The Modenas Elit was one of three scooters introduced by Modenas in August 2003, based on models from PGO Scooters of Taiwan. The standard Elit was a rebadged PGO T-Rex offered with 125 and 150 cc engines; the Elit Sport 150 used the more aggressive PGO G-Max 150 as its starting point.
Modenas Elit Sport 150 at a glance
| Maker | Modenas, Gurun, Kedah, Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Introduced | August 2003 |
| Class | scooter |
| Standard Elit based on | PGO Scooters T-Rex |
| Standard Elit engines | 125 cc and 150 cc |
| Elit Sport based on | PGO G-Max 150 |
| Elit Sport changes | more aggressive engine tuning, alloy swing-arm, new chassis and body |
| Rivals | scooters from Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda |
| Launched with | the Ceria scooter |
| Source of technology | PGO Scooters, Taiwan |
There is no separate Wikipedia article on the Elit; it is described in a section of the English Wikipedia article on Modenas, which is the only source used here. Based on one source.
History of the Modenas Elit Sport 150
Scooters from Taiwan
In August 2003 Modenas introduced three scooters based on models produced by PGO Scooters of Taiwan, as an answer to the scooter ranges of Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda. Kawasaki, which had supplied the underbone engines, did not build scooters, so Modenas had to find the technology elsewhere. The Elit was a rebadged PGO T-Rex, launched as an alternative to the Karisma scooter in two displacements: 125 cc and the larger, more powerful 150 cc.
The Elit Sport 150
A second PGO-based 150 was introduced as the Modenas Elit Sports. It was the PGO G-Max 150 — sold in the United States as the BLUR 150 and in Europe as the BOBCAT 150 — with more aggressive engine tuning, an alloy swing-arm and a different, more solid chassis with new-era body design. According to Modenas, the standard Elit Sport 150 could out-accelerate and outrun a list of 100 to 135 cc machines, among them the Honda EX5 100, Honda Wave 125, Modenas Kriss 110 and 120, Yamaha Lagenda 100 and 115 and Nouvo LC 135.
Alongside the Ceria
The Elit was launched together with the Ceria, a more retro-styled PGO BuBu 100 with a 101 cc engine that became the smallest-displacement scooter Modenas had ever produced. The two models gave the company a wider scooter range below the larger 150, and both followed the Karisma, whose early batches had suffered poor handling before improvements made it a leader in the Malaysian scooter market from 2004.
Design and features
- PGO base: the Taiwanese T-Rex in standard form, the sportier G-Max 150 for the Sport version.
- Two displacement choices: 125 cc or the larger, more powerful 150 cc.
- Sport chassis: alloy swing-arm and a more solid frame on the Elit Sport.
- Performance claim: Modenas said the Elit Sport 150 could beat 100–135 cc rivals in acceleration and top speed.
Modenas Elit Sport 150 versions
- Elit 125: the smaller-engined standard scooter based on the PGO T-Rex.
- Elit 150: the larger-engined standard version.
- Elit Sport 150: the PGO G-Max 150 with sharper tuning and a different chassis.
The Elit was one of three scooters launched together in 2003; the retro-styled Ceria was another, and the range also included the water-cooled Elegan of 2004. Modenas also offered the two-stroke Dinamik. More machines are in the Modenas collection.
Sources
- Modenas, English Wikipedia: launch, PGO models, engines, Elit Sport, rivals
