Laro SPT350

I’m looking down at the Laro SPT350’s LED gear indicator and my mind flicks back to my youth. The last time I rode a bike with such an aid was when I was 17. The hand-painted Suzuki GS400 then between my legs had cost the princely sum of £99 and moved me around my home town in a very mechanical fashion. Luxury, style and speed were emotions and experiences well beyond the GS’s capabilities but I had a vague feeling I was on my way to bigger and better things. Ahh, youth…

I don’t remember selling that old GS to the Chinese but Laro seems to have used it as a test-bed for its current offerings. Laro’s actually been in Australia for three years and sold some 3000 bikes, but that’ll be new news to most of us. So, is this the start of something bigger?

For a big fella, the Laro’s dimensions are great. There’s a huge tank (at 28lt, that’s about as big as they come), wide, flat seat and the ’bars spread your hands well. This doesn’t feel like a little bike and the riding position suits distance work well. Topped up, it’ll easily do 500km between the bowsers.

Thumb the starter and the 320cc parallel-twin rumbles into life. The origins of this engine date way back, though the addition of fuel injection helps bring it vibing into the modern age.

This twin layout was never known for its excitement and the power is predictable, linear and adequate, rather than fun and exciting. The cable-operated clutch is smooth though this testbike had a habit of finding a false neutral on the change up between first and second.

With its linear power, the midrange is the place to be. Go high up in the revs and the omni-present engine vibration changes from acceptable to rough. Having said that, at 80km/h in top (fifth), the tacho needle is hardly bothering the 4000rpm mark and the whole machine hums along well.

Get past walking pace and the bike steers quickly without the ‘chopper’ feel that greets you when you first move off. With the long fork, high ’bars and steep steering-head angle, slow-speed work has the front feel like it’s flopping into corners. On the highway, the bike can wander slightly due to the quick-steering nature, but keep between those two and the ride’s good.

But it’s when you start looking at what the Laro doesn’t have that you realise just where modern design’s at. The $4990 SPT350 has no span adjusters for the brake or clutch levers, no adjustment on the suspension, no return springs on the footrests (if you knock them up they stay up), no fuel gauge (or reserve tap), no clock and no chip-in-key security. On the plus side, the Laro comes with a two-year warranty (‘parts only’ for the second year) and Laro claims its dealer network (mainly on the eastern seaboard) is growing.

News of the 2013 SPT350 broke as I was testing the bike, with a host of upgrades including an upside-down fork, centrestand, fuel gauge and a lower seat height (although the exact height seems to be a state secret at the moment…).

Of course, living with the bike for only three weeks doesn’t give an accurate indication of how it’s going to stand up over the long run. Some of the finishes look sub-Japanese – and that’s when the bike’s new – so it’s hard not to think they’ll age badly. And then there’s the question of resale value. I can tell you what a three-year old GS500’s worth, but for a Laro of the same age?

Laro’s success is in its own hands. If the current range remains unchanged, then it’s hard to favour the brand over any other. But if it improves both design and rideability, then it could become the new Hyosung. The Korean company has established itself as the first alternative to the Japanese, but even it has had to reduce its prices across the entire range. Hyosung’s GT650 costs only $400 more than the Laro and easily beats it on style and finish, whereas Honda’s best-selling CBR250R comes in at $250 cheaper than the SPT, and that’s a rideaway price, too. It’s a brutal sales market out there and, in current form and cost, the Laro doesn’t look tough enough to survive.

SPECS: 2012 LARO SPT350
Type: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke parallel-twin
Capacity: 320cc
Bore x stroke: 62mm x 53mm
Compression ratio: 10.2:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

TRANSMISSION
Type: Five speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet multiplate

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Front suspension: Upside-down fork, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Twin shocks, non-adjustable
Front brakes: Twin discs with twin-piston calipers
Rear brakes: Single disc with single-piston caliper
Tyres: Front 100/90-18, rear 130/80-17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 165kg
Seat height: N/A
Wheelbase: 1470mm
Fuel capacity: 28 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $4990
Bike supplied by: Laro Motorcycles & Accessories, www.laro.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres