Gomoto motorcycles are made in China but the badge is unique to South Africa. Previous models, the GT125 Freedom and GTR125 Sprint, were based on the Honda CG125 and seem to share its legendary durability.
Now the range has been expanded to include two scooters that differ only in engine size, the Mantis 125 and 150 - with mixed results. Motoring.co.za was offered the larger of the two to try, which may have been a veiled reference to my 106kg bulk.
The Mantis 150 is powered by a 149.6cc fan-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine driving via the usual centrifugal clutch and constantly variable belt. The clutch has, however, been set to take up at very low revs, taking advantage of the unusually torquey engine with its 57.4 x 57.8mm bore and stroke.
Instead of the engine buzzing up to its power peak on take-off and staying there as the transmission tries to catch up - which is standard practice with small-calibre CVT drive trains - the Mantis simply growls at the rider and pulls away quite gently at low revs.
It has surprisingly muscular mid-range torque, however, and accelerates strongly up to about 70km/h without seeming to work very hard. The test Mantis topped out at 84km/h, admittedly a little under par for a 150cc motor, but even then the engine sounds like it's well off its power peak.
The factory pamphlet, written in exquisitely tortured Chinese English, promises 90km/h - but that's probably with a 37kg Chinese pilot. Nevertheless, even with me aboard it will womble happily up quite steep hills at a relaxed 70km/h and seems happy to cruise all day at 80, almost completely vibration-free.
The factory also claims it'll do 2.9 litres/100km; yeah, well, maybe at a steady 30km/h with the same 37kg rider. Cruising at 80km/h in the real world the test Mantis returned an average of 4.5 litres/100km.
The engine emits an EU-mandated flatulence from the anodised-aluminium silencer can and a much louder, strangely familiar, rumble from the air box under the rider's seat. It was only after I had been riding the Mantis for almost a week that I realised what it reminded me of - it sounds like a Second World War American bomber engine!
If you've ever seen the movie Memphis Belle you'll know exactly what I mean.
EU compliant
And yes, Cyril, I did say EU-mandated; the importer was at pains to tell me the Mantis has a catalyser in the aforementioned can and complies with the current European emission regulations.
The catalyser gets so hot after a long run, however, that after you park it will sit there and smoke gently from the silencer mountings for a few minutes as the heat cooks off residual oil mist.
The first time I saw it I stood and watched, horrified, expecting the Mantis to burst into flames any second, but by the end of the review period I was used to it - and the distinctly odd smell it left in my garage.
Underbone frame
The Mantis is built on an ordinary "J" or underbone frame - standard for step-throughs the world over - with 29mm conventional forks and a pivoted motor modulated by dual rear shocks.
The rear suspension copes remarkably well with suburban roads, even when it bottoms out it does so reasonably gently but the front forks will thump against the stop even when crossing a gutter.
I suspect if it were not for the overly gentle action of the front disc the forks would bottom under hard braking.
Pressure regulator
The 220mm front brake has a little pressure regulator on the calliper; it's labelled as an anti-lock system but in reality all it does is reduce the initial bite in the system, in theory reducing the risk of a locked wheel.
Its effect is to render the braking action soft and rather vague; in true scooter fashion the 140mm single-leading shoe rear drum brake is a lot sharper. Neither wheel, however, will skid except under gross provocation and using both brakes together will haul the Mantis down impressively quickly.
It has a 13" wheel at each end and is pleasantly stable by scooter standards although the super-quick steering can catch you out until you get used to it. Sit as far back as is comfortable, keep your hands still and go for it - the Mantis will zoom round tight corners at a remarkable pace without anything scraping.
Taut styling
The styling of the plastic body panels is taut, with strong character lines, although it becomes rather fragmented in places - particularly under the saddle where the black underbody and silver sides meet in a busy collection of contrasting planes and curves.
The front treatment comes down to a beak-like point above the front wheel, making the slanted headlights part of the look, while the sides repeat the curve as they rise towards the tail.
The execution, however, is not up to the styling; there are some rough edges, the fit between the panels is not up to Japanese standards, and I have some reservations about the durability of the matt black plastic used for the underbody mouldings.
There's a neat lockable glove compartment in the legshield and space in the storage under the seat for a fashionable half-helmet if not a full-face skid lid.
Matching top box
The matching plastic top box is a standard fitting but has its own key that does not fit the ignition. It's mounted on a straightforward tubular steel rear carrier that's been unsuccessfully gussied up with a body-coloured plastic moulding; it looks rather untidy from underneath as a result.
I don't think the Mantis will fall apart but without regular and detailed care it will soon begin to look very second-hand, a complaint often levelled at budget scooters.
Mechanically, however, it seems as durable as the other vehicles in the Gomoto range; its sweet-running, understressed engine starts first touch on the button every time and never misses a beat even though the lean-running catalyser causes it to run a little hot in traffic.
For commuters who don't want to go the full clutch-and-gearbox route it's an affordable alternative to the company's GT motorcycle range.