Voge DS625X Review: A Budget ADV Bike With Big-Bike Ambitions

The Voge DS625X is the latest mid-capacity adventure motorcycle to arrive from China, positioned as a more affordable alternative to stalwarts like the Honda NX500 and Yamaha Tracer 7. But does this sub-£6,000 adventure bike deliver enough performance, tech, and refinement to lure riders away from the mainstream brands?

To find out, we hit the East Midlands for a 100-mile test ride that covered everything from urban traffic to sweeping B-roads, and even a water splash; the perfect environment to put the new Voge through its paces.

Engine: Familiar Feel, Bigger Bite

Fire it up, and the 581cc crossplane twin hums into life with a note that feels familiar. That’s because it owes more than a passing nod to the Honda’ 500cc parallel twin powerplant. Thanks to some creative licensing (and a relaxed view on intellectual property law in its native China), Voge has managed to take the engine found in the DS525X and squeeze a bit more capacity and punch from the formula.

It pulls cleanly through the revs, spinning up to just shy of 10,000rpm. There’s a touch of roughness low down – a slight flat spot in the fuelling that you pull through quickly – but get it singing in the midrange and it feels eager and surprisingly fun. The cable-operated throttle suffers from a large dead zone of slack, though, meaning getting back on the gas mid-corner can be a bit lurchy. That said, the gearbox is a standout feature – the shift action is direct and precise, and the lever feels slick. The clutch is also as light as I've ever felt. It even behaves well under heavy downshifting, chirping the rear only if you’re being particularly naughty.

Electronics: Feature-Rich, But With Some Foibles

On the gadget front, Voge has given the new bike pretty much everything you’ll need straight from the dealership. Starting with the riding modes, you get two – Eco and Sport. Eco’s fine for bimbling about, but Sport is where you’ll want to be for most of the time, even if it does highlight the choppy throttle a bit more.

The traction control is switchable, and you'll probably want it turned off unless it's very wet. The issue is that once it cuts in, it takes an age to give you any power back. Get a little front wheel lift over a crest and you’ll feel like you’ve entered limp mode until the bike decides you're worthy of full power again. The ABS is, mercifully, less intrusive and on the dry roads we experienced during this event, it worked well.

More impressive is the level of equipment you get out of the box. A big, clear TFT dash with backlit switchgear (at this price, no less), TPMS, USB-C and 12V sockets, DRLs, LED fog lights, centre stand, adjustable screen and, the pièce de résistance, a dash cam! 

Yep, underneath the headlight is a neat little camera. Pop a memory card under the seat and you’ve got rolling 1080p footage in one-minute loops. I’m not sure that’s ever been done before, and certainly not at this price point, and it’s a genuinely clever bit of kit. We didn’t use it at the launch, but as you can see from the screenshot above, it’s perfectly usable and provides a nice line of defence should you be taken out by an absent-minded motorist. 

Heated grips aren’t standard (but can be fitted as an option), nor is a heated seat. In all honesty, I can probably forgive it, given what else you get. On top of the electronic equipment you get as standard, you also get a very chunky bash plate, crash bars, fog lights, and a rear luggage rack. For those who want to travel further down the accessory list, the aluminium hard panniers come in at a very budget-friendly £699 for the three-piece set.

Handling: Light Steering, Heavy Start

Leaving Rider’s Motorcycles with a brimmed tank, the bike initially felt top-heavy – you tip in, hit a point, and suddenly it wants to keep leaning. That settles as the fuel goes down, and once you’ve got your eye in, the bike is more willing than you'd expect.

In the bends, it’s competent and predictable at a decent pace. It only starts to feel unsettled when you're really pressing on or when the surface gets sketchy. At that point, the suspension shows its budget roots by feeling a bit crashy. You could dial some of that out with the adjusters, although we didn’t have time for that on the launch.

The brakes are a mixed bag. Up front are twin 298mm discs with two-pot Nissin calipers. They have a progressive lever feel, but for me, they just feel underpowered. The rear brake, however, is excellent, strong and with a confidence-inspiring feel when you lean on the lever.

Town work is easy thanks to the light steering, and despite the initial top-heavy feeling, it feels fairly agile and flickable. There was no off-roading on the day, and I have a feeling that if you do venture off-road, you’ll need to have a play with the adjusters as the base setting feels very road-biased.

Comfort: Mostly There – With a Caveat

Ergonomically, it’s pretty spot-on. The pegs might be a tad high for taller riders, but they were fine for me at five feet seven inches. The seat, though, is a different story. After 50 miles, I could still feel my backside. By 70 miles, I was wishing I couldn’t. It’s firm, and not in a “long days in the saddle” kinda way.

On the plus side, the vibes from the 270-degree twin-pot motor are well-damped, helped by chunky rubber peg covers. The screen, on its highest setting, works well too, giving enough wind protection to take the edge off a motorway stint. You can just about adjust the screen on the fly, although with no cruise control on the bike (which is shame), you’re better off pulling up to make the change with two hands.

Voge DS525X Verdict: A Surprisingly Well-Rounded Package

So, is the Voge DS625X a viable alternative to something like Honda’s NX500 or Tracer 7? Yes, with a few caveats. The engine is lively, and the spec list is very good for the price. It also carries itself with confidence when ridden sensibly, and the build quality seems to be very good. But that throttle lag, the slow-to-disengage TC, and the budget suspension mean you’ll need to ride around its quirks rather than through them.

Still, it’s a decent take on a new model, with Voge being sensible in its approach to building its range. It’s now got defined steps up from the DS525X, to the new DS625X, to the range-topping DS900X. All it needs now is a 125cc ADV/commuter, and it's got all the bases covered. It also feels like Voge is building its bikes in a very European manner. Unlike some Chinese bikes I’ve ridden, the Voge feels familiar and easy to get along with. That’s thanks to the design and riding experience being close to what you get from the mainstream European and Japanese marques.

You can find out more about the Voge DS625X and the rest of the range on the official website.

Photos: Neil Kates Photography

Spec Comparison: Voge DS625X vs Honda NX500 vs Yamaha Tracer 7