bags to be placed between your feet, unlike the Vespa that has a raised section in the middle of the footwell.

Starting up with the key that also opens the pair of secure storage pockets in the legshield (large enough for a phone or wallet), the 150 single purrs away quietly with no vibration.

Note here that the Django’s bodywork is all plastic, not metal. Despite this, dry weight of 135kg is certainly on the porky side for a scooter of this size and capacity. The weight, I feel, was a factor in the Django I tested feeling slightly underpowered for local conditions. Having ridden a few 125cc bikes in the past 12 months, the Django’s performance felt closer to those than what I was expecting from a 150.

hat being said, it is a scooter and no-one’s buying a 150cc machine expecting high-performance. As long it has enough acceleration to move away from the lights ahead of the traffic – which the Django has – that’s really all that matters.

With the launch taking place around the Melbourne CBD and Albert Park, we were mostly in the 40km/h to 80km/h range, which is the Django’s sweet spot. It’ll hit 100km/h and even up to 110km/h, but you wouldn’t want to be at those speeds for any length of time – if highway riding is part of your riding regimen, look elsewhere. In addition to being taxing both for rider and machine, these high speeds amplify any road imperfections felt through the suspension and those small 12-inch wheels.

At urban and suburban speeds, though, the Django felt solid over tramlines, speed bumps and most potholes.

Handling was surprisingly good, despite the size and the perceived excess weight, with the Django proving nimble enough to weave through traffic, so lane filtering was simple, with right-angle turns and roundabouts accomplished confidently, too. Wind out the suspension adjustability and you can also carry a pillion without a problem.

With the inner-city launch route requiring the brakes to be worked regularly, the Django’s smooth and progressive stopping was a positive, while the modern scourge of the city – dumb pedestrians looking at their phones when they cross the road – was counteracted by the ABS assistance, so you can jump on the anchors in an emergency and know you won’t put the scooter on the bitumen in the process.

A gripe with the Django – and I must stress it is a minor one – is the indicator noise, which is louder than the usual tick-tick-tick. Great for reminding you if you’ve left the non-cancelling indicators on, but I can see it being grating day after day.

Our launch test was brief and covered mainly flat going, but anecdotal evidence I’ve heard since suggests the Django struggles on steep inclines.

On the positive side, further feedback points to the Django being impressively economical, delivering an estimated 200km from the 8.5-litre fuel tank.