United Motors, an international company with offices in Florida, imported and rebadged Chinese and South Korean motorcycles and scooters; some were made by Jincheng, and some by Hyosung. United Motors’ American operations went out of business in 2010, though the company continued to distribute Korean and Chinese motorcycles in South America. Its 2007 Matrix, a step-through scooter, was a carryover.
It has an air-cooled, 149cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine with an overhead valve configuration, a carburetor, a continuously variable transmission, and a belt drive. The carbon fiber exhaust system is from Dimonza. The electric starter is backed up with a kick starter, and an engine immobilizer is standard. The front suspension is a telescopic fork; the rear is a twin-sided swing arm. Antilock disc brakes are standard.
The Matrix is not a tiny scooter. It weighs 229 pounds, it’s not quite six feet long, and its one-piece seat, for rider and passenger, is 35 inches high, so shorter riders may have a little trouble reaching the ground. The gas tank holds 2.4 gallons, and the scooter gets about 75 miles to the gallon. Standard storage space is fairly generous: it has a lockable underseat compartment, a keyed glove box, and a rear rack. The instrument panel display includes a speedometer, odometer, and tachometer, as well as a fuel gauge and light indicators.
It comes in six different colors, and the styling is sporty and contemporary. Fit and finish is not polished, but for the price, one could not expect Vespa quality. The company offered no accessories. Like most 150cc scooters, it’s designed for urban commuting, so it will fit into tight parking spaces. With 9.4 horsepower, it has the pep to get out of the way of traffic, but it is not designed for highway travel, though it will handle short hops.